Great Groups

In this episode, Jay and Chris share a couple of their life hacks before playing a recording from our Fall Small Group Leader Gathering where Pastor Matt and Jay share Life Hacks for Small Group Leaders. Listen in for the first time or for a reminder of some life hacks to make your group leadership more easy and effective.

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Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.

We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. 

Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.

Lifetime Show Notes

Brook Hills Pages:

• The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
• Small Group Leader Resources Page
• Small Group Discipleship Resources
• Small Groups @ Brook Hills

In this episode, Jay and Chris talk about getting a strong start to 2026. Listen in and see if you've thought of these ways to start strong.

1. Pray for your group: spiritual maturity, life-giving meetings, and new people.

2. Plan some catch-up time after the holiday break.

3. Remind the group of the mission.

     Love Jesus, Grow in Jesus, Make Disciples of Jesus

     Group Purposes: Disciple-making, Community & Mission

     Long-term: New groups and developing leadership.

4. Establish better rhythms as a leader: Prep time, contacting absentees, sharing group prayer requests, personally praying for group members, etc.

5. Identify areas of improvement for your group. Then, map out the route with specific plans. Seek input from group members, spouse, other leaders.

6. Plan your welcome. Be ready for guests. 

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.

We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. 

Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.

Lifetime Show Notes

Brook Hills Pages:

• The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
• Small Group Leader Resources Page
• Small Group Discipleship Resources
• Small Groups @ Brook Hills

In this episode, Jay and Chris are joined by Laura Chramer offering color commentary as we all discuss a set of questions used to evaluate your group. Jay discovered the questions in an article by Josh Hunt on the Small Group Network. We added a few from the staff and also asked AI, so the list of questions is immense. Don't feel overwhelmed by this. One comment on the podcast is that you'll have a great group if you teach for transformation, build community, and live on mission as a group. If you'd like to look through the questions as you think about the effectiveness of your group, just click the link below.

Small Group Evaluation Questions

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.

We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. 

Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.

Lifetime Show Notes

Brook Hills Pages:

• The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
• Small Group Leader Resources Page
• Small Group Discipleship Resources
• Small Groups @ Brook Hills

In this episode, Jay and Chris are joined by Laura Chramer offering color commentary as we all discuss a set of questions used to evaluate your group. Jay discovered the questions in an article by Josh Hunt on the Small Group Network. We added a few from the staff and also asked AI, so the list of questions is immense. Don't feel overwhelmed by this. One comment on the podcast is that you'll have a great group if you teach for transformation, build community, and live on mission as a group. If you'd like to look through the questions as you think about the effectiveness of your group, just click the link below.

Small Group Evaluation Questions

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.

We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. 

Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.

Lifetime Show Notes

Brook Hills Pages:

• The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
• Small Group Leader Resources Page
• Small Group Discipleship Resources
• Small Groups @ Brook Hills

In Today’s Episode:
Jay and Chris sit down with guests John Mark and Keilah Carter to chat about life, leadership, and what’s happening in their Small Group. It’s always fun to hear from fellow leaders—and maybe even steal a few good ideas!

We start by learning about John Mark and Keilah’s backgrounds, work, and hobbies before diving into a rich conversation about their group . Topics include:

• Their current Bible study and favorite resources
• The different roles people play in their group
• How they do community nights and global missions
• Scripture memorization and why it matters
• Group meeting format and use of breakout groups
• Evangelism and sharing their faith
• Group leadership succession and changes

There’s a lot to unpack in this episode—so come join the conversation and get inspired to your own group well!

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.

We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. 

Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.

Lifetime Show Notes

Brook Hills Pages:

• The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
• Small Group Leader Resources Page
• Small Group Discipleship Resources
• Small Groups @ Brook Hills

Culture shapes everything we do in Small Groups. It can be defined as the shared beliefs, values, behaviors, and practices of a particular group of people. Each group, to some degree, has it's own individual culture.  We want our groups to reflect Biblical values through their culture. Join us and give some thought to the culture of your small group as we investigate what it is, why it matters, and how leaders can influence it intentionally.

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.

We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. 

Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.

Lifetime Show Notes

Brook Hills Pages:

• The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
• Small Group Leader Resources Page
• Small Group Discipleship Resources
• Small Groups @ Brook Hills

Culture shapes everything we do in Small Groups. It can be defined as the shared beliefs, values, behaviors, and practices of a particular group of people. Each group, to some degree, has it's own individual culture. In this episode, Jay and Chris are joined by Elisabeth Chramer as a guest co-host to discuss group culture - what we'd like to see in our groups and how to lead toward that. Join us and give some thought to the culture of your small group as we investigate what it is, why it matters, and how leaders can influence it intentionally.

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.

We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. 

Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.

Lifetime Show Notes

Brook Hills Pages:

• The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
• Small Group Leader Resources Page
• Small Group Discipleship Resources
• Small Groups @ Brook Hills

In this episode, Jay and Chris talk with Rick Howerton, a nationally-known and respected leader in Small Group Ministry and Jay's favorite in that category. Rick is a consultant, author, and former groups pastor. His writings include A Different Kind of Tribe, and The Perpetually Growing Church. Tune in and hear discussions on disciple-making, on and off-campus group distinctions, and much more.

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.

We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. 

Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.

Lifetime Show Notes

Brook Hills Pages:

• The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
• Small Group Leader Resources Page
• Small Group Discipleship Resources
• Small Groups @ Brook Hills

In this episode, Jay and Chris share practical ways to kick off your small group with momentum as a new year begins. They cover essential tips on effective communication, prayer, creating a welcoming atmosphere for new members, casting vision, and encouraging faithful attendance. Plus, they highlight the importance of thoughtful planning—and yes, the power of offering food at that first meeting! Tune in to make sure you’ve checked all the boxes for a strong and meaningful start.

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.

We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. 

Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.

Lifetime Show Notes

Brook Hills Pages:

• The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
• Small Group Leader Resources Page
• Small Group Discipleship Resources
• Small Groups @ Brook Hills

In this episode, Jay and Chris talk with Chris and Emily Self about their Small Group's recent trip to Memphis to serve with Refugee Memphis & Send Relief. Listen and get some ideas about how your group can go on missionl

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.

We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. 

Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.

Lifetime Show Notes

Brook Hills Pages:

• The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
• Small Group Leader Resources Page
• Small Group Discipleship Resources
• Small Groups @ Brook Hills