Summer small groups are also an ideal way to raise up new group leaders, for two reasons.

Number one, many of your regular leaders will want to take the summer off. In fact, we encourage a summer break. You don’t want leaders to get burned out. And through their break, you open up the opportunity for people who have never led before to step in.

Number two, many of your potential leaders will be most interested in leading their first group during the summer. Since the atmosphere is more casual and the groups do plenty of fun activities together, summer groups are easier to lead and provide good training ground. They are the perfect initiation for brand-new small group leaders.

Remember that sweet taste of freedom that summer brought with it when you were a kid? Well, the great thing about being a church leader is that you still get a new kind of freedom each and every summer. You get the freedom to be creative, to think outside the box and try new things.

Some of the things you try will work and some won’t. That’s okay. You’ll come out of the summer heat with new ideas, new people plugged in, and huge momentum for the season to come. Summer is just around the corner! Plan now to plant, so you can reap the harvest this fall.

Learn how your church can maximize the opportunities of summer.

Sign up for  your FREE Grow Your Church Webinar here:

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/index.php/free-stuff/grow-your-church-webinar

Many churches decide to take a break from small groups during the summer, which is a perfectly legitimate thing to do. But if your structure allows for it, summer groups can be extremely effective for getting new people plugged in… especially if you do them creatively.

The summer weather gives you and your group leaders the opportunity to plan lots of fun groups that wouldn’t work during other semesters. You can do regular groups outside, sports-themed groups, or picnic groups. You can do just about anything that combines peoples’ desire to be out in the sun with their desire to meet new friends, learn more about God and have some fun.

As you start filling these summer groups, you’ll find that new people will often join just because they are interested in hiking or biking or whatever the group may decide to center around. That interest will get them connected so you can start the process of discipleship.

Since people have fluctuating schedules during the summer, we also like to set up a few open groups in the park. These are groups that require less dedication than a regular small group. They keep the people who can’t make a true summer commitment connected by giving them a group that they can pop into as they are available.

Plus, open groups are a perfect way to get brand-new attenders involved over the summer. Say a new person comes to church one Sunday and decides to attend a movie play group the next Friday night. Then, they learn about the open Bible study in the park on Tuesdays and decide to stop by. You aren’t asking them for a big commitment yet, but you are getting them connected and setting them up to become fully involved in the fall.

Learn how your church can maximize the opportunities of summer.

Sign up for  your FREE Grow Your Church This Summer webinar here:

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/index.php/free-stuff/grow-your-church-webinar

We’re looking for just the right “A” player to fill a key pastoral position here at The Journey Church – Boca Raton

We’re looking for a Groups/Teaching Pastor to join our team – Don’t apply unless you love semester-based groups & Nelson Searcy’s book Activate!

However, if you’re passionate about groups and willing to devote yourself to “giving the people of South Florida the best opportunity to become fully developing followers of Jesus,” you may be just the right fit!

Here’s the official position description:

Growth Groups Pastor @ The Journey Church in Boca Raton:

The Journey is a contemporary 11-year old church with campuses in New York City, Queens, NY and Boca Raton, FL. The position of full-time Growth Groups Pastor is currently available at our newest location in Boca Raton.

The Journey – Boca Raton began weekly services in February 2011, and since then has seen nearly 150 people baptized and averages 300 people in attendance each week.

The Growth Groups Pastor position is full-time and reports directly to Lead Pastor Nelson Searcy, while working in harmony with the other pastors of the Boca Raton staff.

This pastor position would give leadership to Groups, plus provide leadership with our growing family ministry (Journey Kidz and Students) and serve as a teaching pastor and member of the executive leadership team.

Salary and benefits are competitive and the position is available immediately (although we’re patient in order to find the right person).

This is a great opportunity for someone to join a great and growing team in a beautiful, although highly unchurched, part of the country.

So, are you called to serve in South Florida?

Are you passionate about raising up new leaders and volunteers, seeing people get connected in the church and challenging them to grow in their faith?

Are you interested in expanding an already healthy Growth Group ministry that sees over 110% of it’s adult attendance signed up for a group every semester?

The Journey – Boca Raton is working toward 25 active groups for the Spring 2013 semester with over 50 leaders already in place.  Can you work with our team to increase the number of groups each semester while raising up new leaders and equipping current leaders?

Are you interested in helping a growing church continue to grow?

Do you have a high view of ‘serving as part of discipleship’ and do you have a strong desire to reach unchurched young professionals?

This is not a pastoral care position, but an equipping position to make a difference with the best and the brightest from around the world that make up the Journey Church in Boca Raton, FL.

