Our Last Blog Update

Greetings small group leaders,

It is not possible to overstate how important your role is to Springbrook for accomplishing our vision to Reach & Build Passionate Followers of Jesus Christ. In fact, I would go as far to say that it can't be accomplished without you!

Small groups are our front line pastoral care. Small groups are where our vision and mission come together. Small groups are where relationships are forged and grow, and where disciple really happens. Thank you so much for your faithfulness and leadership, and willingness to open your home!

This blog has been a resource and the landing page for our small group leaders after they have completed their meeting reports for 8 years. The intent was communication, training and keeping our small group leaders up-to-date.  I have never received feedback, and it takes time to keep it relevant. Maintenance has been an issue for me as my responsibilities and our church culture havechanged over the years, and so now the time has come to make a needed change.

Rather than maintaining this blog, I will be focusing my time an attention on our Springbrook Church app.  If you have not yet downloaded our app, you will need to do that immediately!  Download the app, setup your account, familiarize yourself with the menus, and begin to share it with your group!

The landing page after you complete your meeting reports will soon take you to our main webpage, and I will be interacting with you from our app moving forward. Click the Small Group / Leader Resources page in the app to find this content and more moving forward. If you haven any small group questions, or questions about our app, please contact me as soon as possible!

Follow this link for more information about our Springbrook Church app, or select the app for your platform below.  Thank you for all you do, and count on my continued prayers for you and your small group!

On the journey together,

Pastor Rich

New Fall Series: Life On Mission!

     Most of us who know and follow Jesus want to tell others about him, to share our faith. We want to live life on mission, obeying the final command Jesus gave us: “Go into all the world and make disciples.”

     But when it comes to actually engaging in evangelism, we hesitate. We get intimidated, uncertain, or even confused. Sharing our faith should be natural and easy – but it isn’t always. Until now!

     Life on Mission offers clear Bible teaching designed to empower you to share your faith with people right in your own neighborhood. With topics like how to connect with those that have questions, how serving others can open their hearts to the gospel, and how paying attention to your own spiritual growth can strengthen your witness, this study will thoroughly equip you to live on mission!

     This new series will kick off September 25th, and I can wait to see what God is going to do in and through us together!  Check out the series introduction video below, and if you have any questions, please talk with your coach or give me a call. Praying for you and your group!

Pastor Rich

The Basics of Leading a Small Group

     When it comes to being a small-group host or leader, it's easy to feel overwhelmed—with leading meetings, handling difficult group members, and apprenticing new leaders, among other things.
     That's why every small group at Springbrook has a small group coach! Someone that can be praying for your group, and can be a resource to help you navigate various obstacles you might face.
     All of our of our small group hosts and leaders are encouraged to attend our monthly Springbrook church-wide leadership gathering, where they will receive coaching, encouragement and training. We believe no leader at Springbrook should have to lead alone!
    Every small group host and leader at Springbrook also has access to our Smallgroup.com subscription, which provides high-quality, relevant, and multi-model resources that will make your small-group experience much more effective.
     Once such resources is their Welcome to Leading 101 resource, where you will find numerous practical articles on small groups that will serve as a base for leading well. If you are an existing Springbrook small group host or leader, and interested in downloading the valuable resource, click this link.  I hope you enjoy this resource, and thank you for your faithfulness in building in building up our local Body of Christ!

On the journey together,

Pastor Rich

Are You Making Wise Investments?

Blank stares greeted Lindsey’s prayer request. She had just shared with her small group how thrilled she was about the women she was discipling. “Each of them is now memorizing scripture and its changing their lives,” she said. The women gazed at her with a deer-in-the-headlights look and returned to their conversation about their children, marriages, and the latest church event.

It’s not that these friends didn’t care. They just didn’t share Lindsey’s vision. Sure, they were growing, they were godly, and they were serving but they weren’t investing in discipling others. Investing in people marks an alongsider leader... read more

Our small group and ministry team leaders are the backbone of our disciple-making ministry at Springbrook, and each of you is a gift, and I am so grateful to serve alongside you.   Our next leadership gathering is coming up on April 3rd; click here to register now!  We will be celebrating some exciting milestones, and continue our leadership development and alongsider journey. Look forward to being with you!

Pastor Rich

Soul Detox Series - Starting September 20th!

     On Sunday, September 20th, Springbrook is celebrating 18 years with our annual family picnic, baptism service and introducing our new Soul Detox series! That following week, all of our small groups should be meeting to 1) introduce new people, review the series schedule and review materials. The week of the 21st is an introduction week.

