Building a Life-Changing Small Group Ministry: A Strategic Guide for Leading Group Life in Your Church

by Bill Donahue, Russ G. Robinson

Our hearts were made for deep, authentic relationships—for community with others. And like nothing else, small groups provide the kind of life-giving community that builds and empowers the body of Christ and impacts the world. In this book, part of the Groups That Grow series of small group resources, authors Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson provide guidance for the strategic decisions that must be made to establish, develop and grow a thriving small group ministry in the local church. In Building a Life-Changing Small Group Ministry, they answer questions like: • Which approach or model for small group ministry is best for my church? • Who has responsibility for the ministry and how are they supported? • How do I organize the groups and coach the leaders? • Where do I find leaders and what kind of training do they need? • How do I guide people toward community life? What are the pathways and events that move people to become part of a small group? • What kinds of groups should we offer? • How do you multiply groups and launch new groups? • How do we define success in this ministry? As you work through the questions in each chapter you’ll develop a coherent, strategic plan for building and leading the small group ministry at your church. And whether you are establishing a new ministry or transitioning from older models of small group ministry that are no longer effective today, you’ll benefit from the time-tested wisdom of the authors. This workbook can be used as a stand-alone resource or it can be used with the five-session training videos taught by the authors available on the Equipping Life-Changing Small Groups DVD (sold separately).

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Leadership

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 2012

About the author

Bill Donahue is an associate professor at Trinity International University and a popular conference speaker. The author of more than a dozen books with sales over 550,000 copies, he is former director of leadership development and group life for the Willow Creek Community Church and Association. He lives in Illinois.

Reviews

[Janice Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must-have for anyone that is relaunching or starting a small group ministry at their church. It does a great job laying out the questions that one should think about in a logical, concise manner. And it really gets to the heart of figuring out your church's entire vision and plan for developing leaders. That said, we did have to use other resources for the nitty-gritty details like leader training tools, curriculum ideas, etc. More details in those areas would have been useful. In addition, I found the related videos from Bill Donahue extremely boring.

All in all, I would recommend this book, but don't expect it to answer all your questions. Check out Small Groups with Purpose by Steve Gladen and North Point's groupleaders.org for more info.

[Nicole Seitler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to anyone who leads a small group ministry. I found it extremely helpful and practical with lots of tips and advice. I especially enjoyed the insightful questions and the assessment guide inside.

[David A Bolin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenging and insightful.

Lots of good detail. Whether your church is just starting with small groups or have been at it for a while, there is something here for you.