Trick or Treat

Karen was talking with Morgan, my soon-to-be 3-year old, about trick-or-treating later tonight. To make sure she understood the "process" Karen asked, "What do you say when you ring the doorbell?"

Morgan quickly replied, "Ding Dong!"

Flight of the Wild Duck

Here's a great Chinese proverb on the importance of leading by example. I found it in a comment on lifechurch.tv's blog...

“Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow.” - Chinese proverb

My Kids Are Sick!

So last week Ethan was in the hospital overnight with croup. This week Morgan is diagnosed with strep throat. Pray for the Genders' household!!!

I can't wait to say the famous movie line, "This house is clean." (Although I know it won't sound nearly as creepy as Zelda Rubinstein made it sound!)

Small Group Leader's Meeting

A big thanks goes out to all of you who were able to attend the leader's meeting yesterday. Personally, I think our first meeting went very well. There is a lot more we need to discuss, but I didn't want to overload my leaders with too much information at once. If you attended the meeting yesterday, post a comment below to let me know one or two take-aways from our conversations.

For those of you that weren't able to make it, here is a summary of what we discussed...

TEAM-BUILDING
We utilized our Jimmy John's boxed-lunches to build devices that would hold a raw egg and keep it from being broken when dropped from the balcony in the auditorium. The take-away was that we are to create small group environments where people are cared for and protected as they grow in their faith and knowledge.

WITH or OF...
I shared that we need to become a church OF small groups rather than a church WITH small groups. In the latter, small groups are simply one of many options for people to get involved in. In the former, small groups become the foundation for spiritual growth and connection within the church. The goal of the church is to move people from our weekend worship services (foyer) to medium-sized gatherings such as MarriedLife Live and Starting Point (living room) and eventually to small groups (kitchen).

However, small groups are not the end. They are simply a means to the desired end which is helping people become fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ. This is critical to understand because we don't want our success to be defined by the number of people in small groups. We want our success to be defined by how much people are growing and how healthy the church is becoming because of doing life together in small groups. (Read Acts 2:42-47)

DUAL OBJECTIVES
We reviewed the two primary objectives of small groups - spiritual growth and authentic community. As leaders, we need to establish groups where people experience a high level of discipleship and caring. If we lean too far one direction or the other, we miss the mark. (Read Ephesians 4:1-6, 11-16)

PURPOSE DRIVEN
Another important part of our structure for small groups at Great Oaks is to balance the five purposes within the context of small group life. We discussed the idea of identifying individuals within each group who would champion one of the purposes. We also highlighted the fact that you will not experience all five purposes in a single gathering, but they should all be evident and balanced over the life-span of the group. (Read Matthew 22:37-40; 28:19-20)

Weekend in Review :: 10-28-07

WORSHIP
Because of Your Love - Paul Baloche
You're Worthy of My Praise - Charlie Hall
You Are My King - Passion Band (Bethany rocked on this song!)
Everlasting God - Todd Fields

MESSAGE
Series: What's In Your Wallet?
Message: Are You Trustworthy?
Key Scripture: Luke 16:1-13 (Parable of the Shrewd Manager)
Speaker: Bill White

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Community Service Project - Raking leaves at Metamora Town Square. Date TBA...
  
• Operation Christmas Child - fill a shoe box with gifts for a needy child in another country. Boxes are due November 11th.
• Baptisms will be held on Sunday, November 18th - register for Baptism class by contacting Stacey Anderson at 383-4330 or stacey@greatoakscc.org

Deadly Viper Character Assassins

Deadly Viper Character Assassins gives leaders a no-holds barred look at the topics of character and integrity. Jud Wilhite (Central Christian Church) and Mike Foster (co-founder of XXXchurch.com and the Creative Principal at PlainJoe Studios) unite to share their personal insights and experiences with some of the top character assassins that leaders will encounter...

• The Assassin of Character Creep
• The Assassin of Zi Qi Qi Ren (self-deception)
  
• The Assassin of Amped Emotions
• The Assassin of the Headless Sprinting Chicken (busy-ness)
  
• The Assassin of Boom Chicka Wa Wa (sexual temptation)
  
• The Bling Bling Assassin
• The High and Mighty Assassin (ego/pride)
  

I got this book in a gift bag given to all of the pastors who attended Central Uncensored. I had just recently heard about it through another blog, so I was jacked to see it in the bag. I ended up reading the whole book in a matter of hours during my time in Vegas. It is a must-read for all leaders as it makes you re-examine your life to discover if these character assassins are lurking in the shadows. I can't wait to get it in the hands of the staff at Great Oaks!

