Yesterday was the first week of a new virtue in our Sunday morning children’s program. One of my favorite parts of small group was helping the 2nd graders find their new Bible verse. I loved seeing the excitement in their faces when they found the verse and hearing them exclaim, “I found it! [...]
There are many things small group leaders can try to do well, but we need to know what the ultimate “win,” or “mark of success,” is so we can continue to strive toward that.
For small group leaders, the “win” is changed lives. Small group leaders are the people who get to be on the [...]
Continue reading about What’s The “Win” for the Small Group Leader?
Once or twice a year, I get the privilege of preaching in our church. Since I don’t get to do that very often, I don’t get many opportunities to refine my public speaking. A couple years ago, I decided I’d better read some books to figure out how to deliver a message [...]
A couple weeks ago on a Sunday morning a family entered the church through the office door. This is a family that attends our church but comes more “off” than “on.” The kids were a bit tentative about being here but they were here – YEA! As they left the office, [...]
Continue reading about We Miss You. We Really, Really Miss You!
One of the best ways to help your kids focus during small group time is to make sure they are sitting next to people who won’t distract them. As the leader of a small group, you not only have the authority to ask your kids to sit in specific places, but you have the [...]
One of the best learning strategies out there is that people learn better through short, repeated practices than through massed practice (in one long session). This is why teachers encourage students to review a little each night instead of cramming for tests. It’s why athletes practice nearly every day instead of doing all [...]
Continue reading about Distributed Practice More Effective Than Massed Practice
The foundational components of our Sunday morning program for kids are (1) relevant, engaging Biblical content and (2) loving community. Kids face all kids of challenges in life – broken homes, financial uncertainty, and social pressure, to name of few. Security is a foreign concept to many kids.
Our dream is to create an [...]
Continue reading about 8 Tips for Building Community in Your Small Group
One of the exciting things about our church is we have frequent non-churched visitors. Our prayer is that these visitors will come back and become regular attenders. This is something we rejoice over, but it creates a leadership challenge for you.
Your small group is most likely comprised of kids who have been raised [...]
Continue reading about Use Your Plans As a Springboard, Part II
Each week you’re given several activities to use in your small group time. You can approach these activities in two ways:
as a checklist of things to get done or
as a springboard for engaging your kids in the learning process.
Aside from kids feeling loved and cared for, our goals for small group time are to:
give [...]
Continue reading about Use Your Plans As a Springboard, Part I
Your top priority as a small group leader is to build relationships with the kids in your group. Get to know them and what is going on in their lives. Your caring about each kid personally will open up opportunities for God to speak to them through you. If a kid doesn’t [...]