The Community Groups at Lincroft Bible Church meet twice per month. As groups pastor, I believe that every model and method has its pros and cons. For our busy Northeastern culture, having groups twice a month has some distinct advantages. One of those is that it gives great flexibility and freedom to the group leaders. They can…
A Ministry Discussion with Jordan Jones, Pt. 2
This series of posts is based upon an email exchange with my friend who is also a pastor in Northern Kentucky, Jordan Jones. He oversees the youth ministry of his church, while I primarily oversee the Community Groups at mine. To see where God is at work in our churches and lives, we are discussing various…
A Ministry Discussion with Jordan Jones, Pt. 1
I am beginning a series of posts based upon an email exchange with my friend who is also a pastor in Northern Kentucky, Jordan Jones. He oversees the youth ministry of his church, while I primarily oversee the Community Groups at mine. To see where God is at work in our churches and lives, we…
Simple Small Groups–A Short Review
While most small group literature is of the, “Hey, this worked for me! So you should do it my way!” variety, Simple Small Groups by Bill Search is refreshingly…well…simple. Instead of providing a new model or method, Search wants to help make whatever model a church is using better (p. 13). In other words, Search’s advice…
Don’t Lift up Goals, Lift Up Jesus
If you want to inspire people to the mission of God, you must lift up the Son. When we grasp the glory of Jesus, it becomes the sustaining inspiration that transform life. Isaiah was inspired by seeing Jesus in the temple (Isa. 6:1-8). Peter was inspired by seeing Jesus after his resurrection (Acts 1:1-11). Paul…
You Don’t Make A Decision To Join a Local Church
Steve Timmis and Tim Chester, in their book Total Church, speak on the true nature of church membership: By becoming a Christian, I belong to God and I belong to my brothers and sisters. It is not that I belong to God and then make a decision to join a local church. My being in Christ means…
Small Group Advice from Big Church Pastors
Most people have a cursory knowledge of seven deadly sins: sins which could derail a person’s life. In their book, The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry, pastors Russ Robinson and Bill Donahue also argue that there are seven deadly sins. But these sins have to do with mistakes churches make concerning small groups,…
The Suburban Christian–A Short Review
This past year, my wife and I moved from the city—Louisville, KY—back to the suburbs of New Jersey. I went from being a member of a church in a poorer part of the city to being a pastor of a fairly affluent, suburban church. So with great enthusiasm I cracked open Albert Hsu’s book, The…
Your Small Group Model Probably Won’t Work in Jersey
I’m almost six months in as Pastor of Community and Outreach at Lincroft Bible Church. My first big task was re-launching the small group ministry (now: Community Groups). The church had three groups already in existence when I got here, so I wasn’t operating from a clean slate. Here’s what I have learned so far.…
Thousands of Small Steps for God’s Mission
To get involved in God’s mission does not necessarily require selling all of your possessions and moving across the globe. God wants you to be involved in His mission right where you are. But if you feel stuck, consider taking one small step today. I wrote for Lincroft Bible Church’s Community Groups blog 3 Ways…