Sermon-driven small groups

benlreed —  December 23, 2011 — 9 Comments

Our small groups at Grace Community Church recently transitioned their discussion/study time from a curriculum to being based on, and driven by, the Sunday morning sermon.

I recently had the chance to sit down with my good friends, Brett Eastman and Steve Gladen, and talk through how we go about producing our curriculum every week, and a couple of reasons why we made the switch. Brett and Steve produce The Small Group Show, a series of videos designed to resource and encourage small groups pastors and leaders.

Here’s the interview I did with them.

 

Question:

Are you a part of a sermon-driven small group, or a curriculum-driven one?

 

Share and Enjoy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Delicious
  • LinkedIn
  • StumbleUpon
  • Add to favorites
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • RSS
In Church, SmallGroups , , , , ,
permalink

benlreed

Posts Twitter Facebook

Christ follower, husband, father, writer, pastor of small groups at Long Hollow Baptist Church. Communications director for the Small Group Network.
  • Tim Parsons

    Our church started that way 6 years ago (www.cpclex.org) and have always done sermon-driven small groups.  It works so well for us!  We have nearly 85% of our attenders in our groups.

    • http://www.benreed.net Ben Reed

      Wow, that’s awesome Tim! Are you the groups pastor?

      • Erik

        we are just starting our program, what do you reccomend?

        • http://www.benreed.net Ben Reed

          Ask for feedback from groups. Ask them what’s working, what’s not working. Ask them if they’re actually using it.

          And allow their answers to shape the way you structure the discussion guides.

          Hope it goes well, Erik!

  • Pastor Rod Kesselring

    who is part of your writing team?  Coaches, Pastors, Leaders?  How much lead time do you have on a series. (I know you said 2 weeks before is when you meet, How far out are you planned) Are you producing any videos for your series or is it strictly written.  

    • http://www.benreed.net Ben Reed

      Great questions!

      1. Our writing team is made up of me (paid staff) and volunteers.
      2. We have our sermon series planned out at least 6 months in advance…most are closer to 10 months.
      3. No, for our regular sermon series, we’re only written. Twice/year, though, we do campaigns and produce DVDs.

  • http://www.thomsthoughts.wordpress.com/ Thomas Vertrees

    I am in one of the groups that has chosen to continue using other materials for our small groups.  At this point in time, it fits us a little better, and most of the curriculum has been contextual-bible focused (for example a study on Abraham, or the book of Ephesians), not so much topical (like a book on grace, or trust, etc).

    What kind of adaptation capability do you have planning sermon series out 6-10 months?  I understand a lot of production goes into them (graphics, video, and now the curriculum), but how do the pastors deal with things that might come up that need to be taught in response to only what I can call “serendipitous inspiration”?  I have had the chance to speak many times to youth groups or as a special speaker on a Sunday morning, and while I prep, I always make myself available to be able to change the message based on what the needs of the group were, or trying to leave room for inspiration if it chooses to come.  How does Grace balance this (the need for future planning and responsiveness in the present)?

    Interested in your thoughts.

    • http://www.benreed.net Ben Reed

      This is an important question, Thomas, and a good one. We plan in pencil, especially when it comes to 8-10 months out. At this point, they’re just ideas that can be changed or completely done away with.

      Ideas aren’t put in “pen” until a couple of months out, and at that point, we are sure to nail down the series title and the main ideas. 

      But even then, things are changeable, and I’d say that there are a handful of times/year that major changes are made. For example, we scratched an entire sermon series this past year in November, because God was leading us in another direction.

      The sermons aren’t written, though, until (most of the time) the week of.

      So the rule of thumb: plan in pencil.

      • Thomas

        That’s a nice way of vosualizing – “planning in pencil”. I will have to use that. :)

        I always find it an interesting balance between managing all of the aspects that go into even one service or sermon series and the flexibility to “change on the go”. It’s nice to get a clearer understanding on how Grace does that.

        Thanks for the reply!