Making Disciples

I'm previewing Leading Life-Changing Small Groups by Bill Donahue as a potential leadership guide for our small group leaders. The following paragraph jumped out to me...

"It is easy to have group meetings - it is harder to make disciples. Small group leaders serve in a spirit of commitment, not convenience. It takes courage, resolve, and perseverance when you are disappointed or weary. Leaders remain committed to the cause, to Christ, to the church, and to the people in their group. Are you willing to do what it takes to effectively lead and care for your people?"

Great challenge to all of us who serve as small group leaders!

What I've Got So Far

On Tuesday afternoon, I wrote about having a job where I get to spend time daydreaming about the future of small groups at Great Oaks. (This is code for "developing the Vision for small groups.")

All day yesterday, I walked through Scripture (you always start here!) looking for instances of community, leadership/shepherding principles, etc. I'm nowhere near completing this walk-thru, but here are some things that jumped out to me as I went through some of the Old Testament...

• Genesis 28:3 - Isaac's blessing of Jacob - "May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples." The small groups at Great Oaks are to be a "community of peoples." This implies there is unity and shared vision & direction.
• Exodus 3:5 - Moses standing before the burning bush - The small groups at Great Oaks are to be places of "holy ground" where heaven meets earth...where God meets men & women where they are and propels them to His purposes for their lives.
• Exodus 18 - Jethro's advice for Moses to designate leaders of "thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens" - Some small group leaders at Great Oaks will be able to lead more people than others. It's only natural.
  
• Numbers 27:12-23 - Joshua to succeed Moses - Small group leaders need to identify apprentice leaders to prepare for the future.
• Deuteronomy 5:1 - Moses teaches the people the Law & commands of God - Small group leaders and small group members must know the Word of God! Throughout Scripture reformation/revival is always seen when people come back to the Word of God.
  
• This is also seen in Joshua 8:30-35 (Joshua reads the Law to the people) & 2 Chronicles 34:29-31 (Josiah's reforms) & Ezra 7:11 (description of Ezra as a "man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the Lord.")
  
• Joshua 24:1-27 - Leaders remind people where they have been, paint a picture of their current reality, cast a compelling vision for the future, and lead by example.
• 1 Samuel 8:1-5 - Small group leaders must not sacrifice the leadership of their families while leading the church family.
• 1 Samuel 16:7 - When identifying small group leaders, I cannot rely on the outward appearance.
• 1 Kings 19:9-18 - Small group leaders must remember they are never alone in their leadership.
• 1 Chronicles 12:32 - Small group leaders should be people who "understand the times" (see also Esther 1:13)

All day today I spent time researching other churches and networking with Small Group Pastors from around the country. I've learned from and/or connected with churches in...

• Washington D.C.
• Williamsport, Pennsylvania
• Bloomington, Illinois
• South Barrington, Illinois
• Naperville, IL
• Cartersville, Georgia
• Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (this one might require a field trip to learn first-hand from them)
  
• Las Vegas, Nevada.

I've seen some things that might work for our context and some things that definitely won't work for our context. We've got to discover what God is calling our small groups to be... at Great Oaks. At the end of the day, no matter who we learn from and what we see, we've got to run it through the filter of who we are and what God is calling us to accomplish. We don't imitate... we adapt and personalize to fit our context.

This is an on-going process, so keep tuning in to see who/what is influencing the development of the Vision for small groups at Great Oaks!

Super Bowl Sadness

My small group gathered tonight at the home of Kevin & Debbie Rauh for a Super Bowl Fiesta. The food and fellowship were great! The football...not so much.

I almost fell asleep several times during the game. I like high-scoring games, so the first three quarters were agony. The ending was fantastic, but the wrong team won. I really wanted the Patriots to have the perfect season.

Early in the evening, I called the final score 31-17 in favor of the Patriots. McKenna, the 7th grade daughter of Todd & Trisha King, had a good laugh at my expense when she said, "Well, Chris...at least you got the 17 right!"

Tribe Management

I liked this post from Seth Godin about "tribal management." Here's some of what really jumped out to me in light of the church...

"[Tribal management] adds to...the fact that what people really want is the ability to connect to each other, not to companies. So the permission is used to build a tribe, to build people who want to hear from the company because it helps them connect, it helps them find each other, it gives them a story to tell and something to talk about... People form tribes with or without us. The challenge is to work for the tribe and make it something even better."