     On Sunday, September 27th, Pastor Dan will begin teaching through the series, with each group kicking off with week 1 of the study. This series will last 5 weeks, and then conclude with a celebration service. That following week, I would encourage you to meet with your group for a potluck and discussion about next steps.

     You can click this link to download a calendar handout and share with you group. If you have any questions, please contact your coach as quickly as possible, or feel free to drop me a note as well.

     Also, please update your group information immediately. People are already starting to look at our groups, and we have a lot of bad information out there.

     Thank you so much for opening your home and welcoming the Spirit of God there!  I'm praying for you and your group, and look forward to hearing about how God is at work!

Pastor Rich
   

Small Groups Are Not Social Clubs

I was recently talking to one of our new small group leaders about some of his interests, and the topic of basketball came up. I was really looking for an opportunity to talk with him about our small group values, and ended up connecting the five basketball team positions with our five small groups values; Wow, God blow open a door for an outstanding conversation! Which position is more important, I asked. He said, they are all important. I said, exactly!

Utilizing the Great Commandments and the Great Commission given to us by Jesus in Matthew chapters 22 and 28, we have five (5) values that lay the foundation for our small groups. Which value is most important? All the values are important! I hope you know them, but they are Worship, Ministry, Evangelism, Fellowship and Discipleship. If you are leading a small group at Springbrook, you not only need to know these five values, you and your small group should be working to live them out!

Small groups best provide the optimal environment for the life-change Jesus intends for every believer, and it is is our desire to see everyone at Springbrook connected to a small group and growing toward Christ-likeness! I pray that each of you, as small group hosts and leaders, share that desire!

There are different kinds of groups, but at the core of our values, there some essential ingredients of life-change that we should expect to see in every group. In fact, small group expert Mark Howell wrote a great post on this very issue. Please take a moment to reflect on our five values and then be sure to check out Mark's link on essentials of life-change. Be sure to jot down a few notes, and then talk about them with your coach during your next meeting!

As always, count on my continued prayers for you and your group, and feel free to post any comments, questions or ideas here!

On the journey together,
Pastor Rich

2015, Really?

     Wow, I can't believe how fast this God series has flow by!  It has been such an encouragement to my faith as we study the various attributes of God, and such a blessing to connect with new families in our group.  I can't wait to see what God will do, and am praying we can multiply new groups and get others connected this winter!

     As the holidays and 2015 bear down on us, and our fall trimester moves to a close, I wanted to share a few thoughts with you as we head into our winter trimester that will begin on February 8th.

1. Even if you are not meeting, or if you are not meeting over break, and you want to avoid those pesky emails, click "Did Not Meet" and change your next meeting date.
2. Begin talking with your group now about your plans over Thanksgiving and Christmas, and what's next for your group. Our small group open enrollment for the winter Trimester will start on Sunday, January 25th. Be prepared for new people in your group!
3. *Update: If your group is getting full, please talk with your coach or Pastor Rich today about an apprentice and who the best person in your group would be to host their own group. The next New Host Training class will be Tuesday or Thursday, January 13th or 15th.
4. *Update: Our next coach / small group leaders gathering will be held after church in the gym from 12:30 to 2:30 early February. I'll let you know when we have a date.

     And now, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Romans 15:13)  Be blessed, and count on my continued prayers for you and your group!

Pastor Rich

"God: As He Longs For You To See Him" Calendar

Below is the suggested Calendar for our Springbrook small group/sermon alignment series. If you have any questions, please contact your coach as quickly as possible!

Session/Date    Topic                Summary

1 – S 14th        Introduction       Lesson optional for your group
2 – S 21st        20/20 Vision      Sermon 1, vision casting Sunday,
                                                                     lesson recommend but optional
3 – S 28th       Goodness           Sermon 2, first attribute, your group could start here
4 – O 5th         Sovereignty        Sermon 3, second attribute,
                                                                      your group should be in full swing
5 – O 12th       Holiness             Sermon 4
6 – O 19th       Wisdom             Sermon 5
7 – O 26th       Justice               Sermon 6
8 – N 2nd        Love                   Sermon 7
9 – N 9th         Faithfulness       Sermon 8
10 – N 16th     Remembering    Lesson optional, or potluck

What Kind of Leader Are You?

