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About Me
- a.j. rankin
- thanks so much for dropping by to read my blog! my name is a.j. and i am from a suburb of charleston, sc. i work at northwood church as the student ministry gruops director, where i get to invest in the lives of some really great students and volunteers. i just got engaged to my future bride, allison, so we are totally in wedding planning mode but we still have about 6 months before the big day. feel free to comment on the posts. grace and peace.
4 comments:
I think chemistry makes a small group great. You have a special group when you have people that love to talk with one another and trust one another enough to share anything. In contrast, a group is terrible when there is no trust and everyone is too uncomfortable to say something meaningful. I think chemistry comes when a good leader digs in, keeps the conversation fun and meaningful and asks specific questions. But the leader needs help from at least 1 or 2 students that are influential. They need to step up and be real, make some good conversation, talk w/ group members outside of church, hang out, etc.
wow, i agree kev. chemistry is so vital to the effectiveness of a group. a great leader(s) and a few group members who are influential can transform the entire makeup of the group.
Immediately when I read this post the word encouragement popped into my mind. Which that is not a word that I would generally associate as being a key element in making a small group great, but nonetheless I was reminded of this verse in Hebrews: "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but ENCOURAGE one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." I want the groups that I attend to encourage me in my walk with the Lord- to push me on to greatness and to seek all that God has for my life. This is what I want for my ninth grade girls. I want us to encourage them to keep working out their salvation and to keep seeking the Lord because it is so worth it. There are so many elements that make a small group great and successful. But it is so important to be reminded that we are loved by the Creator and that He has big things in store for our lives. I sense the need for this among this generation so strongly as of late... the need to drill into the heads of our students that they are valuable and wanted for God's use. If they can leave small group with the confidence and excitement that Christ can use them to change the world, then I feel that small group is on its way to greatness. : )
That's really interesting Rachel. Like you said, that isn't a word that people always think of, but maybe it should be. No one wants to keep coming to a group where all they are told about is how horrible of a person there are. Being encouraged and "edited" (I like to use the word editability instead of accountability; it's from a book) are key for the group members being excited about their relationship with God.
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