Find out more at deadlyviper.org...

Ethan in the ER

While I was at Loren & Deanna's last night, I got two voicemails from Karen letting me know that she was going to be taking Ethan to the emergency room because he couldn't breathe. When I called her back, she had E in the bathroom with the shower running so that the steam could help him breathe better.

At the hospital, the doctors had Ethan do two hour-long breathing treatments, gave him some sort of steroid (he's buff now!), took a chest x-ray, and did some blood work. The doctor came back to let Karen know that E had pneumonia. About fifteen minutes after she called to tell me this, the doctor returned to the room to let them know he had read the wrong x-ray!

It ended up that Ethan had the croup, but it was serious enough to keep him overnight for observation. They sent him home this morning with instructions to take it easy for three days, eat lots of ice cream, and try not to talk. I'm not sure how the not-talking thing is going to work...he is my son after all!

Obviously I felt frustrated being so far away from home and not being able to help Karen and comfort Ethan. I think I was more worried than she was during the whole incident. I've said it before, but I'll say it again...my wife is an awesome woman!

I can't wait to get home tonight to give her a break from taking care of the kids. She definitely needs and deserves it...

Vegas Reflections No. 3

Loren & I headed out to Zion National Park yesterday for a day of hiking and mentoring. There isn't anything better than some road-time and trail-time with a mentor and friend to draw out the conversation. And there isn't anything better than being in God's creation to draw out the inspiration and majesty of the Creator. If you have never been to Zion, I highly recommend it. I am planning on coming back some time to hike Angel's Landing Trail and The Narrows.

I met Chris Trethewey for lunch today to catch up and talk leadership. As always, it proved to be a great conversation. The more time I spend with Chris, the more I am impressed with his leadership knowledge and application. He and I have similar personalities and perspectives; we just have different contexts in which to practice our leadership. We usually end up bouncing ideas off of each other and gaining the other's insights into current dynamics and situations.

We talked at length about Central: Uncensored to discover what worked well and what needed to be adjusted for the future. Following this debriefing time, we talked about numerous other leadership issues. Here are some personal take-aways from that conversation...

• Alignment of staff is critical but difficult since most staff members come from churches where their ministries were "islands". They were not required or rewarded for collaborating across ministry areas.
• Always discover the irreducible minimum.
• Disney can reach a multi-generational audience with a single movie. How can the church use this strategy to communicate/teach to a diverse audience?
• If a leader does not possess discernment (about people, future, direction, etc), he is not a leader.
• A process of change is needed, but don't be afraid to toss a grenade every now and then to get things moving.
• Seek to understand all of the dynamics about a situation before passing judgment or jumping to conclusions.

Following my lunch with Chris, I met with Kyle Costello, Small Groups Pastor of Young Couples. This conversation proved to be intensely practical and strategic for leading small group leaders. Kyle joined the staff of Central about two and a half years ago after working as a financial analyst for Ford Motor Company. He will prove to be a great contact for the future. Here are some take-aways from my conversation with him...

• Utilize strong small group leaders as mentors for other leaders. This will spread your span-of-care and allow you to better utilize your time and energy.
• Try to establish inter-group conversation and encouragement among small group leaders.
  
• Whole-church campaigns provide strong growth and involvement in small groups; however, you can expect some natural attrition once the campaign is done. In the long run, though, campaigns are great for small group expansion.
• Be sure to provide multiple levels of training for hosts during a campaign. Don't rely on a single large-group training to adequately prepare hosts for campaign experience.
• Be sure to have post-campaign strategy for new groups to reinforce the purpose of the small group.
• Pay attention to the next-steps...have material available at all times (including on your person during weekend services) that directs people to their next step to getting involved in a small group.
• Living Room Events - Dinner & a Movie; Night at the Ballpark; Sacred Space (encouraging groups to adopt a specific area of the community and make it better through service projects)
• Leadership influence flows downhill.

I really appreciated all of the insights from Loren, Chris, and Kyle. I am looking forward to connecting with them more in the future.

Vegas Reflections No. 2

Today was spent talking exclusively about small groups. We had a great round-table discussion with small group pastors from Nevada, California, Colorado & Texas. Don't worry, I did Illinois proud!

