Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry : A Troubleshooting Guide for Church Leaders

by Donahue, Bill; Robinson, Russ G

• ISBN13: 9780310267119
• ISBN10: 0310267110
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-10-01
• Publisher: Zondervan

Summary

It's one thing to start a small group ministry. It's another to keep the groups in your church healthy and headed in the same direction. Whatever your church's approach may be-whether it is a church with groups or of groups-sooner or later, as a leader, you'll need to do some troubleshooting. That's when the expert, to-the-point guidance in this book will prove its worth. The beauty of this book lies in its unique diagnostic process. It allows you to assess, diagnose, and correct seven common "deadly sins" that can drain the life from your church's small group ministry. In The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry, what would take you years to learn through trial and error is distilled into some of the most useful information you can find. Drawing on the knowledge they've gleaned from working inside Willow Creek Community Church, from consulting with hundreds of churches, and from conducting conferences and seminars worldwide, small group experts Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson furnish you with proven, real-life solutions to the toughest problems in your small group ministry. This is not theory-it is hands-on material you can read and apply today.

Table of Contents

Introduction	7	(8)
Sin One: Unclear Ministry Objectives	15	(18)
Strategies and Tools for Developing Clear Ministry Objectives	33	(16)
Sin Two: Lack of Point Leadership	49	(14)
Strategies and Tools for Choosing Effective Point Leaders	63	(12)
Sin Three: Poor Coaching Structures	75	(14)
Strategies and Tools for Rebuilding Poor Coaching Structures	89	(12)
Sin Four: Neglect of Ongoing Leadership Development	101	(14)
Strategies and Tools for Developing Leaders	115	(12)
Sin Five: Closed Group Mind-Set	127	(14)
Strategies and Tools for Transforming Group Mind-Set	141	(12)
Sin Six: Narrow Definition of a Small Group	153	(14)
Strategies and Tools for Broadening the Range of Small Groups	167	(18)
Sin Seven: Neglect of the Assimilation Process	185	(14)
Strategies and Tools for Improving Assimilation	199	(14)
Conclusion	213	(6)
Appendix 1: Sample Ministry Plans	219	(7)
Appendix 2: WCCC Director of Small Groups Job Profile	226	(5)
Appendix 3: The Role of the Coach	231	(1)
Appendix 4: The Centralized Training Components	232	(2)
Appendix 5: Willow Creek Curriculum Series Profiles	234	(2)
Appendix 6: Modified Definition of a Small Group	236	(2)
Appendix 7: WCCC Assimilation Process	238	(3)
Notes	241