SG² Steve Gladen on Small Groups

This month on Reading Lenz we cover Canoeing the Mountain by Tod Bolsinger. Join us as we learn how to navigate uncharted territory of small group ministry.   To help carry the canoe over the mountain, this week's guest Small Group Network's own Northeast Regional Leader Kiersten Telzerow. Kiersten is also the Groups Director at National Community Church in our nation's capital.       

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The leadership journey requires a clear destination, otherwise we aren’t on a journey we’re just wandering around. Small groups have always been portrayed as an integral part of making discipleship. But what does that even mean? We use words like, “disciple” and “discipleship” but most of the time it’s surrounded by haze. It’s cluttered with feeling and impressions but without strong definition. Where did we even get the “D" word? As we explore the development of the term we’ll ask ourselves if this is the best we can do?

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Dr. David Wang is a licensed psychologist and associate professor of psychology and pastoral counseling at the Rosemead School of Psychology, at Biola University. He is the editor of the Journal of Psychology and Theology and serves on the editorial board for Spirituality in Clinical Practice (an APA journal). He also leads research funded by the John Templeton Foundation and the Lilly Foundation investigating the spiritual and character/virtue development of seminary students. Dr. Wang teaches and speaks internationally, maintains a small clinical practice in Fullerton, CA and is the pastor of spiritual formation at One Life City Church    

  https://www.drdavidcwang.com/about-dr-wang For Dr. Wang's sermons on Lament: https://www.onelifecitychurch.org/sermons   Online Small Groups Training

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New Online Small Group Course

2021 Training Events

Saddleback Small Groups

SOCIOLOGIST STUDY:

Following the turn of the century, sociologist Chaeyoon Lim, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin at Madison, and his associate, political scientist Robert Putnam, Ph.D., Harvard University, demonstrated that religious people are more satisfied with their lives than nonreligious people. Surprisingly however they found that it’s not the relationship with God or spiritual factors, like Bible reading, that makes the devout happier. Instead, the satisfaction boost comes from closer ties to others who are sharing the experience. The social aspect of religion, rather than the theological or spiritual aspects of religion, is what made people more satisfied with their lives, because of their social networks within their faith community.

 

As congregational affiliation [“attendance”] plummeted in the U.S., Lim and Putnam followed up their initial study with another study that went even deeper. The results of that study is reported in "American Grace: How Religion Divides Us and Unites Us" (Lim|Putnam Simon & Schuster). That study found that the deepest life satisfaction could not be attributed to spiritual factors like going to church, Bible reading, individual prayer, the strength of belief, or subjective feelings of God's love or presence. Instead, the deepest life satisfaction has to do with the fact that you meet with a group of close friends on a regular basis and participate in shared activities that are meaningful to the group, sharing a certain social identity, and have a sense of belonging to a moral faith community.

 

Belonging to a secular group of friends that engages in meaningful activities and shares a social identity also boosts life satisfaction, but not as much as within the context of a moral faith community.

 

As life becomes more digitally-rooted, the need to connect with others and have what we at the DXM™ Institute have called AHIs [authentic human interactions] grows exponentially. Small groups where people come together and connect over all kinds of things are one of the largest social movements ever.

 

A central outcome of our BCX for participants will be to make possible life’s deepest satisfaction through meeting with a group of close friends on a regular basis [“belonging”], participating in shared community service activities that are meaningful to the group [“meaning”], sharing a common social identity [e.g. “Midtown Village Changemakers”], and having a sense of belonging to a moral faith community.

 

According to another Harvard study, the social pleasure of shared experience outweighs the joy of doing something extraordinary on your own.

 

 

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10 Commandments for Talking Politics in Small Groups

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This month on Reading Lenz we are covering the book Extreme Ownership by two former Navy SEALS, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. Jocko and Leif share their experiences and leadership lessons learned on the most violent battlefields of Iraq.    To help break down this book and prepare you for the battlefields you face in ministry, this week's guest is Steve Curran, a twenty-three year Navy veteran turned Community Pastor at Compassion Christian Church.     Small Group Network Events

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Guests: Nick & Marjorie Allan, pastors at The Well Sheffield, England and authors of the new book The XYZ of Discipleship: Understanding and Reaching Generations Y & Z.

Nick and Marjorie have served churches in England for more than 20 years. With their hearts for the younger generation, they share their experiences investing in tomorrow’s leaders. We hear a lot about the younger generation. What’s true and what will help us reach them, disciple them, and develop them - especially when it comes to small groups!

Small Group Network Events - Don't forget to use the code FLASHSALE on your Lobby Gathering 2021 registration!

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We talk with the authors of a compelling new book, "Leading Small Groups that Thrive: Five Shifts to take your group to the next level." Based on extensive research, this book provides insights and practical how-tos on building small groups that are healthy, effective, and transformational. 

https://thrivinggroups.com/

 

Jason Sniff is the pastor of small groups at Eastview Christian church in Normal, Illinois, and a licensed professional counselor with over 15 years of experience in developing group life within the private and public sectors.

Courtney Davis has a PhD in Organizational Communication. She is the Associate Professor of Communication Management at Azusa Pacific University, where she teaches organizational, small group, and professional communication. 

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Use Promo Code AZ70 for $70 off your Accelerate! registration! Promo Code good until Sept 8th.

6 Things To Remember When I Feel Empty

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This month's Reading Lenz features an insightful discussion regarding the modern classic "Daring Greatly" by Dr. Brene Brown. Host Nick Lenzi joins special guests Carolyn Taketa and Andrew Camp to discuss how the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we run our small groups.    Other book talk episodes with Nick, Carolyn, and Andrew:

• Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt
• We Need to Talk by Celeste Headlee
• The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

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