Dear Velocity…
Dear Velocity, I want to thank you for the honor and joy of serving with you over these last 7 years. It's hard to believe this Sunday will be my last as a staff member of Velocity. I remember the first time Scott sat in my living room sharing his vision for a new church. It would be a place broken people who felt far from God would feel loved and reconnect with their heavenly father. This church would not only change the way people thought about God, but also impact the city- because Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. This dream became ...
How Leading a Team is a Lot Like Cross-Country
I was never very good at cross-country in high school. Any time my picture was taken during a race, I looked like I was passing a kidney stone or had been kicked in the face repeatedly. I may never have won a race, but did learn a thing or two about running one. In any race, you have to pace yourself. You can’t sprint the entire time and must know when to push a little harder and when to rest. It’s the same with leading a great group or team. There’s a time to plant and push and a time to ...
The Best Part of Leading a Group
I remember this past fall, peering around the room at my new small group. I wondered how well this group was going to go. Yes, I’d been through this many times before, but sometimes you wonder if this is the group that just won’t click. Connection was slow the first few weeks, but people consistently came. Everything was fine but not necessarily great. That is, until the night we began to talk about family. As I asked a question about how our family has influenced who we are today, one of my group members took a deep breath and said ...
Is It Possible to Do Good?
I’m not sure I’ve ever done a truly selfless thing in my life. I’ve served in Haiti, helped the homeless, visited the sick, taken out the trash without being asked, and yes, even helped a little old lady cross the street. (I’m not 100% I’ve done that last one- but you get the idea.) I find that every time I attempt to make some significant stride for God, I’m conflicted. There’s a part of me wanting to serve because I want to see great things done for God. But, there’s another part wanting to serve because it’ll make me feel ...
An Equation to Determine Group Health
Below are some numbers you can use after people sign up for your group to determine if you have enough people. (You may not know the people who signed up for your group, but may be able to work with your group coach or staff to see if others may know them.) Here's an equation you can use to calculate your potential group health. (Include yourself) For each committed couple you have in your group give yourself: 3 points For each committed individual (not couple) you have in your group, give yourself: 2 points For each non-committed couple you have in your group ...
How Size Matters, Part 1: Group Size
Do Numbers Matter? Typically we say an ideal small group consists of 10-15 people. Less than that can sometimes feel awkward and more can feel overwhelming. But, what if the number doesn't matter at all? I believe there are two things that affect group health more than how many people attend on a weekly basis. Expectations I’ve had groups in the past where only a few people signed up and so had to help the group navigate through what to do. I realized what mattered most was people’s expectations of how many people “should” be in the group in order ...
Group Stressors: Food
Something special happens when people eat together. You relax and sometimes laugh. It gives your group something common to talk about so you can say things like, “Man, this is good, how’d you make this?” If nothing else, it gives you a way to hide awkward conversational silence. But, there’s no way around it, having dinner at small group is stressful! I think it’s most helpful to remember that there are no rules a group has to follow when it comes to eating. It is helpful to offer something. People will relax and open up easier as a group if they’re ...
Be The Fun You Want to Have
My boys helped me pass out fliers a few weeks ago, inviting people to our house for a cookout. Together we would walk up to someone’s door and knock. When they answered, my older son would say, “We’re having a get together at our house this Sunday,” and my younger son would finish, “…and you're invited,” then hand them a flier. I would follow up with a quick affirmation that what my kids said was true. My kids had a blast! But, there was one house on the corner near us whose owner answered our invite in the strangest way ...
How to have a neighborhood cookout
I’ve always dreamt of living on a street where everyone knows each other (kind of like Cheers, but on a street instead of a bar). I presently live on a street where that’s very far from reality- but we're trying to change that. My wife and I have lived in our house for almost 6 years and have slowly worked on getting to know the neighbors bit by bit and year by year. This past Sunday, we hosted our 3rd neighborhood party and had 38 people come. They had a great time and profusely thanked us for hosting the get together. I ...
7 Simple Questions to Begin a Small Group (with free download)
As we began our yearly preparations for small group to begin about a year ago, I began to feel bad about how many times I had to e-mail our leaders for their group info. It felt like I was bugging our leaders- which I never want to do. Finally, I decided to sit down and figure out all the info I needed so I could ask them in one easy step. After I received their info, I made a simple excel sheet to find out where there are holes and could easily follow up. As I'm working through this process ...