SG² Steve Gladen on Small Groups

Sign up for the Lobby Gathering: Small Group Conference May 13-15th in Southern California at https://smallgroupnetwork.com/conferences/
Food and lodging are included!

Albert Einstein once said, "everything must be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." When it comes to designing and implementing systems for your church's Small Groups Ministry, you'd be hard pressed to find truer words spoken. Whether you're a groups ministry veteran or brand new to the groups world, the constant challenge at every level of your ministry will not necessarily be "what" you do, but "how" you do it. Small Groups systems and strategies are not one-size-fits-all, and having a balanced perspective on how your church does groups is crucial to a healthy ministry.

In this month's Group Talk, Carolyn Taketa talks with Will Johnston about understanding small groups systems, determining the best fit for your church and why that is important.

Will Johnston is an author, speaker, and consultant on small group ministry, specializing in building and troubleshooting small group systems. He previously served as the groups pastor at National Community Church, a multi-site congregation in Washington DC. You can connect with Will at willfjohnston.com and on Twitter @willjohnston.

Sign up for the Lobby Gathering: Small Group Conference May 13-15th in Southern California at https://smallgroupnetwork.com/conferences/
Food and lodging are included!

This podcast focuses on some key decisions that will have a critical impact on shaping the values, strategies, and culture of your groups ministry for years to come.

Steve is the Global Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church since 1998. He oversees the strategic launch and development of over 7,000 adult small groups on multiple campuses. He has authored Small Groups With Purpose, which has been translated into eight languages to date, and Leading Small Groups With Purpose. He frequently speaks at conferences and consults with church leaders both in the United States and around the world. He has a driving passion to see each church attendee connected to a qualified shepherd and become an integral part of their church body, living purposefully for Christ. Steve is also the Founder of the Small Group Network (SGN) giving influence and oversight to all the SGN initiatives. He earned a Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1985, and a B.A. in Biblical Studies, with minors in Greek and Philosophy in 1982, from Evangel University. Steve and Lisa have been married since 1989 and have two children, Erika and Ethan.

Just click the play button at the top of this post to enjoy this insightful discussion! To subscribe to our Group Talk Podcast, click HERE

Sign up for the Lobby Gathering: Small Group Conference May 13-15th in Southern California at https://smallgroupnetwork.com/conferences/
Food and lodging are included!

For more information on Ruth Haley Barton check out her website at https://www.ruthhaleybarton.com/ and learn more about the Transforming Center at https://transformingcenter.org/

Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again

Early Release from IV Press: https://www.ivpress.com/embracing-rhythms-of-work-and-rest
Amazon (Oct 11): https://www.amazon.com/Embracing-Rhythms-Work-Rest-Sabbatical/dp/1514002639

This episode really just took a surface level look at Sabbath and barely even introduced the topic of sabbatical. If you want to go deeper, check out Ruth Haley Barton's book, Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest by winning a copy from us or by purchasing an early release copy directly from Intervarsity Press. Or you can wait for the regular release in October and buy it from Amazon.

We will be giving out a pair of the books and their are two different ways to enter. We will choose the winners via a random drawing on September 7th. The first method of entering is to leave a review for this podcast on your podcast player of choice. It doesn't even have to be a good review, it can be any review. Just take a screenshot of your review and send it to me at [email protected]

The second method is to find lumivoz on Facebook and leave a comment on the contest post with your favorite or best sabbath tip.

You can enter both ways and as many times as you link in order to win. Good luck! I can't wait to talk with you on the next 5th Wednesday!

Sign up for the Lobby Gathering: Small Group Conference May 13-15th in Southern California at https://smallgroupnetwork.com/conferences/
Food and lodging are included!

Goal: To know how to set and be comfortable having coffee/follow ups with Small Group leaders.
Why: We want you to be totally comfortable contacting and meeting with small group leaders.
It is important to remember that these folks are just like you. They have goals, fears, hurts, insecurities, families, family problems, health concerns and everything else you can imagine.

