GRACE Group Leaders
Building followers of Jesus
Christ…
3/28/08
All the believers devoted themselves
to the apostles’ teaching…
Acts
2:42 NLT
GRACE – Growing with God’s
Word - Continually taking new steps towards a more
intimate relationship with God, using the Word as the guide and applying it to
our lives.
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Spring ’08 Small Group Leaders Gathering |
March 31st – THIS
MONDAY NIGHT – 6:30 – 9:00pm - KidZone
This is a
night that will benefit every small group leader, co-leader, apprentice, or
future leader. We are going to have a time of teaching from Scott
McKnight, Mark Norman, and myself. We will interact with other small
group leaders in discussion about creating healthy small groups in our
ministries. There will be a time for fellowship, and hopefully, everyone
will leave a little better equipped and a lot more excited about their small
groups. Leaders are encouraged to bring folks from their group who they
would like to invest in. You are welcome to bring their whole group if you
want. It is a great opportunity to get some people who are not yet
leading excited about the possibility. If you can, send us an email
to let us know how many you will be bringing.
Email us at info@gracegroups.net
and tell us that you will be there and how many others you might bring. If there is any reason you cannot come, drop
me an email and let me know that as well.
Scot McKnight
is a widely recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and
the historical Jesus. Currently a
professor at
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New in the Small Groups Office |
I cannot even
begin to tell you how pleased I am to make this announcement. Andy Hanks
will become an official member of our staff this coming Monday, the 31st.
I say officially, because I feel like he has been a part of the staff for a
long time now. As is often the case around here, hiring Andy is
just us recognizing what he has been doing for some time now. Andy
has been a Coach in the Small Group Ministry for several years now. In
that capacity he encourages and resources group leaders to succeed in their
roles and helps us to assure that our groups are healthy ones. His impact
on those who have yet to accept Jesus is seen in the Alpha and Starting Point
groups he has helped to pioneer here at Grace. Andy was involved with
GRACE Groups even before I was hired. He served on the initial
team that helped to design the more integrated, higher profile role that
small groups play today in Grace's strategic plan for discipleship and care of
its members. He has definitely been such a support for me personally over
the last few years. So, on Monday Andy becomes a Senior Coach and a part
time staff member. Senior does not mean that he is just an older
coach; it means he will be serving even more of our GRACE Group
Leaders as their Coach and will help us identify and develop future
coaches as well. Congratulate him when you see him and give Andy that
warm welcome that we are so famous for.
By the
way, he did just get older and you can wish him a happy birthday as well.
His was Easter Sunday.
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New in the Small Groups Library |
Right of Malachi – 9 Session Study from Norman
Hubbard
If you are looking for a great study about the major themes of
the New Testament, then you have to check out “Right of Malachi.” If the title confuses you then just look in
your Bible and see what comes just to the right of the book of Malachi. This study was recommended to me by one of
our own Elders. He brought it to my
attention after it had such a positive impact on his own GRACE Group. After doing this study myself, I can tell you
it is powerful in-depth study into the core ideas of the New Testament. If your group is ready to dig into God’s Word
and is not scared to give a few minutes each day to the exploration, I guarantee
it will impact your relationship with Jesus considerably.
Right of
Malachi offers a new perspective for studying the Bible. This nine-week course connects the key New
Testament themes with their origins in the Old Testament. You’ll discover the eternal thread running
throughout Scripture and view the Bible as one complete picture of God’s love.
If you would like to take a look at this study I have a copy in
the Small Groups Office. You can find
copies for your group by clicking
here.
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Group Leader Essential #3 |
GRACE Group
leaders are charged with an incredible responsibility. Because they are
involved in the day-to-day lives of their group members, they have tremendous
influence on the spiritual lives of the people in their groups. With this in
mind, we encourage them to prioritize their own relationship with God. From
there, we ask them to focus on six key aspects of group leadership - six
essentials that are critical to the success of their groups.
Promote Participation
This essential focuses on how we lead the group
meeting. It reminds us that since shared participation creates broader
ownership of the group, all group members should be encouraged to participate
often in the facilitation and leadership of the group meeting. This essential
also reminds us to promote participation by being navigators of discussion, not
teachers of curriculum. The difference is critical. Every time we ask
open-ended questions, we are inviting participation. More than sharing the
right answers, we want people to share their lives.
Thanks for all you do!
Information, questions, comments.
240-553-1090 ext. 111
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G.R.A.C.E. Group.