Discipleship & Culture with Brian Daniel

On this episode of Group Answers, Brian and Chris start a new series of monthly episodes where they will check in with Jared Musgrove, the Groups Pastor at Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas.

Dr. Jared Steven Musgrove is Groups Pastor at The Village Church in Flower Mound, TX and co-founder and Executive Director of communityleadership.org. He is married to Jenny and father to Jordan and Joshua.

Questions

* Tell us about the current season of prayer and fasting that Village is walking through.

* How are you preparing leaders for this season of divide as the election gets closer?

* What is working for groups that have started regathering in-person?

* What is not working?

* How do your groups navigate the holiday season?

Episode Sponsor

Ministry Grid wants to help your church stay on the same page and maintain discipleship in the midst of this unique season. They are offering a special offer specifically for our podcast listeners to get unlimited access for $399/year. Just go to ministrygrid.com/podcasts to learn more.

This offer is only valid through October 31 at midnight. So make sure you sign up before the end of the month.

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Leading Small Groups.

On this episode of Group Answers, Chris and Brian discuss 10 ways to be a great small group member.

Blog Article

10 Ways to be a Great Small Group Member

Episode Sponsor

Ministry Grid wants to help your church stay on the same page and maintain discipleship in the midst of this unique season. They are offering a special offer specifically for our podcast listeners to get unlimited access for $399/year. Just go to ministrygrid.com/podcasts to learn more.

This offer is only valid through October 31 at midnight. So make sure you sign up before the end of the month.

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Leading Small Groups.

On this episode of Group Answers, Brian and Chris sit down with the authors of the recently released book, Leading Small Groups that Thrive.

DR. RYAN T. HARTWIG

Ryan T. Hartwig, (PhD, University of Colorado Boulder), is dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor of Communication at Colorado Christian University. He has taught courses in group, organizational and leadership communication for more than fifteen years, and he has led, trained and developed teams and small groups for more than twenty years in universities and churches.

His first book, Teams That Thrive: Five Disciplines of Collaborative Church Leadership (with Warren Bird) was published by Intervarsity Press and awarded the 2015 Outreach Magazine Leadership Resource of the Year.

With a heart that beats for discipleship and leadership development, Ryan frequently speaks at conferences, retreats, and seminars; consults with pastors and ministry leaders regarding senior leadership teams, teamwork in ministry, and small-group ministry design and leadership; and writes for numerous church leadership publications including Leadership Journal, Outreach Magazine, and Influence. 

Most importantly, Ryan journeys through life with his wife Jill and four children Halle, Alia, Katelyn and Matthew. They enjoy a full family life, enjoying the mountains of Colorado, rooting for the Broncos, playing board games, and hanging out with family and friends.

DR. COURTNEY W. DAVIS

Courtney Wong Davis (PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara) is associate professor of Communication Management at Azusa Pacific University, where she serves as Program Director and teaches organizational, small group, and professional communication from a biblical worldview.  Courtney’s research has been published in the Nonprofit Management & Leadership, Communication Quarterly, and Southern Communication Journal.

As an executive coach and expert in organizational membership, Courtney has studied and consulted with business organizations, church and parachurch organizations, and other nonprofit organizations.  Courtney coaches executives and organizational leaders to explore creative solutions to complex challenges, clarifying individual values, understanding organizational culture, and facilitating confidence in moving in a new direction.

Her more challenging (and even more rewarding!) work is raising two boys, Luke and Theo, alongside her husband Matt.  Together, they love reading, cooking, serving their local church, riding bikes, playing board games, and enjoying big Saturday sabbath breakfasts and adventures.

JASON A. SNIFF

Jason A. Sniff, (M.A., Baylor University), is Pastor of Small Groups at Eastview Christian Church in Normal, IL. He has been in and around ministry for over 10 years and spent much of that time in developing leaders, ministry, and equipping groups to impact the world around them. Prior to officially working in and on ministry, Jason spent 13 years in higher education at various colleges and universities counseling, discipling, teaching, and training college students to take their next steps.

Jason has authored and co-authored a number of small group resources and studies, and contributed devotional writings for Eastview. More importantly, he is husband to an amazing wife, and the father of 6 very crazy but equally awesome kids. Jason and Team Sniff (the name he gives to his family) live on the edge of Norma...

On this episode of Group Answers, Chris, Brian, and Brandon discuss the top things they would keep and leave behind from this season of isolation.

Keep:

* Freedom to Zoom or drive

* Online and in-person groups

* High relational touch throughout the week

* The group urgency

* Challenge to the status quo

Leave Behind:

* Zoom fatigue

* Lack of human contact

* Politically charged environments

* Online led singing

* Group meetings without a Bible study

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Leading Small Groups.

On this episode of Group Answers, Chris, Brian, and Brandon discuss how churches and groups can multiply disciple-making during this pandemic.

Tips:

1. Redefine the disciple-making environments.

2. Expand who the disciple-makers are.

3. Equip the disciple-makers with training.

4. Release control of disciple-making.

5. Create a disciple-making pathway.

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Leading Small Groups.

On this episode of Group Answers, Chris, Brian, and Ken discuss 10 tips to help brand new group leaders.

Tips:

* Teaching is not telling. Learning is not listening.

* Don’t take yourself so seriously.

* If you have to choose between being a great teacher or a great shepherd, choose shepherd.

* The person with the biggest group doesn’t win.

* Your group exists for people far from God.

* Work hard to include new people in the group.

* Your group isn’t your group.

* You should hold onto your group members with a loose grip.

* You should spend more time in prayer.

* Don’t do anything stupid to lose your position of leadership.

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Leading Small Groups.

On this episode of Group Answers, Chris, Brian, and Ken discuss how to lead a better discussion with your online group.

Ideas Discussed:

* Call on a specific person to answer a specific question.

* Send questions to group members in advance of the Bible study.

* Do not answer your own questions.

* Ask group members to raise their hand, use the chat feature, or use the “raise hand” feature in your online meeting tool.

* Send group members to a breakout room.

* Use a curriculum series that is discussion-oriented.

Resources Mentioned:

Leading Better Discussions blog post

 

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Leading Small Groups.

On this episode of Group Answers, Brian, Chris, and Brandon talk about how to reconnect your church through your small groups.

Five Keys:

1. DON’T PLAN TO GO BACK TO WHAT WAS.

2. HIRE OR DESIGNATE AN ONLINE GROUPS DIRECTOR.

3. REEXAMINE ALL OF YOUR CURRENT RESOURCES FOR GROUPS.

4. UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE.

5. RECRUIT DIFFERENT KINDS OF LEADERS.

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Leading Small Groups.

On this episode of Group Answers, Brian, Chris, and Brandon talk about why your small group should study the whole Bible — not just the part covered during Sunday sermons.

Points Discussed:

* The Church needs the whole Bible.

* The Church needs diverse perspectives on the Bible.

* The Church needs more teachers of the Bible.

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Leading Small Groups.

On this episode of Group Answers, Brian and Chris talk to Ryan Blau about how they create Biblical community in the Pacific Northwest, and how the church is responding to the unrest in Portland, OR.

Ryan Blau is the Pastor of Discipleship at Crossroads Community Church in the Portland, OR area.

Questions Discussed:

* How did you end up as the Pastor of Discipleship at Crossroads?

* What is the culture for groups and community in the Pacific Northwest? Is it that much different from the Bible Belt South?

* How do you come alongside your Lead Pastor to make sure your people are being discipled?

* How have your groups transitioned since the lockdowns from the pandemic?

* Portland has been in the media as the center of protests and marches in the last few weeks. How has the church responded?

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Leading Small Groups.