In our last blog, we began to look at what is necessary to lead effective discussions within church ministries, small groups, etc. Our role as facilitators of discussion is to make sure that the discussion remains Cross-centered and grace-filled helping the whole group move toward hope in the character of God and the promises of God. There are essentially two main steps in leading effective discussions: review and apply. Last time we engaged the review section, and today we want to move on to step two, application. Application is really the critical part and purpose of small group discussion. This [...]
I’ve been leading small group ministries within different local fellowships for about the past 7 years now, and I must admit: there is nothing more challenging and difficult in the context of the local church than executing true Biblical fellowship among small groups. Most churches begin small groups three times before they ever “stick.” What makes or breaks small group ministry? One word: leadership. One of the primary roles of a small group leader is to lead an effective discussion. Now one thing that makes doing this a bit easier is when the small group is leading from a common [...]
Actress Roma Downey (“Touched By an Angel”) and her husband, producer Mark Burnett (“The Voice,” “Survivor,” “The Apprentice”) were very excited to present their epic miniseries that was five years and a lot of hard work in the making—“The Bible,” this past Sunday night. The series covers Genesis through Revelation, presenting two or three major stories within each 2-hour episode, and the cast and crew worked hard to create a genuine interpretation reverently portraying events from scripture. The series aired on the History Channel this past Sunday March 3, 2013, and will run for five consecutive weeks, with the final [...]
Meet Marjorry Pulquerio, from Goias, Goias, Brazil. She is currently a student at Lee University studying Health Science/RN and is a part of our ELEVATION College fellowship. Her story is yet another reminder of God’s sufficient grace. Just one disciple committed to making other disciples to the glory of God. Her story: I was born into a Christian home. I’m a pastor’s kid. Church has always been my second home. My whole life, I was that girl trying to be the “perfect” pastor’s kid. I’ve always been involved with my dad’s ministry, attending church every service and meetings and all [...]
I met Savannah Daniels only two months ago when she first came to an ELEVATION High School service here at North Cleveland. She came with her friend, Ashley Bieger (you can watch her story here), to our service. I stayed after service that night and had a very long conversation with her as she began to open up her life to me. It never ceases to amaze me how much the hurting in this generation are simply longing to open up to others if we will just make the time for it. Savannah was dealing with self-harm that was spurred [...]