Responsibilities:

• Leadership, growth and innovation of The Journey’s semester-based small groups ministry of over 300 people each semester.
• Requires the ability to lead teams effectively and to raise up new leaders at a rapid rate.
• Organizational and administrative skills are an absolute must.
• The ability to teach and contribute to The Journey’s teaching team is a plus as well as the ability to work well with and lead staff.
• Must be extremely hard-working and have had leadership experience on a large or growing church staff.

Other desired characteristics include strong interpersonal skills; growing leader; team builder; sense of humor; risk-taker (seminary not required).

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• A Solid Calling to serve as a supporting pastor
• The ability to manage a large and growing Growth Groups system
• A passion for the Bible and innovation
• An ability to teach, lead classes and lead meetings (volunteers/staff)
• A team player
• Experience in a large/growing church
• A positive attitude
• A familiarity with The Purpose Driven Church Model
• A risk taker
• A passion for discipleship and not letting anyone fall through the cracks
• A passion and drive for evangelism and reaching the unchurched
• A high commitment to the local church
• Comfortable in a non-Charismatic worship environment
• Experience in a church of 500 or more is a bonus
• Must be willing to work up to 60 hours a week when necessary

Only resumes accompanied with a COVER LETTER will be considered.

The cover letter should be personalized for this position and should answer 4 questions:

(1) Why you are interested in this position?

(2) Have you read the book “Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups” by Journey pastors Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas? And are you familiar with the semester-based model of small group ministry?

(3) Why you would feel comfortable relocating to South Florida?

(4) And what about you makes you stand out from other candidates for this position?

*Also – if you have a recent video/audio of you teaching in front of a group (large or small) – please include that along with your resume and cover letter.

Please send cover letters and resumes to ns1@journeymetro.com.

Sorry, but contacting the church in other ways shows that you can’t follow instructions and thus you won’t be considered – ha (but true!).

Roy Mansfield here – Pastor of Spiritual Development at Northstar Church in Panama City, Florida, Senior Pastors Coaching Network Alumni and regular guest on Nelson’s blog.

Quick post for you today about how to handle an awkward and difficult situation that occurs from time to time in your small groups…

What would you do if someone in a mixed (men & women) small group you’re leading began to confess in detail about a sexual sin?

FREAK OUT??!!! Yes, me too. But I mean, after that… Here are three steps to deal with just this type of experience:

1. Immediately ask God for help (I would recommend saying this prayer in your mind rather than shouting “HELP US JESUS!” while the person is talking).

2. Say “excuse me” and then let them know that you want to address what they’re sharing, but you think it might be more helpful if they spoke with you (or you and your spouse) privately after the group.

3. If this is a very emotional or significant issue it would probably be helpful for you to take some time to pray for the individual before you moved on.  Be careful not to pray for them just as a “transition” strategy.  Sincerely ask God to bring healing and grace in this area of their life.

This process will also help you transition your group after you are finished dealing with a deeply emotional issue that is completely appropriate.

Remember what The Apostle Paul said to the Romans:

“Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.” – Romans 12:15

Just because a group get’s “messy” doesn’t mean it has to crash and burn. 

Leadership is what will make the difference.

- Roy Mansfield
www.growingtogether.cc

Roy Mansfield here – Pastor of Spiritual Development at Northstar Church in Panama City, Florida, Coaching Alum and regular guest contributor to Nelson’s blog…

The only thing worse than failing to get “undertalkers” in your small group to start talking is failing to get “overtalkers” to stop talking.

Here’s a few tips on how Jesus might have helped someone in His small group (probably Peter) to give some space for other people in the group to share:

If someone is monopolizing your group by talking too much, wait for them to inhale (although it may not seem like it, this will eventually happen) and say, “Thanks for sharing that Miss-excessive-talker-lady <insert actual name here>. I’d be interested to hear what some of the other group members think as well.”

Say this gently, and without the hint of sarcasm that was in the back of your mind when you read that last statement and pictured someone from your last small group.

To make the transition you may need to repeat the original question and then call on someone by name that you know wouldn’t feel uncomfortable being asked to share.

If Miss-excessive-talker-lady does this regularly, you probably want to talk with her privately and encourage her to serve the other group members by listening more and giving others a greater chance to speak.

This will not be an easy conversation but it will benefit your group.

And this group member will be helped by learning to:

“…be quick to listen and slow to speak…” – James 1:19

- Roy Mansfield
www.growingtogether.cc

I woke up this morning feeling generous!

Our South Florida location is about to celebrate it’s First Birthday this Sunday and I thought I would give YOU a Birthday present, a copy of our 2012 Spring Growth Groups Catalog!

Many churches have benefited from the Semester-Based “Activate” model of Small Groups. Each semester, we allow the people in our church to sign up for one of several different small groups. The groups catalog is set up very similar to a course selection that you would find at a college or the city parks department.

On Sundays, church attendees look through the catalog and select which group and time is the best fit for them and simply writes that number on their connection card. (If you are not using connection cards, pick up a copy of The Assimilation Seminar and get started with those as well.)