The group was small - just 8 of us - so the conversation was deep and intimate as we talked with Jon Bodin (Executive Director of Ministry Development for Central) about the joys and struggles of small group ministry. Following the round-table, I had the privilege of taking Jon out for lunch for some one-on-one conversation. This proved extremely beneficial as it gave us extended time to talk specifically about Great Oaks.

After lunch I sat in the Small Groups office and connected with three other small groups pastors for about 30 minutes. On Wednesday, I will be connecting with Chris Trethewey, Executive Director of Family Ministries, and Kyle Costello, Small Groups Pastor for Young Couples. I am really looking forward to these two conversations. Chris has always proven to be a great counterpart in leadership discussions, and Kyle is a new networking contact for me.

Here are some thoughts from today...

• My family is my first small group.
  
• Small groups are a means to an end. The end is growing people to full devotion to Christ (i.e. discipleship).
• Open small groups that bring in new people will naturally birth new groups.
• Allow groups to grow to whatever capacity the leader's/host's house can hold. The key is subgrouping - no matter how large the group, subgroup to 4-5 individuals for in-depth conversations.
• Subgrouping will identify potential leaders for the future.
  
• Small groups are messy.
  

Vegas Reflections No. 1

My time in Vegas has been both relaxing and informational. Saturday was spent with my mentor and his family watching their granddaughter's soccer game, eating Mexican for dinner at the District in Henderson, NV, and having Dairy Queen for dessert. Loren and I finished the night watching Illinois lose to Michigan.

The conference began this morning with a tour of Central Christian Church. We were able to get an overview of the various ministry environments and talk with key leaders and volunteers in each area. Having been here once before, I had seen many of the areas, but there were some new things I got to see. We even got to be backstage while Jud Wilhite (Lead Pastor) was speaking on stage. (I thought about peeking my head out from behind the curtain...)

We attended the last service of the morning (they have two services on Saturday evening & three on Sunday morning at the Henderson campus and three services on Sunday morning at the Summerlin campus) where they were launching a new series called sex: the naked truth. It was one of the best sermons I have ever heard on sex...and it was in Vegas! Check out the video here; if you would prefer the podcast, you can find it through the same link.

After the worship service, we gathered together with a number of key staff members for lunch and a couple more presentations. Jud did a presentation on creating a culture of uncensored grace, and Mike Bodine (Executive Pastor) did a presentation on key strategies and structure.

Key Thoughts...

• For too long, churches have required people to Behave then Believe and only then can they Belong. We must create churches where people can Belong first then come to Believe and then Become what God intends them to be.
• Truth follows Trust
• The stories you tell create your culture.
• Process not programs
• We believe God has called us to facilitate a movement!
• Expectations without application leads to frustration; however, expectations with application leads to celebration.
• We must constantly think like a new church.
• More is not better...best is better.

I'm spending all day tomorrow with the Small Groups pastors, so I'll have some small group-specific thoughts to share later. That's it for tonight...time for eating more ice cream and watching more football!

Small Group Wins

I thought I would share some success stories (Wins) with you from some recent small group gatherings at GOCC. I have asked my small group leaders to submit a Win Sheet after each gathering. It will take some time to fully catch on, but it will become a valuable tool in monitoring the progress of our groups.

Win #1: I received a phone call a couple of weeks ago from a woman whose husband was concerned about getting involved in a small group. As a local business owner, he was apprehensive about opening his life to other people. Last week they decided to take the plunge and join a group, and they are now hosting the group each week at their house.

Win #2: At the first gathering of a Mommy & Me small group, young mothers were relieved to learn that they are not alone in their struggles with parenting pre-schoolers.

Win #3: A young couple are going through some rough times in their marriage. Their small group is coming alongside and encouraging them as they work through some tough issues.

Did you notice the theme? It is all about connecting with other individuals to help each other grow spiritually and relationally. We cannot do this Christian life on our own...we need others to walk alongside of us. This is why small groups are so important.

Life is better lived together.

YouVersion

Interested in a new on-line Bible study tool? Check out www.youversion.com.

It isn't fully-functional yet, but it looks like it will be a useful tool even as it gets developed. At this time, it allows you to search multiple versions (although not the NIV or TNIV), maintain a private journal, and collaborate with other people around the world on specific verses through text, image, and video posts.

Check it out for yourself, and let me know what you think.

Going Back to FVCC

After spending 11 years in one church, you form a lot of strong relationships with people. So with the recent visits from Steve, Jim & Jackie...I've been wondering when I will be able to visit FVCC to see some other friends and check in on the church. It will be good to see everybody again; however, I'm sure it will be strange to go as a visitor rather than a staff member.

