November 6, 2009

Filling Rows or Forming Circles?

From Bill Donahue

I have been thinking a lot about Andy Stanley’s comments at the Group Life Conference 2009 and the implications for church ministry. If it is true that more learning, growth, care and ministry takes through transformational group-like circles, why do churches spend an inordinate amount of time, staffing and money on filling rows? Here are some possible reasons for expending so much energy on building a “row”-ing team, and I would be interested in your feedback.  Read more...

Posted at 11:32 AM in Community, Conference 2009, General, Group Life, Leadership | Permalink | Comments (0) | E-mail | CommentsRSS comment feed | Bookmark and Share
September 1, 2009

Digital Jet Lag

From Bill Donahue

 "How many of our most joyfilled memories have been created in front of a screen?" asks John Freeman in the Wall Street Journal, Aug 21, 2009. Warning of the the dangers of breakneck communication and email addiction Freeman asserts, "The speed at which we do something changes our experience of it." Hmmm. Read this post verrry slowwwly. Read more...

Posted at 07:46 AM in Community, Group Life, Group Life Movement, Leadership | Permalink | Comments (5) | E-mail | CommentsRSS comment feed | Bookmark and Share
August 28, 2009

The Greatest Threat to the Church

From Bill Donahue

Been thinking a lot -- and talking -- about the core of the Church. Today's group was filled with comments about -ism's: Calvinism (it is the 500th anniversary of the Scholar-Lawyer's birth), Catholicism, Amish, Reformed, Evangelicalism, Baptist, Charismatic and other traditions/ism's. Read more...

Posted at 10:26 AM in Ancient-Future, Community, Group Life, Leadership | Permalink | Comments (6) | E-mail | CommentsRSS comment feed | Bookmark and Share
August 20, 2009

Do Your Leaders Have Motion Sickness?

From Bill Donahue

The closest I ever got to a POW camp experience was three-a-day practices in 95-degree heat and 90% humidity at a New Jersey football camp in 1974.  Read more...

Posted at 08:43 AM in Community, Group Life | Permalink | Comments (2) | E-mail | CommentsRSS comment feed | Bookmark and Share
August 17, 2009

Sermon-Based Small Groups

From Greg Bowman

I still remember the day I realized for the first time what it felt like to be a member – not staff – in a church. I was in my twenties, in my first ministry, and was preparing a message for the weekend. In a moment mixed with clarity, surrender and frustration, I realized the futility of saying anything at all that Sunday. I could have given the message of a lifetime and it would have made no difference.Why? Read more...

Posted at 15:37 PM in Books, Community, Group Life, Group Life Movement | Permalink | Comments (10) | E-mail | CommentsRSS comment feed | Bookmark and Share