SG² Steve Gladen on Small Groups

Who do you want on your team? And how do you recruit people to join you? Small groups ministry cannot be done by yourself. We all need a team of people with different personalities, gifts, and skills to build a thriving groups ministry. Listen to Steve share the top ten things he considers when he recruits a team.  Guest: Steve Gladen Bio: Steve Gladen has been the pastor of small groups at Saddleback Church since 1998 and serves as an elder of the church. He oversees the strategic launch and spiritual development of more than 7,000 adult small groups on multiple campuses. He is the author of Small Groups with Purpose, Leading Small Groups with Purpose, and brand new release, "Planning Small Groups with Purpose." Steve is also the founder and leader of the Small Group Network and a tireless advocate for healthy small groups ministries.  Just click the play button at the top of this post to enjoy this insightful discussion! To subscribe to our Group Talk Podcast, click HERE ★ Support this podcast ★

Since evangelism is critical part of discipleship, it is typically a high value for our churches. However, practically speaking, many of our groups do not engage regularly in intentional outreach to nonbelievers. In this episode with Joel Comiskey, we focus on why evangelism helps small groups thrive and how we can empower groups to engage in relational evangelism. Joel is the founder of Joel Comiskey Group and has written numerous books on cell groups-based churches. Joel consults with churches, coaches pastors in small group ministries around the world, and actively leads a life-giving small group. Joel recently published a book with co-author Jim Egli titled, “Groups that Thrive: 8 Surprising Discoveries About Life Giving Small Groups.” Just click the play button at the top of this post to enjoy this insightful discussion! To subscribe to our Group Talk Podcast, click HERE ★ Support this podcast ★

Pioneer of small groups ministry in the United States, Carl George has been an influential voice in churches for decades. Here, Carl shares his thoughts on the small groups movement over the years including trends, concerns, and the future of small groups ministry in the current cultural context.  Carl George, an internationally recognized church consultant, has helped congregations and leaders in over 100 denominations to increase their effectiveness. An experienced Pastor, Church Growth Institute director, and author, Carl has guided small group ministry design in many influential churches. Just click the play button at the top of this post to enjoy this insightful discussion! To subscribe to our Group Talk Podcast, click HERE ★ Support this podcast ★

The New Group Talk Podcast Welcome to the new "Group Talk Podcast!" In this month's episode you will notice these exciting new updates... An updated intro featuring new music and the new voice of Mike Kozlowski  New Producer Jason Banzhoff highlighting upcoming SGN Events A new outro highlighting the purpose and power of SGN "Huddles" as well as how to connect with the Small Group Network online   A big thank you to Host Carolyn Taketa, Producer Jason Banzhoff and Mike Kozlowski for lending his voice to make all of these exciting new updates possible! This Month's Podcast Most small group ministry leaders would agree that Bible study is a significant part of a small group. Yet, do our groups engage meaningfully with Scripture or are they just bouncing off verses during meetings? How well do we train our group leaders on working through a passage of the Bible and helping members interpret and understand God's Word for themselves? What can we do to increase our engagement with God's Word in groups?  Rev. Dr. Roberta Hestenes: As a pastor, Fuller seminary professor, Christian college president, international speaker, senior pastor and author, Rev. Dr. Roberta Hestenes has been a pioneering leader in Christian ministry 50+ years. She is the author of numerous books and publications including “Using the Bible in Groups” and a Bible commentary on 2 Corinthians and Galatians.  She has lectured at more than 60 universities and seminaries and has received 8 honorary doctoral degrees. During her 15+ years on the theology faculty at Fuller Seminary, she initiated courses on small groups, women in ministry, and how to teach the Bible. She is an an ordained Presbyterian minister who currently serves as a teaching pastor at Bayside Granite Bay Church, near Sacramento. Just click the play button at the top of this post to enjoy this insightful discussion! To subscribe to our Group Talk Podcast, click HERE ★ Support this podcast ★

Pastor Steve Gladen answers questions submitted from the 2018 SoCal "Lobby Gathering" participants on a variety of small groups ministry issues such as... Leadership development Group leader coaching Creating a small groups church culture Leading up Group multiplication Soul care Future of group life. Guest: Steve has been Global Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church since 1998. He oversees the strategic launch and development of over 7,000 adult small groups on multiple campuses. He has authored Small Groups With Purpose, which has been translated into eight languages to date, and Leading Small Groups With Purpose. Just click the play button at the top of this post to enjoy this insightful discussion! To subscribe to our Group Talk Podcast, click HERE ★ Support this podcast ★

