Free Book

I came across this offer this morning, checked it out, and it is for real. This is a new book by Craig Groeschel, published by Multnomah. If you are a Pastor, go to www.chazown.com/pastor to order one free copy of the book. Here is the blurb about the book from thier website: The offer is good until 6/1/06

Do you wake up each day motivated by knowing exactly why you were created? Guided by intention in every step? Enter: Chazown. Hebrew for “vision,” God wants to give His for you, and this book will reveal it! Living God’s dream will rock your world and align every area of your life, from your relationships to your finances and health.
Chazown is packed with storytelling graphics, in-your-face honesty, bite-sized chapterettes, step-by-step guidance, surprising self-assessments, and scarcely containable energy in a fast-paced style that will drive you forward with purpose! Craig Groeschel cowrote this book, but he’s waiting for his partner—you. Because only you can discover how the book ends and the rest of your life begins…

LeadPak Logos

LeadPaks

For awhile now I have been working with WPH to provide a bundle of resources specific to an area of ministry for one low price. The result is what we call "LeadPaks". We have taken 5 or 6 books that we believe will be valuable resources for your ministry and we have put them together in one 'item' for purchase. If you are involved in Sunday School and Small Groups or Singles or Young Adults or Men's Ministry or Family and Marriage or Senior Adults...there is a LeadPak that you can order.

LeadPaks were created out of my desire to make it easy for people to get their hands on the best resources without spending hours searching all over the internet and bookstores. In a sense, we've created a shortcut for you to get the leadership tools you need. Also, if you ordered these books seperately they would cost you a lot more.

You can find the LeadPaks on our site www.wesleyan.org/adult I'd love to know what you think!

The Next Level of Networking

We have been making a lot of changes to our website www.wesleyan.org/adult There are a lot of resources and articles under each of the Adult Ministries, but something is still nagging at me. The website for Adult Min is very one-dimensional. There is a lot if 'information-sharing' going out from here, but there really is no forum for interaction, real time idea sharing and networking. Yeah, I get some surveys and emails sent back to me, but that isn't really the level of networking that I would love to see.

Last week I really got dreaming to find a way to create some type of quasi blog-chat environment for Adult Ministries where the Wesleyan Church can interact and discuss what is really going on in ministry today. A place where I can share the resources and ideas that I think might help and people can respond and dialogue with others about what is working or not working in their area. I'd also love to be able to capture short video clips ( training and resource sharing ) and post them in a way that people could view them and share them with others.

I'd love to hear your ideas on this, especially if you know of something similar to a blog where we can chat and discuss and everyone can see the posts and I can upload video.

Small Group Covenants

I've been looking at some small group covenants today. My guess is that most small groups today do not covenant together ( even though the covenant is a very scriptural idea ). Covenenting is like setting the ground rules. It tells people up front that you are taking this group seriously and that the only way you will achieve biblical community is if everyone 'agrees' to adhere to the covenant. In a group without a covenant there is less accountability and less buy in/commitment to the other members of the group.

Google 'small group covenants' and you will get a smattering of resources that you could adapt to your situation. Usually a covenant will cover the logistics ( when, where, how often ), the disciplines ( attendance, safety, accountability, confidentiality, responsibility, etc ), and the purpose of the group. People sign the covenant and turn it in to the group leader. I think it would also be a good idea for each group member to receive a copy of the covenant they have signed.

What do you think about covenants? Do you use them? Should you?

An idea from DJ

If you don't already subscribe to Discipleship Journal, I highly recommend it. Here is an idea from the latest issue: "Grace After Dinner"

The concept is simply to invite non-Christian friends to your place for dinner - GRACE stands for G-good food, R-relaxed atmosphere, A-answers to questions about Jesus, C-Christ's plan of salvation explained, E-experience the difference that Jesus can make in your life.

Any similar ideas??

www.discipleshipjournal.com

3 Great Looking Small Group Resources

I've been trying to catch up on a ton of new resources that have been sent to me this Spring. Many of them have been added to our website - under each department you will see resources - www.wesleyan.org/adult Here are 3 that I thought were especially good:

1. Great Beginnings - Your First Small Group Study; This is an excellent tool for new groups or if you are trying to tempt people into the small group experience. It's also a good tool for your new leaders to use as they are venturing into the brave new world of small group leadership.

2. Small Group Kickoff Retreat - Experiential Training for Group Leaders; This book is written in a small group study guide format. It's designed as something that you would give to everyone on the retreat and you would all go through it together. So it's kind of a mix of "how to do a retreat" and the actual retreat itself.

3. Making the Critical Connection - Combining the Best of Small Group Dynamics with Sunday School; This is a revised and updated reprint of Hal Mayers book, "Step by Step". It is a good read for anyone who is trying to transition their church from a traditional Sunday School format to Small Groups or a blend of both.

All 3 of these are from www.serendipityhouse.com Enjoy!

Do you have any resources to recommend?