Category Archives: Teaching

Pastors Enjoying SSI: TN

Posted on August 10, 2011 by

Sunday School Investigation conferences started last week in Tullahoma.  Last night we completed our fifth of 25 events.   Tomorrow night, we will be at West Jackson and Saturday at Tulip Grove in Nashville.  Last night in Dyersburg, one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Evangelism, Event, Ministry, Organization, Teaching | Leave a comment

A Cause Worth Fighting For for Sunday School and Discipleship Leaders

Posted on March 24, 2011 by

In 1862, the Union army needed a victory and at Fort Donelson , General Grant delivered.  As this blog article is being written, I am sitting on the banks of the Cumberland River, where the soliders bled and died almost … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Life, Discipleship, Evangelism, Ministry, Organization, Teaching | 1 Comment

Clock Management for Sunday School Teachers

Posted on March 21, 2011 by

March Madness! It’s exciting to watch the last two minutes of a close game.  The commentators are always talking about how coaches and teams manage those last few minutes.  This year’s tournament has had lots of close games.   I caught … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Evangelism, Ministry, Organization, Teaching | 2 Comments

Put the TRAINING back in Discipleship Training

Posted on February 11, 2011 by

I believe that it is time to put the TRAINING back in Discipleship Training.   Over the next few blogs, I am going to be transparent as I talk about the state of discipleship and share approaches that could help us … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Organization, Teaching | 1 Comment

Lessons from the Space Program for Ministers and Sunday School Leaders

Posted on January 7, 2011 by

As a child growing up in the 1960’s, I remember vividly watching the Apollo Space launches and Splashdowns.  The whole 3rd Grade class watched as Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon and declared, One small step for … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Life, Discipleship, Evangelism, Ministry, Organization, Stories, Teaching | 2 Comments

Transferable Elements of Sunday School Classes and Small Groups

Posted on December 9, 2010 by

Last week, I had lunch with a church leader who asked me, “In my opinion, what’s the strengths and weaknesses of Small Groups.”  Today, I was eating lunch with a local discipleship pastor who had been grappling with why his … Continue reading →

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Groups and Sunday School Classes Organize to Meet Needs

Posted on December 7, 2010 by

Another obvious similarity between Sunday School Classes and Small Groups is that both organize to meet the needs of members and non-members.   Small Groups enlist Small Group Leaders who are responsible for leading the group and facilitating the group sessions.  … Continue reading →

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Authentic Relationships: The Goal of Both Sunday School and Small Groups

Posted on December 3, 2010 by

The goal of both Sunday School classes and Small Group ministry is authentic relationships. Building authentic, genuine, bona fide, true, real, vital, reliable and dependable relationships is the goal.  Christ is the foundation of authentic relationships.  The Christian life is … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Life, Discipleship, Ministry, Teaching | 1 Comment

Real People Make Up Small Groups and Sunday School

Posted on November 19, 2010 by

At Willow Creek’s Small group conference several years ago, Bill Donahue, executive director of Small Group Ministries for the Willow Creek Association, challenged group leaders to recognize that real groups have real people in them.  He says that every group … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Life, Discipleship, Evangelism, Ministry, Organization, Teaching | 2 Comments

“Span of Care” and Small Groups and Sunday School

Posted on November 17, 2010 by

Span of Care is an essential ingredient to having an organization that achieves its mission. Regardless of what small group model was discussed, a significant amount of time was spent on the concept of span of care.  The principle is … Continue reading →

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