As you’ll see when you download the file below, the catalog doesn’t have to be fancy – instead, focus on functionality. This catalog is from our Boca Raton location and they have about 20 groups listed. The NYC catalogs are much larger but use the same basic concept.

Well, enjoy your Birthday present and be praying for the South Florida location as we celebrate one year of weekly services!

If you have not made the transition to semester-based, off-site groups, go ahead and pick up the Activate Seminar for steps to making this worthwhile transition.

Download your free Growth Group Catalog:
Spring Group Catalog – Boca (right-click to download)

PS – Please pray for our Boca Raton location this Sunday as we celebrate our first birthday!  This is our February “Big Day” and we’re praying that God will double our attendance.

Pray for all the personal invitations and the mass promotion that is taking place this week, as well as the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of those who will attend!

This is Kerrick Thomas – Executive Pastor at The Journey Church and co-author of ”Activate” with Nelson.  Nelson asked me to address a common small group question today on the blog.

The question is “How can we minister to youth through the Small Groups System?”

When it comes to youth and semester-based Activate small groups I’ve seen it work effectively in two ways:

1 – Run the youth small groups like the adult small groups.  

Have them age-based – but let the youth sign up for them on Sundays and on-line just like the adults do.

2 – What I’ve a lot of churches do – because most suburban or rural churches do continue to have a Wednesday night or Sunday night big youth event – is still have the large event for the youth and have a beginning worship/group time.  

Then after that, break into different age specific small groups that might have different topics.

One church has a large Sunday night youth event – and then has small groups at different homes throughout the week.

So – you do have some options.

***Whatever you decide – it’s important to connect being a part of the small groups and youth events to attendance in your church.

That’s why having a Small Group Covenant is so important.  Because the semester-based groups only last 10-12 weeks – it’s important to ask those who are in the group to sign a covenant saying they will take the commitment seriously.

Part of that commitment is that they will attend services over the length of the group.  It doesn’t mean that they are there every week.  But if it helps a kid who is disconnected from church to at least check out the church over the course of the life of the group – that’s a good thing.

Then if you ask your small groups to serve at least once or twice over the course of the semester at a Sunday service, you help get those kids connected into the church instead of just the small group or the youth event.

I hope these ideas help!

God bless…

Kerrick

P.S. If you’re ready to activate your Small Groups, involve more than 100% of your church in groups, and see radical life change, check out The Small Groups Intensive.

This is Kerrick Thomas – Executive Pastor at The Journey Church and co-author of “Activate” with Nelson.

Nelson asked if I would take a moment today to address a common small groups question – the apparent “competition” between Small Groups and Ministry Teams.

Recently, I’ve received two questions about this same issue and I wanted to answer each of them:

1 – If we’re doing a “ministry” focus (like Nelson teaches in planning your preaching calendar) during the same time we’re scheduled to promote Small Groups, should we change the promotion period?

We are also doing a teaching series on Ministry during our Small Group Promotion Month at The Journey this fall.

Quick answer: No, I would not change your Small Group Promotion Month (sign up period) if you have found the time period that works best for you.  

We usually recommend starting the sign up period immediately after school begins in your community.  We begin our promotion month the Sunday of Labor Day since in NYC school usually begins the Tueday after Labor Day.  But if adjusting one or two weeks later doesn’t affect your promotion month or your Fall small groups… that is not a big deal.

We will probably actually have a Ministry Fair while we have Small Group sign ups going on during September.  It might not be ideal – but it’s definitely doable.  Especially if you have the Ministry Fair closer to the beginning of the sign up period.

Remember – when we do small group promotion we build momentum through the Small Group Promotion Month – so we start out a little softer but by the last 2 weeks before groups begin we are promoting pretty strongly.  So – if you have the Ministry Fair during your small group sign ups – be sure not to put it during the last 2 weeks of sign ups before the groups begin.

2 – Should we turn our ministry teams into Small Groups to incorporate more spiritual growth and give people one thing to sign up for?

This may seem like a good option, but I would NOT recommend turning your Sunday Service Teams into Small Groups.  The reason is three-fold:

- One, the Sunday Service Teams will never be able to focus on spiritual growth, prayer and relationships.  It’s just too fast and too hectic – and their mission during the time they are scheduled to meet is just too critical to your church.

Community Service Small Groups are different because they meet during the week and so don’t have the time pressure.  Also – they don’t have to serve every week.

- Two, if you turn your Sunday Service Teams into small groups then you will either prohibit people from just showing up to serve with the team once sign ups close or  you will have new people there every week which really isn’t a small group dynamic where you can begin to develop trust and share with one another.

- Three, people will serve AND participate in a Small Group.  Just don’t ask them to serve every week.  We ask our members to serve 1 hour a month. Those who serve on specific ministry teams usually serve every other week at the most.  So, we don’t burn them out.