I'm thinking about either Thanksgiving weekend or Christmas Eve services. I'll let you know...

Another FVCC Visit

I had the pleasure of having dinner with some great friends from FVCC last night. Jim (FVCC Student Minister) & Jackie Clark are both pursuing Master's degrees at Lincoln Christian Seminary, so after class yesterday they popped over to Peoria to hang out for a while and see my new church.

We grabbed some Geo's Pizza (great BBQ Chicken pizza!) and then toured the church building. Unfortunately, we had to keep the evening short as they had to head back home since Jackie was opening at Starbucks this morning in Geneva.

Jim joined the staff of FVCC just under three years ago, and we formed a quick friendship. (Of course, my wife says I can make friends with a lamp post!) When he & Jackie first arrived on scene at FVCC, Karen and I would invite them out every Thursday night for Survivor. It was a great time of connection, and the last three years contain a lot of other great memories with them. Jim...did you ever get a call to be on a season of Survivor?!?

Jim & Jackie - thanks for making the trip over. It really meant a lot to me! Looking forward to spending more time together in the near future...

New Arrival!!!

We have a new arrival to the Great Oaks family!

Jonas Tate Rea was born on Friday, October 12th to Jason & Heidi Rea. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 15 oz. and was 19.25 inches long.

Tate (they are going to call him by his middle name) and mom are doing great. I got to hold him and visit with the family yesterday afternoon; I'll post a picture soon.

Congrats, Jason & Heidi!

Viva Las Vegas!

I am heading to Vegas this Saturday for a behind-the-scenes look at the ministry structure and philosophy of Central Christian Church. I will be spending an entire day with their staff of small groups pastors as well as some one-on-one time with a couple of different leaders from the church. I will keep you posted on what I learn!

Can't wait to stay at the Trethewey Bed & Breakfast and spend extended time with some great mentors in both ministry and marriage!!!

Weekend in Review :: 10-14-07

WORSHIP
All to You - Lincoln Brewster
Friend of God - Israel Houghton
Come Thou Fount - David Crowder version
If I Had a Million Dollars - Bare Naked Ladies
The Solid Rock - Charlie Hall

MESSAGE
Series: What's In Your Wallet?
Message: Are You Rich? :: Bill White

Notable Quotes...

• "If you have more than you need, you are rich."
• "When I am blessed with more than I need, it is for the sake of someone in need."
  

Check out - www.globalrichlist.com to see where you rank in comparison with the rest of the world. (Hint: You are most likely in the top 1% of richest people in the world!)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Baptism class will be offered on Sunday, October 21st from 2:00-4:00pm. Baptisms will be held during services on Sunday, November 18th.
• Small Group Leader's Luncheon - Sunday, October 28th from 12:15-2:30pm. Lunch will be provided; childcare will not be provided. Please RSVP to Chris at 309.383.4330 or chris@greatoakscc.org

Light the Night

Here’s an idea for your small group to consider. Nate Westerfield and his small group have done this for the past couple of years, and they have found that it is a great time of service to the community and that it opens doors for conversations about the church. It is called “Light the Night”.

On Halloween (or whatever night your community does trick-or-treating) gather your group members together at one person’s home and set up some simple games in the yard (not in the house) for kids in the neighborhood to play. Keep the games fairly simple – bozo buckets, bean bag toss, ring toss, hula hoops, etc. Be creative but simple. You may want to consider having some hot chocolate or coffee available for parents while the kids are playing.

When the kids are done playing, give them a pre-packaged bag of candy with a brochure from the church or other information about the church. Be sure to set up some extra lighting for the yard so people can see better and so that the house stands out in the neighborhood. If your group members have young kids, they will still want to go trick-or-treating, so share the responsibility of supervising the games among group members while taking your own kids door-to-door.

Nate said that the kids come back two or three times during the evening to play the games and hang out. It is during those visits that parents will often ask who you are and why you are doing this. That is your opportunity to let them know you are a small group from Great Oaks and that you just wanted to give the kids something extra to do while trick-or-treating. There’s no need to get into deep theological conversations or try to convert someone to Christ on the front lawn. This is simply a method to connect with the people in your neighborhood.

Keep looking for ways to redeem the culture around us for the sake of Christ. A big thanks goes out to Nate & Kalee for this great idea!

