Group Talk - Small Group Network

Q Are you feeling burnt-out as a ministry leader? Q Do you know other ministry leaders who are on the edge of burn-out? If so, you've come to the right place... The greatest gift you can give those you lead is your own healthy soul. So often, as pastors and Christian leaders, we get weary and depleted behind the scenes even while our ministries are thriving and successful. The statistics on pastors struggling with depression, anxiety, and burnout are alarming. Lance Witt is the founder of a ministry called REPLENISH, which has been around for 10 years. It is dedicated to helping people live and lead from a healthy soul. Prior to starting Replenish, Lance served 20 years as a senior pastor and another 7 years as an Executive/Teaching pastor at Saddleback Church in Southern California. He led Saddleback’s small group Campaigns, such as 40 Days of Purpose and 40 Days of Community. Currently, along with speaking, consulting and training, Lance does Life Plans, individual coaching, and staff training and developme

"What will our groups study?" This is a common question in groups ministry and one that is critically important in shaping the dynamics and discipleship process of a group. The sermon based model has been increasingly popular over the past decade and can be a valuable tool to helping groups get into Scripture with one another in practical, life-changing ways. In this conversation with Dave Ennes, we unpack the what, why, and how of the sermon-based model. Dave has been on staff at North Coast Church (the Sticky Church) since 1990 and is the lead pastor of their Small Groups Ministry. He oversees a team of 25 staff, 1,500 lay leaders and over 7,000 who attend their home groups. Under Dave’s leadership, North Coast remains well-known for maintaining over 80% adult participation in weekly home groups. He has also played an integral role in helping North Coast grow from 700 to now over 12,000 weekend attendees. Given Dave’s decades of experience, his coaching and training has been valuable for small group leaders

Words are powerful. As small group pastors and directors, a critical part of our role is to use words to shape vision, empower, encourage, and connect with people. But, is the terminology you are using in your ministry inadvertently creating barriers, limiting vision, and miscommunicating expectations? Andrew Mason is the Small Groups Pastor at Real Life Church in Sacramento, CA and the founder of SmallGroupChurches.com. Andrew also serves as the Small Group Network's NorCal Regional Leader and has started multiple "Huddles." Listen to this engaging conversation between Host Carolyn Taketa and Andrew as they tackle common words (e.g., leader, coach, training) used in Small Group ministries and examine the intended and unintended consequences of those words! Just click the play button at the top of this post to enjoy this insightful discussion! To subscribe to our Group Talk Podcast, click HERE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What does it take for women to flourish in ministry?  If you or anyone on your team are asking these questions, then you’ve come to the right place! Host Carolyn Taketa interviews Awana CEO and SGN Lobby Conference speaker, Valerie Bell on her insights based on decades of ministry in various leadership settings. This lively conversation addresses a variety of issues concerning women in leadership such as leading through influence rather than title, mentoring, gaining credibility, timing and opportunities, responding to God's calling, the Billy Graham rule, the spiritual practice of "Christ between us," balancing work and parenting, and other challenges. Just click the play button at the top of this post to enjoy this insightful discussion! To subscribe to our Group Talk Podcast, click HERE ★ Support this podcast ★

Steve Gladen has served as the Global Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church since 1998. He oversees the strategic launch and development of over 7,000 adult small groups on multiple campuses. Steve has authored “Small Groups With Purpose,” which has translated into eight languages to date, and “Leading Small Groups With Purpose.” Steve is also the Founder of the Small Group Network (SGN) giving influence and oversight to all the SGN initiatives. This special episode of "Group Talk" was recorded live at "The Lobby" conference in SoCal in early March with a live audience. Host Carolyn Taketa sits down with Steve Gladen and asks him an array of questions ranging from broad ministry philosophy to specific small group strategies. There are many moments of humor throughout that you will not want to miss! Just click the play button at the top of this post to enjoy this insightful discussion! To subscribe to our Group Talk Podcast, click HERE -------------------------------------------------------------------

Q What are the emerging trends in small group ministry? How are millennials viewing small group ministry? What are wholistic small groups? If you or anyone on your team are asking these questions, then you’ve come to the right place! Mike Mack has been involved in discipleship and small group ministry for more than 25 years, most recently at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY. He founded SmallGroups.com in 1996 and has led small group training seminars across the US as well as in Canada and Brazil. He is a consultant and leads a ministry called small group leadership and is the author of eight books about small groups and discipleship, most recently, “World’s Greatest Small Group.” He is currently an adjunct professor at Cincinnati Christian University and teaches a class on Small Group Ministry & Discipling. In this month’s “Group Talk” podcast, host Carolyn Taketa discusses the following topics with Michael in this exclusive interview… How millennials are viewing small groups in today's cultu

In this episode, Eric Falcinella asks Steve a very important question while he was sitting alone drinking a coffee at Starbucks. It was a great impromptu conversation. Enjoy!   ★ Support this podcast ★