Robert Coleman says in his book, The Master Plan of Evangelism, "One must decide where he wants his ministry to count - in the momentary applause of popular recognition or the reproduction of his life in a few chosen men who will carry on his work after he is gone." He goes on to say, "His concern, speaking of Jesus, was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with men whom the multitudes would follow."

If we are going to have an eternal impact, we have have to move ourselves out of the light, and point others to Christ and obedience to God's word. Relating this principle to a small group leader, I would like to suggest 8 qualities of an effective leader identified in Steve Sonderman's Men With No Regrets Leader Training Manual:

An effective leader:

1. Has a strong private life
2. Has character that reflects Christ
3. Is committed to facilitate the group, not "teach"
4. Understands how spiritual formation happens in an individual
5. Is committed to building and multiplying disciples
6. Has a spirit of a servant leader
7. Knows his/her strengths and weaknesses
8. Understand the power of a focused life

Take a moment to pick one of these 8 qualities, pick up the phone, and contact your coach to let them know which one you would like to discuss. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind today!

I absolutely love working with ministry leaders and can not think of anything I would rather do with my life - it is a privilege to serve with you!

Leader's Gathering

     It was so exciting to have almost all of our small group coaches and leaders together at one time to worship, dream and vision cast, and strengthen our leadership team. Thank you to all of you who made our time together so rich and rewarding - we are better together!

     Our vision is to start healthy reproducing small groups that connect others at Springbrook into Biblical community that transforms lives, and I can't wait to see what God wants to do as we head into next year. Thank you for allowing God to work and through you and your group to accomplish His plans in our church and community. Count on my continued prayers for your group and for your relationship with your coach.

Pastor Rich

Small Group Gathering

Small Group Coach/Leader Gathering
Sunday, October 27th
12:30pm - 3:00pm
Lunch & Childcare Provided                                                 REGISTER NOW

Small groups are the backbone for identifying, investing in and training up leaders, and for connecting our Springbrook family together in genuine Biblical community.  During our time together on the 27th, we will discuss small group health, vision cast for next year, and solidify our small group coach/leader roles. This gathering is strategically important, and participation is a requirement for leading a small group in 2014.  If you are unable to attend, please have your apprentice leader attend in your place.

If you have not yet registered, please confirm your attendance TODAY by clicking the registration link below.  If you have any questions, please contact your coach or drop me a note.  I am really looking forward to our time together - thank you for allowing God to work through you and through us together!

Pastor Rich

REGISTER NOW

Hermeneutics

"Judas went and hanged himself. Go and do likewise. What you are about to do, do quickly."

~ Matthew 27:5, Luke 10:37, and John 13:27 

If you've heard the humorous story about the person who opened their Bible at random to find God's will and found the three verses above one after the other, you probably smiled at the folly of trying to read or study the Bible that way.  At the core, the problem is simply bad hermeneutics ~ interpreting the Bible without taking into account things like context. Unfortunately, bad hermeneutics leads us to poor understanding and application of the Bible more often than we might realize.

We all interpret the Bible. We make decisions about what it means (interpretation) and how we will respond (application).  As a small-group leader, you've likely encountered differences in opinion about a passage's meaning. How can you help your group arrive at an accurate understanding of the passage you're studying? Or is it okay for everyone in the group to have a different opinion about what a passage means?

Sometime during the first week of April, you are going to receive a leadership handout on hermeneutics written by Andrew Wheeler.  I want to encourage you to take time to process through the material and make it a point to talk with your coach or myself about any questions you have. This is important stuff!

Thank you for your faithfulness, and count on my prayers for you and your group!

P.S. If you are interested in hosting a marriage small group after Easter, please drop me a note at rwollard@springbrook.org as soon as possible so that I can get your materials on order!

Emotionally Healthy Series

Thank you to all of our small group leaders that were able to make one of gatherings these past few weeks. It was great being with you, and I treasured the stories you shared about where God was working!

Just as a reminder, or in case you were unable to be with us, below are the key milestone dates. If you did not get a copy of the optional 1-4 week study on Colossians chapter 1, you can download it from the Host page of our Small Group Website (link to the right).

Important Dates

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Sept 3-4 Open Enrollment Starts

Sept 10-11 Open Enrollment

Sept 11 Membership Class

Sept 18 Lake baptism service

Sept 18-19 Last week of Open Enrollment

Sept 24-25 Series Kick-off
Oct 1  Men's Breakfast

Oct 16 Hayride

Oct 31 Next Steps Cards (3 wks out)

Count on my prayers for you and your small group, and let your coach or me know if you have any questions!