A Great Friend

I had the pleasure of spending the last couple of days with one of my best friends and fellow pastors - Steve Osborne.

Steve is the Worship Minister at Fox Valley Christian Church where I served and attended for the last 11 years. During our 8 years of working together, we became hard and fast friends who stuck together through some great times and some really tough times.

I've got to be honest - friends like Steve don't come around every day. He is someone that I can talk to about anything, and, even more important, I can just sit with and not say a word if I don't feel like it. (And if you know me very well, you know that I feel compelled to fill silence with conversation!)

Steve - thanks for making the trip down to see me. Can't wait to see you again!

The Blend

I found my local coffeeshop! It's called "The Blend", and it just opened today in Washington.

They've got a great atmosphere - contemporary design and color; tables, booths, and couches; free wi-fi; and an assortment of books to peruse. And I love their tag-line: where coffee and community come together.

I can't wait to settle in for a couple of hours with the laptop and a good book!

Small Group Trend #2 – From a place to belong to a people to become

Small Group Leaders: The following is the second offering from Bill Donahue, Small Groups Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church.

The emphasis on “belonging” is critical to any group, team, or family. I remember in college running for elections in a club. We have “eating clubs” instead of frats and sororities but the idea was the same. It was a social gathering place where we ate meals, had parties, or just hung out and studied or played pool. There were about 100 guys and 5 leadership slots. I was nominated for all 5. Each time we counted votes, I had come in second place. Whether it was social chairman, athletic chairman or vice president, when the votes were cast I was left behind. Five of my closest friends were selected and they all went out to celebrate afterwards—without me. Even though I enjoyed them and the club, suddenly there was no room at the Inn for me. Belonging is key.

But we cannot stop there in group life. We are called to become something – a holy people, a redemptive community, an active expression of the hands and feet of Jesus. I think that is why I am so excited about the missional communities that are emerging—at Willow and around the world. This move from an institutional approach to incarnational is refreshing. Instead of “come to church and we will connect you to a group” the focus becomes “let’s become a group that serves some people then we can ultimately connect them to the church.” This “serve first” mentality fostered by Denise Van Eck and others at Mars Hill in Grand Rapids is an emerging trend. Jon Peacock and the Axis team at Willow have 10 missional communities where they have moved into apartments largely filled with singles. These groups are living among the homeless, the poor, the wealthy, minorities – up close and personal.

This is an expression of group life that we are looking to learn from as we move forward.

Anonymous Worship

I decided to attend Northwoods Community Church this evening for their mid-week service. Northwoods is a sister-church of Great Oaks and is located about 30 minutes away.

One of the struggles for pastors is to find times when they can simply worship God without the distraction of being "in charge". It is a delicate balance on most Sunday mornings to truly worship God without worrying about transitions, cues, etc. As such, it is always refreshing to go to another church where you can be anonymous and simply experience worship and listen to a fresh voice impart the Word of God into your life. This is also why conferences are so important for pastors.

I got to the church about 45 minutes early, so I just sat in the parking lot trying to catch up on my Bible-thru-the-year reading that my accountability partners and I have been doing. (I'm only four weeks behind now!!!)

When it was time for the service, I got out of the car and started walking towards the building. I noticed a woman getting out of her car directly in front of me, so I shifted my course slightly to walk around the other side of the car. As I did so, she looks at me and says, "Didn't I see you at Great Oaks on Sunday?" So much for anonymity!

It ends up that she had been to Great Oaks two or three times - one of which was this past Sunday when I introduced our guest speaker and then led the church in communion. I explained to her that I was a new staff member and decided to check out Northwoods for the evening. Her boyfriend soon walked up and she introduced me to him as well. Ends up he was at Great Oaks on Sunday, too.

They invited me to sit with them for the evening, and I graciously accepted. As we walked into the foyer, we saw the auditorium doors hadn't been opened yet, but that didn't deter her boyfriend. Turns out, he was going to be commissioned during the service for an upcoming missions trip to the Dominican Republic. He promptly leads us through a side door onto the floor directly in front of the stage, and proceeds to introduce me to two staff members and an elder of the church. So much for anonymity!

Despite not being able to just be a face in the crowd, it was a great night of worship and celebration as they baptized ten people and commissioned twelve people for the trip to the DR.

My true purpose in going - to worship God without distraction - was definitely realized. The fact that I got to meet two great people who may begin attending Great Oaks and, as it turns out, may be wanting a pastor to marry them soon, was simply confirmation that God is always at work...even when I think I'm not...