This is the essence of small groups at Great Oaks. People naturally want to connect with each other. We are simply providing a structure to make that happen as smoothly as possible. We partner with them by providing a common ground to stand upon. We give them talking points and service opportunities and personal & corporate challenges to take their next step towards God.

Through this structure, we hope to make their groups and lives even something better.

Unexpected Surprise

I was at The Blend this morning preparing my message for Sunday. I ordered a coffee and bagel, gave them my Blend card, and began carrying my stuff over to my table. One of the employees came over with my card in their hand (forgot it at the counter!) and told me that somebody paid for my breakfast. They didn't say who it was, so I was left to wonder.

Soon after that, a woman came by my table and introduced herself. She told me she attends Great Oaks and wanted to let me know that she is joining a small group this week as a result of our Foundations teaching series. As a way of thanking me for what the church has done for her, she bought my breakfast!

I've had this happen before throughout my years in ministry. People have gone to great lengths to show their appreciation to me and my fellow pastors for our service to God and the church. What was unexpected was that this woman was a single mom with three kids.

Now...I don't know this woman's complete story, but most single moms I know are struggling emotionally, physically, and financially. The fact that she is willing to sacrifice her time to get involved in a small group - because we told her how important and life-changing they are - truly challenged me as the official small group's pastor to make sure our groups are functioning like they should be.

And the fact that she sacrificed some of her hard-earned and much-needed money to pay for my breakfast truly humbled me. It was one of the greatest acts of appreciation I have ever received. I can only imagine how God felt when the widow put in her two "very small copper coins" in the offering (Luke 21:1-4).

Small Group :: 01-20-08

We had a great small group gathering tonight. We are only a few meetings into our life together, but you would never know it. The transparency of my group members and their willingness to open their lives and homes continues to amaze me. Here was the rundown from our group tonight...

1. Welcome
2. Verify Roster Info
3. Ice Breaker :: Finish the sentence
• "Some of the best advice I've ever been given is..."
4. Discussion Point
• Small Group Covenant - define "authentic community" & "spiritual growth"
5. Thoughts from Sunday Morning
• Next-Step Strategy
• "What is your next step?" (recorded answers and told small group members I would follow up with them in a couple of weeks)
  
6. ReGroup Study
• The Five Essential Habits of Small Groups - Care, Safety, Authenticity, Growth, Help
7. Prayer
• Discuss "adoration" component of prayer
  
• Read Psalm 138:1-2
• Finish the sentence - "One of the best things about you, God, is..."
• Chris close in prayer
8. Connection Time with Prayer Journal on table for people to write in their praises & prayer requests (email them later this week)
   

Next Step

We had an all-day Leadership Retreat yesterday during which we reviewed 2007 and discussed our strategic plan for 2008. One of the changes we made was a re-write on our mission statement for the church. The old mission statement was good but not memorable. It was also limited in its focus. The new mission statement - "helping people take their next step towards God" - is simple, memorable, and active. It is also unlimited in its focus; everybody has a "next step" to take in their faith.

Bill introduced it this morning during the first Sunday of our vision series called Foundations. I have been blown away at how many people are talking about this phrase. It came up in numerous conversations during the morning, and it was a key discussion point during small group tonight.

People are truly resonating with this phrase. There is some definite buzz happening in the church today. I am excited to see how this small but significant change affects the church!

Small Group Leaders as...Shepherds

There is a story told of two shepherds walking along the same trail while their sheep mingled together into one large flock. As they approached a fork in the road and were preparing to part ways, each shepherd began calling his own sheep. Immediately, the sheep separated into two distinct flocks and followed their personal shepherd down the appropriate path.

John 10:3b-4 "He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice."

Leading a small group is a lot like being a shepherd. You have a distinct voice that your small group leaders know and follow. Over time, they come to trust you and follow your leadership. They know that you will watch out for them, feed them, and guide them safely through the wilderness of life.

As the church grows larger, it is vital that we also grow smaller. As weekend attendance increases and more people become a part of the life of the church, we have to become a church built completely on small groups. Only then will we be able to expand our influence and care to more and more people. This is where the role of the small group leader becomes like a shepherd.

