This webpage has a few gifts for you as a local church or small group leader.
The early church met in the synagogues, and from house to house. Christianity was a ‘house church’ movement until it became the state-sanctioned religion at the time of Constantine. From then onwards the larger gathering became the focus — like it still is in the West today.
However, it remains that the mission of the Church (making disciples of non-disciples) is the mission of the church small group. In addition, God always intended that Christian fellowship in small groups — because the 50 or more ‘one anothers’ of the New Testament could not be applied in any other context! God’s vision for our churches had our church small groups near the centre — not as an extra.
The necessary inclusion of our mission in our groups is a perspective that has often been overlooked — but let it be so no more!
A stirring 40 minute message on the importance of church small groups if the Church is to more fully become what God intended it to be in this world.
In this message Dave traverses history and Scripture to present a compelling challenge, principally suggesting that the goal is not that we have churches with small groups, but instead become churches of small groups.
The above audio is an introduction to the importance of small groups.
The video here is the first of three — summarising 8 key areas of training, to enable small group leaders to deliver measurable results. The goal is disciples who make disciples.
Download student notes for all 8 sessions (3 half hour videos) here.
All within 30 minutes — this first video concisely articulates:
The text next to the first video explains what is being gifted here.
Download student notes for all 8 sessions (3 half hour videos) here.
This second of three videos covers:
The text next to the first video explains what is being gifted here.
Download student notes for all 8 sessions (3 half hour videos) here.
For this final session — also download the sample ‘calendar’ (as a editable Word doc) here.
This third of three videos covers:
You will find a chapter by Dave Mann on how to lead a ‘cell’ ministry (Chapter 5 of ‘The What and How of Youth and Young Adult Ministry — Singapore version’) here.
Please freely discuss your small group vision and strategies with Dave Mann and Tony Collis. Both have had significant experience in bringing leadership to small group ministries / small group movements.