Saving Grace

I was just getting ready to turn the TV off last night when an episode of Saving Grace began. I had seen commercials for the show but had never seen an episode, so I decided to stay up and see what it was all about.

If you are not familiar with the show, click here for an overview. In a nutshell, Holly Hunter plays Grace Hanadarko, a cynical detective who lives hard and fast by drinking too much, sleeping with numerous men (most of them married), and defying authority. One night she cries out to God for help after hitting a man while driving drunk. Suddenly an angel appears and begins to spend time with Grace trying to help her straighten out her life.

Before I go any further...I am not endorsing this show. It is laced with profanity and sexual overtones, so if you choose to watch it, you have been warned.

I am, however, stating that it is an interesting collision of the secular and the sacred. My gut is telling me that most Christians would condemn the show; however, in doing so they are also unwittingly condemning Scripture. Let me explain...

Throughout the Bible, we encounter people just like Grace. Think of the woman at the well (John 4:1-42).

We read her story without truly grasping who she was. We sanitize the story to make ourselves feel better. We read that she had five husbands and was living with a man who wasn't even her husband, but we don't dwell on that fact because we prefer to fast-forward to who she was after she encountered Jesus.

That's the way we like our Christianity - clean, safe, and sanitary. Unfortunately, the people who really need to encounter Jesus live messy lives.

We watch shows like Saving Grace and are repulsed by Hunter's character, but we don't stop to think that these are the very people that God loves and wants to embrace the most. Remember Jesus words, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." (Matthew 9:12)

If we are to be a people and a church after God's own heart, then we had better get used to spending time with and getting to know people just like Grace. It will be messy at times, but it is what God desires the most.

Weekend in Review :: 9-30-07

Charlie Dean, Pastor of Young Adults at Northwoods Community Church, was our guest speaker this weekend. Bill gave him free reign to teach on any subject, so he talked about anger and forgiveness. Charlie is high-energy and did great with the topic; I think people really connected with what he had to say.

We did communion after the message, and it worked great to transition into a time of personal reflection as we participated in a practice that Jesus himself established for the church. Following the teaching found in Matthew 5:23-24, we challenged people to let the trays pass if there was a relationship in their life that needed to be reconciled.

Nate was gone this week at Innovate 2007 at Granger Community Church (check out his blog for his thoughts on the conference), so he had a volunteer lead worship. Dave did a great job leading the church into the presence of God. During communion he did a song by American Idol contestant and worship minister, Chris Sligh. It was just him and his guitar while we took communion. I loved it! Here's the set list...

* King of Majesty - United Live - Hillsong
* You Are Good - Lincoln Brewster
* Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing) - Vineyard
* How Great is Our God - Chris Tomlin
* Communion Song - Chris Sligh (American Idol guy)
* Blessed Be Your Name - Matt Redman

We start a new six-week series this coming Sunday. The series is called "What's In Your Wallet?" and will be focusing on stewardship and generous giving. This weekend I will be setting the stage for the series and dealing with common misconceptions people have when it comes to the church and money. Can't wait!!!

Small Group Trend #1: Beyond Group Format to Group Process

Small Group Leaders :: Here is a great article by Bill Donahue from Willow Creek Community Church. It looks like he will have a series of these, so I will keep them coming for you...

"As I continue to observe communities in action there are a variety of components that make them thrive. But many groups get too focused on format while ignoring process. Think of process as the environment you create for growth, like ingredients for a growing a plant in a greenhouse. It needs water, oxygen, nutrients, and temperature control. All this takes place in a structure—a greenhouse—made of glass and pipe, with electrical wiring and ventilation systems. You the nutrients and the structure—but groups often focus too heavily on the structure.

If you look at it another way, format is the skeletal and muscular systems in a body. Process is the nervous and circulatory system. In groups that pay attention to process leaders observe relational connections, recurring themes and issues, follow the flow of the Spirit (not just the curriculum), and are attentive to communication patterns. What is the group climate like? Do people give and receive feedback well? Are all opinions welcome? Is it safe? Are we free to speak truth about God, self and others?

You need enough structure to facilitate and guard the process. That is why leaders (or guides or shepherds) are called for in the bible. They guide and facilitate process—they make sure all the ingredients are present for growth. And they make sure there is just enough structure to keep the process moving. It’s a tension leaders must navigate." - Bill Donahue