Signs of Life part 4: Mission Engaged

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

It's crazy how quickly the time flies. Just the other week I shared with my wife how shockingly fast a year goes by anymore. So it really comes as no surprise that it's been almost eight months since I started this series of posts that talk about our value structure at PCC. Well, now is when I make good on the promise of finishing that series.

Livin' On a Prayer

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

The title for this may have less to do with the actual post itself, and more to do with my love for 80's hairbands. But it is about prayer, so that has to count for something. How is your group doing when it comes to praying together? If you're like most groups, you've probably experienced a few of the following scenarios:

How NOT to be an Annoying Leader

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

I was sitting in my kitchen this morning, sipping some coffee, and I was thinking about what I wanted to do with my Saturday morning. So, naturally, I decided to write a quick post.

Pusuing Life Together: Keynote Recap 5/15/10

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

I wanted to take a moment to recap a few things that we shared at our most recent Keynote. If you've never been to a Keynote, or aren't sure what that is, check out this page that really explains what this environment is all about.

Sub-Grouping: Making your small group even smaller?

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

We often talk about keeping our groups small enough for deeper relationships to effectively take shape. And at PCC, we say that a journey group can be anywhere from 2-12 people... and that's really patterned after Jesus' teaching and ministry practices. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." And a majority of Jesus' ministry was targeted toward twelve people, with an inner circle of three.

Signs of Life part 3: the partnership

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

A few weeks ago I started a series of posts in which I'm taking a closer look at the values of PCC. We call them the four vital signs of life because we believe these are the four things that characterize a genuine and growing Christ-follower. So far we've look at the first two: living a transformed life, and included in authentic community. Make sure you check those out if you haven't done so already.

Problems in your group?

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

If you answered no, then you better brace yourself... 'cause they're comin'! Don't you feel encouraged? I hate to be a Donny Downer on this one, but we need to be practical. Groups are messy because they're made up of messy people! And every once in a while I get questions about what to do with someone in a group who [fill in the blank]... or won't stop [fill in the blank]... or called me a [fill in the blank].

Same journey. Different places.

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

One of the greatest benefits of authentic community is the opportunity to benefit from the life-experiences and spiritual journeys of others in our group. The fact is that each of us have something to give, and something to gain, when we're connected in community. The reason for that is because all of us are at different places. My journey may be further along than others, but not as far someone else. And regardless, we can learn from each other.

Unqualified Leadership?

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

Lately, the Journey Group Leadership Team has been talking a lot about the leadership of our groups. How do we want leaders to emerge? What type of person should we encourage to step up and facilitate their group? How can we avoid putting the wrong person in that role? And once they're in that role, how do we resource, train, and equip them?

These are tough questions. In theory, it should be easy. You just write up a job description, promote the opportunity, and follow three easy steps to developing leaders, right? Then why is it maybe one of the toughest challenges I've faced in ministry? To simplify the answer, it's because the right people don't always step up, and the wrong people sometimes do... and that's if they step up at all.

At Pathway, we've identified journey groups as the environment in which we want people to end up. We've determined that because we believe it is the best environment for sustaining spiritual transformation through authentic relationships. But you can ask anyone who's had any involvement with small groups on any level, and they will tell you the same thing: groups are only as effective as their leaders.

We're in the process of redefining the group leader's role in journey groups. We're revisiting how we will raise up leaders, the process of putting them in place, and then how we will equip and enrich them as they serve. We're taking a very hard look at each of these things because we believe in the power of journey groups, and we believe that solid leadership is critical for that life-changing power to be realized.

I came across this article on smallgrouptrader.com recently, and I wanted to share it with you. When you get a chance, take a look at it. It's an excellent look at what we really need in order to be good group leaders. I hope it will encourage you and inspire you as you lead, or participate in, your own journey group. The link to the article is provided below.

www.smallgrouptrader.com