We would all agree that small group leaders need the support, mentoring, and care that a coaching system can provide, but it continues to be an area of ministry that is challenging, and often a source of confusion and frustration. In this exclusive interview, Host Carolyn Taketa talks with Allen White about issues related to coaching, especially the top 5 common mistakes for small group point people to avoid! Allen White coaches churches in launching exponential groups. In over 25 years of ministry, he has served on staff at two churches: New Life Christian Center in Turlock, CA and Brookwood Church in Simpsonville, SC. He has coached over 1,500 churches across North America. Allen is the author of Exponential Groups: Unleashing Your Church's Potential. Just click the play button at the top of this post to enjoy this insightful discussion! To subscribe to our Group Talk Podcast, click HERE ★ Support this podcast ★

Q Do you ever wonder if the issues in your small groups ministry are unique to your environment? Q Are you curious to know if others are dealing with the same challenges? In this podcast, host Carolyn Taketa interviews special guest Amy Jackson where they survey the landscape of small groups ministry by looking at the top issues that arose in 2017 as well as the ongoing popular issues that come up year after year. Amy is the associate publisher of SmallGroups.com, a publication of Christianity Today which has over 875,000 visitors each year and specializes in providing resources for small-group point people. She has been a small-group leader for over 14 years and has served in small groups ministry as a director, minister, trainer, speaker, and coach. Just click the play button at the top of this post to enjoy this insightful discussion! To subscribe to our Group Talk Podcast, click HERE Take your small group ministry to the next level by attending the "Lobby Gathering" 2018 in sunny Southern California March 13-15th! Register HERE! ★ Support this podcast ★

Q Do you serve as a Small Group Point Person in your local church? Would you like to learn how to maximize your small group ministry budget for this new year? If your answer is yes, then you've come to the right place! In this exclusive Group Talk Podcast episode, host Carolyn Taketa interviews Pastor Steve Gladen regarding the following topics and more.... The framework to understand before crunching the numbers How to do more with less How to prioritize budget items The best ways to ask for more money Founder and leader of the Small Group Network, Pastor Steve Gladen has been the small groups pastor at Saddleback Church since 1998. A widely respected voice in small groups ministry, Steve has been an expert resource for small groups point people for decades. His books, Small Groups with Purpose and Leading Small Groups with Purpose which has now been translated into eleven languages to date. Just click the play button at the top of this post to enjoy this insightful discussion! To subscribe to our Group Talk Podcast, click HERE ★ Support this podcast ★

Are you dealing with any sticky issues within your small group ministry? If so, you've come to the right place! With more than 20 years of small groups ministry experience, Bill Search has led the discipleship charge in churches from the Midwest to California ranging in size from 1000 to 20,000. He's a frequent contributor to Smallgroups.com and RightNow Media. He has written 2 books: Simple Small Groups and the recently released Essential Guide for Small Group Leaders.       Part 1: Top 5 Sticky Issues in Small Groups (Click HERE to Listen) Politics Sex Non-essential issues Gossip /complaining Alcohol/ substances   Part 2:  Top 5 Sticky Issues for Small Groups Pastors and Directors. (Click HERE to Listen) Relationship with senior leadership Drawing from new trends Defining small group Underpromise and overdeliver Managing your time To subscribe to our Group Talk Podcast, click HERE ★ Support this podcast ★

Have you ever wished that there was a miracle formula for small groups ministry? A silver bullet that would guarantee that everyone in your church would be in a biblical Acts 2 kind of small group where people would grow to love God deeply, where lives would be radically transformed, the marginalized would be served, and non-Christians all around them would come to faith in Christ every day?  As anyone who has been in ministry for longer than a day knows, there are no quick fixes. In fact, Daniel wrote a terrific new book called, “No Silver Bullets” which lays out 5 microshifts that can produce macro changes, lasting movement in the right direction for your groups ministry and church. Bio:  Daniel Im is the Director of Church Multiplication for NewChurches.com and LifeWay Christian Resources since 2014. He serves as Teaching Pastor at The Fellowship, a multisite church in Nashville, TN. Daniel is also the co-author of Planting Missional Churches: Your Guide to Starting Churches that Multiply with Ed Stetzer. He has an M.A. in Global Leadership and has served in groups ministry and pastored in three countries, six cities, and churches ranging from 100 to 50,000. Click HERE for more resources from the Small Group Network  ★ Support this podcast ★