Be confident - Biblical basics:

• God owns everything, and I am His manager. (Ps. 24:1, Matt. 25:14-30)
• You are their pastor.
• You are responsible for their health (2 Cor 5:10)

Know the landscape:

These are financial, spiritual and emotional issues.

• Isolation, spiritual void
• Materialism, 1/3 of those earning over $250k per year live paycheck to paycheck.
• Business, environment setting their priorities

Prepare Yourself:

Am I living out biblical health in my own life? Do you buy what you sell?

• 5 purposes
• Active in my group balancing the purposes
• Have YOUR own story ready to share.

Where do you start:

1. Review your group list:
   1. You may already know some of your SGL as they are very involved as volunteers, but you may have had no idea who they are. Many of these folks are not well connected, don’t attend a lot of events and may not even be on your radar.
   2. Start small and grow into the list
   3. How many engagements can you do?
2. Pick some names to begin and learn as much as you can before you meet:
   1. Check HC and know family names, ministries, time at Saddleback
   2. Zillow their address for where and how they live
   3. Google them and their company
   4. Check LinkedIn, Facebook, IG etc.
3. Make the invitation:
   1. If you know them, simply call, text, or email that you would love to grab a cup of coffee when it is convenient for them. If they ask what you want, simply say I just want to spend time with you and get to know you better. Another line I use is, I like to invest my time with the folks who are investing in our church. If you don’t know them, we have found that having an assistant set up the meeting works very well. They can call and simply say the Pastor Dave would like to see if you would get together with him for a cup of coffee. Are you available on the 23rd? They almost always ask, what does he want or why does he want to meet with us? The simplest answer is usually the best. Pastor Dave loves to meet with our members, and he gives me a list to contact, and you are on that list. This seems to take the edge off and I have never had a no.
   2. Pick a place close to them, not you. They may suggest it, or you can, based on their home/work geography. Pick a time most convenient for them.
   3. While I meet mostly with men, very often they ask to bring their wives which is perfect. Obviously if you are just meeting with a woman, you need to bring someone else with you such as your 101 or worship pastor, someone mature in their faith as well and comfortable in this environment.
   4. I often send a text confirming the time and place
   5. Meet them and be on time!! (Early is even better)
   6. Relax and enjoy the conversation: Don’t be intimidated, pretend you’ve been in the end zone
      before!
   7. They want to be treated like regular people and have a lot of the same problems and issues,
      plus some that others don’t have. There is no need to make it awkward, in fact, start with
      their story.
   8. Share the vision for the church, Groups and your excitement and enthusiasm will be
      contagious.
   9. We do not need to ask for anything! We just need to Pastor people.
4. Initiating Conversations, Discipling is relational, be their Pastor.
   1. Here are some easy open-ended questions:
      1. Tell me your story.
      2. How did you come to Saddleback?
      3. Tell me about your family?
      4. Tell me about your work/company?
      5. What are your passions, hobbies, dreams?
      6. How is God growing and stretching you?
      7. Which areas of your life are easiest to put God first, and which are hardest?
      8. What do you think God is working on in your life?
   2. Wrap up questions:
      1. Is there anything we can be doing better at Saddleback to support you and your
         family?
      2. How can I be praying for you?
5. Offer to pay – but 9 out of 10 times, the member will treat you.
6. Always send a follow up text or note thanking them for their time and for treating you to coffee/breakfast and telling them that you will be praying for what ever they asked for prayers for.
7. Thank them for making an earthly and eternal diffe...

Sign up for the Lobby Gathering: Small Group Conference May 13-15th in Southern California at https://smallgroupnetwork.com/conferences/
Food and lodging are included!

Pastor Rick Warren was this year’s keynote speaker at the “Lobby Gathering,” one of the nation’s premier small group training events. Enjoy part 1 of this 2 part exclusive podcast.