Plus, don’t forget – Small Groups are a great way to introduce people to serving. We assign all of our Small Groups one Sunday service a month to come to one hour early and help serve.  Before the service begins – we talk with them about signing up to serve once a month on a different ministry team.  It’s a great way to incorporate Small Groups into Ministry and to get new people plugged in.

I hope that helps!

Kerrick

P.S. If you’re ready to activate your Small Groups, involve more than 100% of your church in groups, and see radical life change, check out The Small Groups Intensive.

Since my small groups book Activate came out, I’ve gotten lots of questions about small groups and one of the most common is about childcare:

How should we handle childcare for our small groups?

I’ve written about this several times in the past – and the short answer is… you shouldn’t handle it! You should allow parents with children to handle it.

Here’s why: it’s a question of values – if people value groups enough (and the spiritual growth they experience and observe in those groups), they’ll solve their own childcare problem.

Quick example - if one of the couples in your church who “can’t” join a group because of the lack of childcare were to win an all expense paid vacation to their favorite resort but no children were allowed, I can assure you that they would figure out a solution!

Why? Because they value the resort gift enough, they will figure out childcare.

So, rather than getting elbow-deep in trying to figure out everyone’s childcare, you have to help your people value their small group so much that they’ll figure it out.

BTW – here’s some of what I’ve written on this topic in the past:

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/blog/?s=small+groups+childcare

P.S. For the most comprehensive resource available to build your church’s Small Groups system, check out The Small Groups Intensive.

I’m looking for just the right “A” player to fill a key pastoral position here at The Journey Church!

We’re looking for a Groups/Teaching Pastor to join our team – Don’t apply unless you love semester-based groups & my book Activate!

However, if you’re passionate about groups and willing to devote yourself to “giving the people of New York City the best opportunity to become fully developing followers of Jesus,” you may be just the right fit!

Here’s the official position description:

Growth Groups Pastor @ The Journey Church in NYC:

Are you called to serve in New York City?

The Journey is a contemporary 9 year old church with 4 campuses in New York City (Upper West Side, Village, Queens and Brooklyn). The position of full-time Growth Groups Pastor is currently available.

The Journey consistently has over 1,000 adults attending weekend services, currently has over 1,100 in groups and expects continued growth.

Are you passionate about raising up new leaders and volunteers, seeing people get connected in the church and challenging them to grow in their faith?

Are you interested in expanding an already healthy Growth Group ministry that sees over 1,100 people signed up for a group every semester?

Can you work with our team to increase the number of groups every semester (approximately 80) as well as the number of leaders that serve each semester (approximately 150)?

Are you interested in helping a growing church continue to grow?

Do you have a high view of ‘serving as part of discipleship’ and do you have a strong desire to reach unchurched young professionals?

This is not a pastoral care position, but an equipping position to make a difference with the best and the brightest from around the world that make up the Journey Church in NYC.

Responsibilities:
- Leadership, growth and innovation of The Journey’s semester-based small groups ministry of over 1,100 people each semester.
- Requires the ability to lead teams effectively and to raise up new leaders at a rapid rate.  Also, organizational and administrative skills are a must.
- The ability to teach and contribute to The Journey’s teaching team is a plus as well as the ability to work well with and lead staff.
- Must be extremely hard-working and have had leadership experience on a large or growing church staff.

Other desired characteristics include strong interpersonal skills; growing leader; team builder; sense of humor; risk-taker (seminary not required).

JOB REQUIREMENTS:
- A Solid Calling to New York City
- The ability to manage a large and growing Growth Groups system
- A passion for the Bible and innovation
- An ability to teach, lead classes and lead meetings (volunteers/staff)
- A team player
- Experience in a large/growing church
- A positive attitude
- A familiarity with The Purpose Driven Church Model
- A risk taker
- A passion for discipleship and not letting anyone fall through the cracks
- A passion and drive for evangelism and reaching the unchurched
- A high commitment to the local church
- Non-charismatic
- Must have experience in a church of 500 or more
- Must be willing to work up to 60 hours a week when necessary

Only resumes accompanied with a COVER LETTER will be considered.

The cover letter should be personalized for this position and should answer 4 questions:

(1) Why you are interested in this position?

(2) Have you read the book “Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups” by Journey pastors Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas? And are you familiar with the semester-based model of small group ministry?

(3) Why you would feel comfortable relocating to New York City?

(4) And what about you makes you stand out from other candidates for this position?

*Also – if you have a recent video/audio of you teaching in front of a group (large or small) – please include that along with your resume and cover letter.

Please send cover letters and resumes to stephanie.orr@journeymetro.com.

Sorry, but emailing me or contacting the church in other ways shows that you can’t follow instructions and thus you won’t be considered – ha (but true!).

- Nelson