Big Ideas about Small Groups

New Small Group Discussion Guide -- ADVENT

This weekend at COMMUNITY we kick off our brand-new Christmas series, where we'll take more of a "traditional" approach to the holiday. We're going to explore the season of Advent, a celebration that churches have practiced for centuries. It's the idea of looking at Jesus' coming as being all about Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, which are the 4 topics of our series.

To go along with this series, we have written an excellent Small Group Discussion Guide that help facilitate discussion around these 4 themes, and explores different Scripture that's tied into the birth of Christ. We also now are formatting our downloadable guides into the newly popular 8.5 x 11 "hand-out" format, rather than the booklets like before (which are available at a COMMUNITY campus near you). 

So be the first to download a copy--HERE!

CCC Singles Christmas Party

Come gather with other Singles at COMMUNITY as we celebrate Christmas from 6:30pm - 10:00pm at COMMUNITY's Montgomery Campus.  We will be catering Portillo's; here is the menu:

• appetizer of cheese and veggies
• french bread, garden salad
• lasagna or baked mostaccioli
• homeade dessert bar
• iced tea, pop, coffee and water

Dinner will be served at 7pm, followed by a game and praise/worship; ending with a gift exchange.  Kids and friends are totally welcome.  Childcare will be provided for children younger than 10yrs old.

RSVP to http://singles.meetup.com/1262/ or you can email laumank@sbcglobal.net.

*The cost is $15 per person.

**Gift Exchange: Last year, many of the gifts exchanged were unwanted, and abandoned after the party - sob, sob!! We had to make a special trip to dispose of them all!  Please, if you wish to take part, purchase a gift valued between $8 and $10.  Thanks!

Coaching Question: #2 -- What Are You Celebrating?

Continuing in our series of the 6 important questions to ask of your leaders (out of our Coach's Guidebook--see the left-hand panel to download).....

What are you celebrating? (or as we say at CCC--where are you winning?)

Celebrating successes with your leaders is essential for a

couple of reasons. First, leaders regularly need to be reminded

of the vision and importance of the role they are

playing so that they are motivated to carry out their task.

Equipping them includes recasting vision and helping renew

passion which are both by-products of celebration. Consider

asking your leaders questions like: Is anyone in your group

(or on your team) making a decision to follow Jesus? Who in

your group (or on your team) is growing spiritually? What are

you feeling good about right now in your ministry? What are

you most enjoying in your role as a leader? In what ways do

you see God using you as a leader?

 

Second, celebrating successes helps leaders understand what

is working well and encourages them to continue doing those

things and to build upon those things. Equipping is not just

about addressing things that aren’t working; it is also about

reinforcing things that are working well. Successes often

point the way to the next steps for a leader or ministry.

Consider asking your leaders questions like: What is working

really well in your ministry right now? What efforts does God

seem to be blessing? What have you done in the past month

that has had the greatest impact? What would happen if you

spent more time doing those things? How can you leverage

the success of those things to take your ministry and your

leadership to the next level?

 

Celebrate successes regularly with your leaders. Affirmation is

crucial to a leader’s ongoing commitment and motivation.

Celebration provides an avenue for the leader and coach to

honor God for the amazing things he is accomplishing in their

lives and ministries.

Coaching Question: #1 -- How Are You?

The idea of "coaching" when it comes to leadership, and even more specifically within small group ministry, is getting a lot of buzz and conversation these days. At CCC, we believe strongly in the value of coaching our leaders, so much so, that we created our own Coaching Training Manual (see the list on the left to download it FREE!)

We're going to examine the core of the coaching concept over the next several entries, by tackling what we think are the 6 Essential Coaching Questions.

So let's dive right in with the first one: How Are You?

Now I realize this may sound so basic and obvious and even trivial, that you wonder why we'd even mention it. But it's actually extremely valuable and often overlooked. If a coaching meeting with a leader skips this one and starts by jumping right into "task" and "ministry", it can limit the effectiveness of the coaching relationship.

Relational development is the core of coaching out of which everything else will grow. As we invest relationally with leaders, we are given an entry point into their lives – and that is what we as coaches are to be most concerned about – the leader’s life. Not only are we called to help leaders with the task of their ministry, but we also can encourage them to be effective in every aspect of their lives. RPMS provide a way to easily remember the areas of a leader’s life that we want to touch on as a coach. Just as we check the RPMs on a car to see how well it is running, we can check the RPMS on our selves and our leaders to see if all is in balance. RPMS stands for Relational, Physical, Mental and Spiritual.

You don't have to ask about every one of these every single time, but seeing how they are doing in their relationships, in taking care of themselves, in learning and growing mentally, and in their personal spiritual development.

This simple question can go a long way toward developing the relationship part of your "coaching relationship"!  Stay tuned for Question #2....

Not Another Top 10 List!

Awhile ago I published on this blog my list of "Top 10 Worst Small Group Icebreakers," and they spread like a virus over the Internet and caused quite a stir. Ok not exactly, but I think a few people read them and a few of those may have even liked them.

So back by popular demand (if only in my own head), here is my new updated list for Fall 2008!

New Top 10 Worst Small Group Ice-Breakers

10. Which famous criminal would you say you are most like, and why?

9. What is your deepest, darkest, secret?

8. If you were lead pastor of our church, which staff member would you fire first?

7. What is your biggest pet peeve--of people in this small group?

6. What is your favorite white-lie to tell for why you are skipping small group?

5. What is your top 10 list of things that annoy you about our church?

4. Which couple in this group do you most wish would go join a Parenting Group at church?

3. Share one (only one please) of your spouse's secrets that they don't want shared, but you know would get a great laugh from this group?

2. What's the worst snack you've ever eaten--at this small group?

1. In the next election, who do you think everyone in this group needs to vote for (if they claim to be real Christians)?

So there you have it! Avoid these at all costs. And if you’re not in a small group yet—check one out! You’ll get to do a great ice-breaker if nothing else. And it won’t be one of these. If you’ve ever experienced any others this bad, post it in our Comments here and let us know.