As a small group leader, you are the "pastor" of your flock. It is your responsibility to make sure they are growing in their faith and in relationship with God and each other. It is your responsibility to make sure they are actively participating in the life of the church. And if something happens in their life, it is your responsibility to make sure the entire small group comes around them for support, prayer, and encouragement.

We must grab hold of this role as shepherds for our small groups so that the church can continue to grow and maintain its health. The responsibility for shepherding the church cannot - and must not - fall completely on the shoulders of the pastors. We will fail as a church if we place that burden on the pastors alone. We must challenge and teach our people that when their small group comes around them to help them in their time of need and to help them grow spiritually, they have been shepherded by the church.

How's your flock doing? Do they hear your voice speaking into their lives? Do they feel protected and cared for as a result of your leadership?

New Small Group

I met with several members of my new small group this evening. We had dinner together and spent some time getting to know each other. Half of the couples have never been in a small group before while the other half has extensive experience. We are also varied in age and life-situation. It looks like it will be a great group to lead!

We are going to meet for one more meal in December and then begin in earnest in January. The plan is to meet the first three Sunday evenings of each month. The 1st & 3rd Sundays will be study nights without kids, and the 2nd Sunday will be a potluck meal with the entire family invited.

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)

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.

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!

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!

How Do You Handle Childcare for Adult Small Groups?

Childcare is one of the biggest hurdles that adult small groups will face. Another major hurdle is birthing new groups, but we'll talk about that one later.

Here are some ideas (taken from multiple sources and personal experience) that you may want to consider. There are a few other ideas out there, but they do not match up with our culture/philosophy at Great Oaks (e.g. Starting Point is the only small group allowed to meet on Sunday morning during Children's Ministry programming).

• Parents are responsible for finding their own childcare.*
• Parents pitch in to pay for childcare services that are provided in the host home.
• Parents pitch in to pay for childcare services that are provided in a nearby home.*
• Parents take turns with childcare duties in the host home or a nearby home.
• Parents in different small groups that meet at different times cover each others' childcare needs.
• A small group consists of two subgroups. One provides childcare while the other meets, and then they switch places.
• Small groups have some nights where childcare is provided and other nights where it is not.
  
• Small groups are designed for the entire family to participate.
• Retirees in the church provide childcare services for small groups as their ministry.
• The church pays for a babysitter if the parents cannot afford one.

Let me know if you have any other ideas that you have tried. They can be ones that have succeeded or failed. Who knows? An idea that didn't work for you could work great for another group.

*Preferred option if at all possible...

Great Quote

"We cannot settle for anything less than Jesus' dream of community." Building a Church of Small Groups by Bill Donahue & Russ Robsinon

What is Jesus' dream of community? Read John 17...

Weekend in Review :: 09-23-07

We had a great morning as we wrapped up the 2-week mini-series on authentic community.

Bill talked for a few minutes on needing to have people in our lives who have "refrigerator rights". These are people who have earned the right to open up our lives (our refrigerators) and see what's inside. Sometimes they will even need to tell us that something stinks and needs to be taken care of. (We borrowed this metaphor from Craig Groeschel.) The church responded well to the metaphor. He emphasized that small groups are the optimal environment for accountability, care, and Biblical study.

Nate and the band did a great job leading us in worship. It was an amazing experience to stand in the front row and hear all of the people singing when the band stopped playing for a couple of minutes. I wish I could have seen the audience from the stage at that moment. Here's the set list...

* Let the Praises Ring :: Lincoln Brewster
* I Will Boast :: Paul Baloche
* Beautiful One :: Tim Hughes
* Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble :: Delirious

I concluded the service with a few minutes talking about the picture of the early church painted in Acts 2:42-47 with an emphasis on the fact that they met in both large and small group environments. I then invited three couples on stage for a 20-minute panel discussion on what actually happens in the life of a small group. The goal was to alleviate the fear of the unknown by "pulling back the curtain" on small groups (think Wizard of Oz).

I heard from several people that they really appreciated the format we used this morning with the panel discussion. In my opinion, it is good to hear things every now and again from the mouths of "non-professional Christians" (i.e. pastors)!

We had a number of new people sign up for small groups through the Kick-Off. I will post actual numbers in a week or so after I get the rosters back from small group leaders. Early indicators tell me the Small Group Kick-Off was a great success!