Photo of Rick Howerton

The Vision...

A Biblical Small Group Within Walking Distance of Every Person on the Planet.


04.15.2011

The Importance of a Small Group Network… Hanging with People Unlike You

 
For the last two days I’ve been hanging with a couple of good friends… Steve Gladen, the groups guy at Saddleback Church in southern California, and Bill Search, the groups guy at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. We’ve laughed, asked each other for input on decisions we’re trying to make, discussed ideas we have for our ministries, and spent an unthinkable amount of time talking about the small group world. I’m invigorated.
 
We share like passions, Christ being known and lifted up through small groups. But we’re not even close to being mirror images of one another… for sure. Steve is an athletic California boy, Bill a masculine Michiganer, and I, well, I’m a short, pudgy, guy with deep roots in Kentucky. Steve is a pragmatist with an amazing ability to see things most of us would miss and unearths wisdom when discussing ministry situations that is well… astounding. Bill is one of the great thinkers in the small group space with a passion for theological perspective and is courageously unwilling to allow small group norms that contradict Scripture to stick in the midst of a conversation. I am simply a visionary passionately pursuing what both Bill and Steve offer and oftentimes sharing the wisdom that they, and people like them pass on to me. Steve and Bill are small group pastors who also consult, I’m a small group consultant who has pastored and continues to do so when a church is in need… for a time. We are not much alike.
 
Our primary passion brings us together, and when we are together synergy and energy flow like the Mississippi River and when it does, my heart comes alive. I must confess, times like these are a lifeline to a guy like me, a guy oftentimes drowning in his own red tape, his negative self-thought, his personal pride, and his overwhelming responsibilities. I need a network. You do too.
 
As I make may way around the country speaking with small group pastors I am vividly aware that one of the great necessities of ministry is getting with some other small group types to laugh with, throw ideas off of, and gain wise counsel from.
 
If you find yourself without a network and you don’t know where to turn, I am going to suggest you consider clicking on the link below this paragraph. Steve has been and continues to build a network for small group pastors, small groups of small group pastors who meet regularly throughout the United States. Check out the site below and then take the next step… Go to the bottom of the page, click on “Join one of our local networks today!” and sign up. I am almost certain you’ll be a better person having done so. I am certain that your ministry will reap the benefits.
 
Christian, Church, Gladen, Group, Networking, Pastor, Saddleback, Search, Small, Southeast, Steve, Bill
Comments (0) | Post a comment

03.11.2011

Bill Donahue and Steve Gladen… Building Biblical Community

 
There have been some amazing blog posts describing the new resource that features Bill Donahue and Steve Gladen, Building Biblical Community. I would like to spend my time speaking not of the resource but of the men of the resource.
 
Bill Donahue has been one of my heroes since the day I was enlisted to start and spearhead the small group ministry at Living Hope Baptist Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I had no idea what I was doing nor did I have any ideas about how to move forward. I purchased his book, Leading Life Changing Small Groups, and I was off and running. I can honestly tell you that this one book was all that I had and all that I needed to create a healthy small group ministry. A few years later I was making a trip to Chicago. I wondered if this highly sought after author and leader would even consider letting me take him to lunch and pick his brain. One phone call, one positive response, and a few months later we were seated across the table from one another. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine someone of Bill’s caliber would give his time to help a guy like me. Since then Bill has become more than an acquaintance. I’ve learned that, if it helps the small group movement, he’ll do anything he can to be involved.
 
Steve Gladen has become a dear friend, someone who not only exhibits Christ’s love in ways I can only wish to, he also shows that love to everyone he meets. I’ve seen this guy enter a room and watched each person sense the warmth that comes with him. But, like Bill, Steve has a depth of knowledge about small group ministry that is literally beyond comprehension. No matter what system, structure, methodology you’re discussing, or the ins and outs of group dynamics, Steve can give you real-life understanding. His soon to be released book, Small Groups With Purpose: How to Create Healthy Communities, is going to breathe new life into small group world and is a vital read for all of us. Who wouldn’t want to hear from someone who can honestly proclaim that more than 100% of those attending weekend worship are involved in a small group? His church is accomplishing that.
 
I had the honor of spending some time on the set while these two small group masterminds were shooting the video for Building Biblical Community. Seeing these two guys together was inspiring, watching them do the shoot was astounding. The geniuses of the small group ministries of the two most influential churches of the last two decades were partnering together to create an unparalleled resource. Imagine a study for college basketball players on how to be a team and the two voices were John Wooden and Dean Smith. This is the best way I can describe what you get with Building Biblical Communities.
 
Personally, if I were considering a resource for my small groups I would get this one just because of these two men. 



Bill, Building, Community, Donhue, Gladen, Groups, Small, Steve, Biblical
Comments (0) | Post a comment

02.23.2011

Connecting in Communities, from Small Group’s “Practical Practitioner”


There are many great books on small group ministry. Most of them do what they were deemed to do… Tell you the principles that drive a small group ministry, give you stories that inspire you so that you are motivated to carry out those principles, and in so doing, giving you the boundaries so that your groups are focused on all of the right things.
 
Eddie Mosley’s Connecting in Communities does that and goes one step further, it tells you how to do what needs to be done. Eddie is one of my dearest friends. I once tagged him the “Practical Practioner” of the small group world. Once Eddie has determined what needs to get done, he can create a step-by-step strategy to accomplish that thing, enlist the right people to work alongside him, motivate them to do the work, complete the work, and celebrate the accomplishment of the work like no one I’ve ever seen. This book reflects the Practical Practitioner in every way.
 
Bill Donahue said of this read… “What you have before you are the collective insights and experiences of a leader-learner who has been navigating the process of building group life in the local church for many years. I trust you steward this resource well. Ask other team members to read it, then get together and talk it through over a long lunch. Let it stimulate your thinking, refine your present strategy, and open your minds to some fresh ideas. You’ll be a better leader for it.”
 
I thought I’d give you the chapter titles so you could review them before buying.
 
1. Small Groups Impact Communities
The difference small groups can make in lives and communities, and how you can cause this to happen in your church.
 
2. What Do I Do First?
There are key questions that need to be answered before starting something new or changing an existing ministry. Discussing these questions with your pastor and staff is crucial.
 
3. Pragmatic Strategy (Organization)
Discover the various ways to organize a small-group ministry for your church. A strategic process that is practical and focused on the objectives will keep the vision in sight.
 
4. Adapt, Don’t Adopt (Assimilation)
A major part of church and small group growth is assimilating the people whom God is sending to your church. Discover how to design a system for your church.
 
5. Sharper Than You Think (Leadership Development)
Churches spend hours developing and hosting leadership training sessions. Most leaders are more prepared than we realize, but leadership development must still be planned and scheduled.
 
6. Higher Thinking, Now (Curriculum Choices)
A common question for leaders is “What do we study next?” Having a plan that is developed from the church’s perspective of discipleship will help guide groups.
 
7. Now What? (Developing Issues in Small-Group Ministry)
Small-group ministry is organic and ever-changing. Each year a new level of issues will arise; here are a few we have discovered.
 
To purchase Connecting in Communities just click on the title in this sentence.  
Communities, Connecting, Donahue, Groups, in, Small, Bill
Comments (1) | Post a comment

You must log in to leave a comment.