On the journey together,

Pastor Rich

Is Your Small Group Dead or Dying?

Every once in a while I run across blog posts in my circles of relationships that really challenge me to think about where I am and what I'm working on; the link to this post from my friend Mark Howell was one of them!

Mark suggests 5 diagnostic questions that might help a small group answer the dead or dying question, and they are:

1. Is the group still an environment where life-change is happening?
2. What are the spiritual growth issues being worked on?
3. What are the spiritual next steps that are being taken?
4. Are there group members whose spiritual vitality is confined by the limits of the group?
5. Is the group just comfortable?

I would be interested in your thoughts about how this relates to our small groups at Springbrook. After clicking this link to read his post, please make some time to come back here and share your thoughts, and be sure to discuss the diagnostic questions with your coach or Pastor Richard. As we head into fall, let's us pray together for the full power of God to be unleashed through our small groups!

2011 Winter Trimester Kick-off

You and your small group are about to begin what could be a life-changing journey! This coming February 13th, we are launching our winter trimester with a 6-week sermon alignment series based on Romans chapter 12. This powerful study of True Spirituality in the life of Jesus will provide breakthrough teaching each week about what it means to be an authentic follower of Jesus Christ.

I am really excited about what I know God is going to do, and would like to ask you to do four things for me right now:

1. Talk and pray with your group about our upcoming series.
2. Open your group up to others at Springbrook not in a group.
3. Sign-up to be at the small group table after a service
   [click here to sign up].
4. Pray that God would begin a new work in you moving forward from today.

You should receive a small group packet of information about our upcoming series by January 17th. If you have any questions in the mean time, please contact your coach or drop me a note.

I am really looking forward to what God is going to do in and through our lives, individually and corporately as we submit ourselves to His will!

Personally Preparing for 2011

It seems like I just got a handle on this year, but am watching 2011 coming at me like a freight train! As I catch my breath and start working on my calendar for next year, I want to make sure I start off on the right foot - my own personal spiritual formation! So, I have just ordered a 2011 one-year devotional, Holiness: Day by Day by NavPress and thought you might enjoy it. Here is the link: http://tinyurl.com/d5kwsk

I'm not sure what you are planning, but I would like to encourage you to take a few minutes today to pray about what you would like to see God do in your life in 2011, and talk with you coach about it. If you have a few moments, share your thoughts with others by leaving a comment below.

I'm looking forward to starting each day with the deeply encouraging realization that I’m accepted by God, not on the basis of my personal performance, but on the basis of the
infinitely perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ!

Summer Small Group Plans

If your group is not going to be meeting over the summer, be sure to set you group to inactive on ChurchTeams. This will prevent you from getting a meeting report each week and prevent people from signing up for your group from the website.
HOWEVER, if you are going to be meeting occasionally socially, we recommend that you update your group information to reflect that, and leave your group active so that you can connect with new people over the summer!
If you have any questions, please contact your coach or Pastor Richard.

Coaching questions for group leaders

A. Early in the game (when they’re first assigned to you)

1. Spend 70% of your time with them coaching them to do what they need to do (lead the prayer time in their group, keep the discussion on track, manage conflict, shepherd goats, etc.).

2. Spend 30% of your time caring for them: getting to know them, finding out about their lives, their struggles, their families, etc.

3. Over time these percentages will shift as your hosts become more competent and confident.

4. Your initial conversations with each host should focus on finding out what their needs are. You may discover that they’ve been leading groups for years. You may discover that they’re terrified and eager for your help.

B. A little bit later in the game, focus your attention on being primarily a shepherd to them. Begin to identify which of your hosts would be able to coach a few new hosts themselves.

C. When you make your calls and contacts, focus on the following questions using the weekly group meeting report:

1. How did things go for you this week?
2. What are you celebrating?
3. What challenges did you encounter? How did you address this challenge?
4. Are there any pastoral concerns that need to be passed on to staff?
5. What specifically can I pray for you this week?
6. Have you invited anyone new to your group?
7. Is ChurchTeams up to date, is everyone’s information correct?
8. Where you prepared/are you prepared for the next meeting?
- Review DVD before meeting
- Arrange for food – if necessary
- Called any new people
- Prayed

9. How are you doing with watching the DVD
- Any questions about the material?
- Did you get through in time or skip anything?

10. What is next for you group?