Do you ever wonder what a good resource would be to train your small group leaders? Or the best methods and tricks on how to lead a small group? I asked my dear friend, Heather Zempel to recommend some of her favorite resources on the topic:
- If you are leading the groups ministry and either new or thinking about remodeling, Building a Church of Small Groups by Donahue and Robinson is a great resource.
- If you are interested in specific models, Heather would recommend Dog Training, Fly Fishing, and Sharing Christ in the 21st Century by Haggard and Whaley (for Free Markets), Activate by Searcy (for semester systems), Creating Community by Stanley and Willits (for closed groups).
- If you need a great refresher on what’s most important about group life, she recommends Simple Small Groups by Search. This is one of her favorite books right now.
- Cloud and Townsend also have a great book- Making Small Groups Work– which is great for the Small Groups Pastor.
- Other great books for a Small Groups Pastor include Sticky Church by Larry Osborne
- Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry by Donahue and Robinson.
If you have any suggestions on great resources for leading a small group ministry, simply post them as a comment! We would love to hear from you.
Willow Creek’s Reveal study shows a lot about why people get involved in small groups and helps us to understand a shift that they believe is happening in small group ministry and how it affects the way that people are coming to Christ.
Margaret, I go to Heather’s church in DC. She just released a new book called “Community is Messy.” That’s another resource to add. Also, here are some tips I just posted: http://www.christianlayman.com/2012/10/10/church-small-group-best-practices/
Im definitely not the sort of person that leaves a comment on blogs and forums nevertheless this is definitely an attractive post. Im still wondering exactly what the point is but give me some time and I will probably know.