Three Seasons of Ministry: What I Wish I Had Known Part 3: Sustaining  Steve Gladen has served as the Global Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church since 1998. He oversees the strategic launch and development of over 7,000 adult small groups on multiple campuses. Steve has authored “Small Groups With Purpose,” which has translated into eight languages to date, and “Leading Small Groups With Purpose.” Steve is also the Founder of the Small Group Network (SGN) giving influence and oversight to all the SGN initiatives. In part 3 of this 3 part “Group Talk” podcast series, host Carolyn Taketa interviews Steve on the following topics in this exciting interview about 5 things to pay attention to in each season of ministry. How to build a board of directors that can help navigate & sustain life & ministry How to pour into & equip other churches & leaders Learning to trust, yet verify How to be aware of tunnel vision How to stay hungry for the long haul Just click the play button at the top of

Three Seasons of Ministry: What I Wish I Had Known Part 2: Stabilizing Steve Gladen has served as the Global Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church since 1998. He oversees the strategic launch and development of over 7,000 adult small groups on multiple campuses. Steve has authored “Small Groups With Purpose,” which has been translated into eight languages to date, and “Leading Small Groups With Purpose.” Steve is also the Founder of the Small Group Network (SGN) giving influence and oversight to all the SGN initiatives. In part 2 of this 3 part “Group Talk” podcast series, host Carolyn Taketa interviews Steve on the following topics in this exciting interview about 5 things to pay attention to in each season of ministry. Learning to understand and flow with your church culture Creating a blue-print for your ministry and knowing what to focus on Stopping drift and staying true to your metrics Remembering your calling and overcoming insecurities Growing your volunteer leadership team Just click the play

Three Seasons of Ministry: What I Wish I Had Known Part 1: Starting Steve Gladen has served as the Global Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church since 1998. He oversees the strategic launch and development of over 7,000 adult small groups on multiple campuses. Steve has authored “Small Groups With Purpose,” which has been translated into eight languages to date, and “Leading Small Groups With Purpose.” Steve is also the Founder of the Small Group Network (SGN) giving influence and oversight to all the SGN initiatives. In part 1 of this 3 part “Group Talk” podcast series, host Carolyn Taketa interviews Steve on the following topics in this exciting interview about 5 things to pay attention to in each season of ministry. The main objectives to focus on in year one of being a new small group point person. Building trust with your senior leadership (Listen to Steve discuss this more.)  Taking time to develop a blue-print for your ministry  Staring out with small steps The 5 phases of changing church culture

This is a special episode provided to us by the Northeast Regional Leader, Chip Kelly. To set this up, Chip Kelly hosted an online Huddle where he invited other leaders along with Steve Gladen to discuss topics and issues about small group ministry leadership.  Enjoy!! ★ Support this podcast ★

Q How do you measure the fruitfullnes of small group ministry? How do you decide what metrics to you use? If you or anyone on your team are asking these questions, then you’ve come to the right place! Bill Willits is the Executive Director of Ministry Environments for North Point Ministries. NPM is the parent organization of six Atlanta churches (Including North Point Community Church) as well as twenty-three strategic partner churches around the world. Bill is one of the founding staff members of North Point and the architect of its influential small groups ministry model. He is also the co-author of the book, "Creating Community" with Andy Stanley. His passion for community along with his amazing team has helped them connect just over 80,000 children, students and adults into the benefits of group life. In this month’s “Group Talk” podcast, host Carolyn Taketa interviews Bill and asks him the following questions and more in this exciting interview… How do we know if someone is actually growing in their rel

Q Do you desire to be the best leader you can be? Would you like to strengthen the weaker areas of your leadership? Do you want to influence people like never before and help elevate your team to new heights? If your answer is "Yes," then you’ve come to the right place! Jenni Catron is the author of several books including "The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership." She is also a leadership coach who consults churches and non-profits to help them lead from their extraordinary best. Jenni has also served as an executive leader at both Menlo Church in Menlo Park , CA with senior pastor John Ortberg and Cross Point Church in Nashville TN with senior pastor Pete Wilson. Jenni blogs at JenniCatron.com and has recognized by Outreach Magazine as one of the thirty emerging influencers reshaping church leadership. Take Jenni's "4 Dimensions Assessment" HERE In this month’s “Group Talk” podcast, host Carolyn Taketa interviews Jenni and asks her the following questions and more in this exciting interview… How do w

Q As a small group point person, how am I cultivating my own relationship with the Lord? Q How do I create a culture of discipleship within my small group ministry? If you or anyone on your team is wrestling with these questions, you’ve come to the right place! Reid Smith has been equipping group leaders for effective disciple-making since 1996. He was a part of the Small Group Network from the beginning, serving as the Area Leader for the Northwest, and then South Florida in 2008 when he began serving in the discipleship ministries at Christ Fellowship church in Palm Beach, FL. Reid has served churches as a pastor, consultant, trainer, and author for such publishers as Christianity Today’s smallgroups.com and ministrygrid.com If you missed part 1 of this podcast, you can find it HERE In part 2 of this month’s “Group Talk” podcast, host Carolyn Taketa interviews Reid and asks him the following questions and more in this exciting interview… How can small group point people ensure that their leaders are being

