3 Things I Learned about Church Growth from Church Planting
There’s something amazing and terrifying about planting a church. I remember having trouble sleeping the night before Velocity began- terrified that no one would show up the next morning. I was pleased to find that people did and the church slowly grew. But, as the years wore on and the church became self-sufficient, I remember lead pastor Scott and I revisiting some of the principles that helped the church grow in the beginning. We would say things like, “Remember how desperate and hungry we were in the beginning”? These discussions were used to spur on areas of growth for the ...
Millennials and the Church: the Good, the Challenging and the Ugly
https://www.flickr.com/photos/26324411@N00/1617694299/in/photolist-3sX7a2-agqfBP-e8awnU-dPnukK-8njHa9-J5p2p-7tGbnf-rU4e6-4Zm8eh-5o3H1t-ocE6KV-7oRoEC-pctzNd-4z9Nv5-qbakCD-pTVr5v-a3mQQ6-8TpGGM-E9XWY-8dxY2p-7aPrvz-8TQhJG-4z9Q9d-eiwixk-98Ukfr-cZkSCw-99ACEa-a3n4yL-4z5B84-7nrody-re3kVo-eiC5SU-ffKnAb-bEm86H-5Ug3K-4z5uFp-z4aYL-LdyjL-8M21gB-6Js48T-4ZmjHb-9xZ8bN-eK1rJM-cT8XTy-a3D8Au-8E1rGm-6Sw2fV-8TzTxP-8G423W-5iATSt/ Millennials I read a fascinating article about Millennials and the church from the Washington Post a few weeks ago. The author commented how they’re leaving the church at a faster rate than previous generations and made suggestions on what could be done. In fact, Pew Research found that Millennials are more willing to identify themselves as “not-religiously affiliated” more than any previous generation. There is definitely a real spiritual shift with this younger generation, so the author raises an important question. I love her observations about their needs, and think every pastor and church planter should pay attention ...
How Size Matters, Part 2: House Size
Our Groups are Too Small? A few years ago I was at conference talking about groups and the lead church proposed that larger groups, made up of 30-50 people, on mission together, could be more effective than smaller groups of 10-15. As they explained this idea, I agreed with a lot of the things they were saying but I knew we had a huge problem! The host church was situated in a more affluent part of the state with bigger houses that could fit 30-50 people. I live in an older area with a little smaller, post World War 2 ...
15 Questions Every Person Asks When Joining a Small Group
Signing up for a group for the first time can be intimidating. As group leaders, it's our job to help people feel comfortable attending group for the first time. Here's an idea of what could be going through someone's head after signing up for a group. I just signed up for a group. Oh no, what did I just do? Should I go? Maybe I'll start next week? What about next semester? I've never been in a group before and have no idea what to expect? Everyone's going to know I'm new and I'll probably do something stupid. Why am I ...
First Night of Group, Part 2: Lesson and Prayer
On your first night of small group, your lesson is very important. This is your one chance to set a tone for your group for the rest of the semester or year! So, I want to share a possible template to use for your lesson for the first night of group. Lesson: Welcome everyone to group. Explain group big picture. I hope this will be a safe place. I hope we’ll grow together. Everyone comes into group with different backgrounds. It’s ok to ask questions and not have the answers. Ask if anyone’s been in a group before, and if so, ...
First Night of Group, Part 1: The Template
Your first night of small group will always be a little different. People are meeting each other for the first time and wondering if they'll like each other, and what to expect from the group. It's important to know that your first night of group will set the tone for what your group will be like, so you need to have a plan. Here’s a template of what a typical first night of group should look like. With Dinner: 1. Dinner (30 minutes) 2. Icebreaker Game (15 minutes) 3. Lesson (45 minutes) 4. Prayer (15 minutes) Total: 1:45 Without Dinner: 1. ...
Video: Classic Jesus Video Parody
What was Jesus like? I've heard it said the biggest job of discipleship is to bring people to Jesus. Then Jesus can do His work in their life. The problem is many people have big misunderstandings about what Jesus was really like. These 4 classic Jesus parody videos play off those misunderstandings. They're meant to poke fun at misperceptions of what Jesus was like and not make fun of him in anyway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQeFG6Q87uA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAb8qoXraGw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCTAgxsLE3Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hUaMahxXi8 What was Jesus really like? How would you describe Him based on the Bible?