Q How do you define discipleship? How do you know that people are actually being discipled through small groups? If you or anyone on your team is wrestling with these questions, you’ve come to the right place! Reid Smith has been equipping group leaders for effective disciple-making since 1996. He was a part of the Small Group Network from the beginning, serving as the Area Leader for the Northwest, and then South Florida in 2008 when he began serving in the discipleship ministries at Christ Fellowship church in Palm Beach, FL. Reid has served churches as a pastor, consultant, trainer, and author for such publishers as Christianity Today's smallgroups.com and ministrygrid.com In part 1 of this month’s “Group Talk” podcast, host Carolyn Taketa interviews Reid as he  addresses the following topics in this exciting session… What are the core components of discipleship? Why are small groups essential environments to cultivate discipleship? What are the indicators that show people are actually being discipled thr

Q How do you change culture & lead effective small group ministry when your lead pastor or senior leadership may not be entirely on board? How can you align your small groups (House to house movement) to compliment your weekend services (Temple courts)? If you or anyone on your team is wrestling with these questions, you've come to the right place! Steve Gladen has served as the Global Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church since 1998. He oversees the strategic launch and development of over 7,000 adult small groups on multiple campuses. Steve has authored "Small Groups With Purpose," which has been translated into eight languages to date, and "Leading Small Groups With Purpose." Steve is also the Founder of the Small Group Network (SGN) giving influence and oversight to all the SGN initiatives. In this month’s “Group Talk” podcast, Host Eric Falcinella interviews Steve as he answers the above questions and addresses the following topics in this exciting interview… How to lead with humility not enti

Q What is the difference between small groups and support groups? How do we care for the people in our small groups in ways that are healthy without becoming therapists for them? How do we keep small groups on track for their intended purpose? If you or anyone on your team is wrestling with these questions, you've come to the right place! Jon Noto serves as Community Life Pastor at one of Willow Creek Community Church’s regional campuses. Jon coordinates discipleship and pastoral care, bringing his insights as a therapist to unite both ministries. Prior to serving at Willow Creek, Jon was a clinical therapist in a variety of settings, including Christian private practice and community mental health. Jon also writes for a number of online publications including the Small Group Network, smallgroups.com, along with his own website, theunwavering.com In part 2 of this month’s “Group Talk” podcast, Host Carolyn Taketa asks Jon the following questions and addresses the following topics in this exciting interview…

Q What is the difference between small groups and support groups? How do we care for the people in our small groups in ways that are healthy without becoming therapists for them? How do we keep small groups on track for their intended purpose? If you or anyone on your team is wrestling with these questions, you've come to the right place! Jon Noto serves as Community Life Pastor at one of Willow Creek Community Church’s regional campuses. Jon coordinates discipleship and pastoral care, bringing his insights as a therapist to unite both ministries. Prior to serving at Willow Creek, Jon was a clinical therapist in a variety of settings, including Christian private practice and community mental health. Jon also writes for a number of online publications including the Small Group Network, smallgroups.com, along with his own website, theunwavering.com In this month’s “Group Talk” podcast, Host Carolyn Taketa asks Jon the following questions and more in this exciting interview… How would you define a support group

Daniel Thomas is the Campus Pastor & Director of Adult Ministries at Highlands Fellowship Church in Abingdon, Virginia. Prior to that role, Daniel served as Highland's Small Groups Director and Leadership Development Pastor. He is the Small Group Network Regional Leader for the Atlantic Coast. In this month’s “Group Talk” podcast, Host Carolyn Taketa talks with Daniel about the following topics in this exciting interview… The differences between small group models & finding the right one that fits your church culture What essential qualities to look for in prospective leaders Thinking differently & changing your methods to find new leaders The value of being connected to a network of small group point people The importance of creating easy on ramps when recruiting new leaders Just click the play button at the top of this post to enjoy this insightful discussion! ★ Support this podcast ★

If you are interested in learning about how online groups can help you & your church fulfill its mission of reaching the un-churched & making disciples, then you've come to the right place! Jay Kranda is the Online Campus Pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. The Online Campus includes over 20,000 people every week and 1,800 small groups, of which 40% are online. Jay is also the author of "Social Media Made Easy: Inexpensive Online Marketing Guide for Non-Profits" and hosts the podcast, "Social Media Church." In this month’s "Group Talk" podcast, Host Carolyn Taketa talks with Jay about the what, why & how of online small groups! Jay hits on the following topics in this exciting interview… How online groups can be used to reach millennials. The primary benefits of having online groups. When churches should consider launching online groups. How to use Facebook groups to begin experimenting with online groups. What platforms & software to use for online groups. ★ Support this podc