Christian community is the means by which the strength of Christ is realized in one’s own heart. In other words, sin is crushed by Christ when believers practice teaching and admonishing one another with the word of Christ

Maybe you’re not quite depressed, but you’re definitely not flourishing. You are experiencing “languishing.”

Small Group member Chris Skinner shares the value of going through hard times together with his Small Group.

How do you “do life” and have fun with your group? Small Group Leader David Rawlins shares how his group is doing this.

Pastor Bob asks Small Group Leaders Karl and Bekah Krukenberg why they left their Small Group. And how that’s a good thing.

I often struggle with prayer. I feel empty-headed, and I revert back to simple words and phrases that I’ve used again-and-again to speak to God. Fortunately, I have found three places where I can borrow others’ words to help me pray.

Ever wondered how to deal with tough relationships during the holiday? Ryan Berg, Assistant Pastor of Soul Care, shares some practical things to keep in mind.

Have you wondered how to lead the men in your Small Group? Mark Schuitema gives some practical ways to do this well.

Have you wondered how to lead the women in your Small Group? Karen Pourcho gives some practical ways to do this well.

Is your group in a prayer rut? How can you freshen up your group prayer times? How do you lead your group in a worship-based prayer style? Don Bartemus shares how to.

What do you do when people in your group have significant prayer needs, like an upcoming surgery, a close family member passing away, or a cancer diagnosis? Pastor Don Bartemus answers how your group can elevate important prayer needs to the pastors and elders.

Jeff Ballard opens up the topic of depression so that we can see that it’s encouraging that a person would share this with us, that even the famous pastor Charles Spurgeon struggled in this way, and there are practical takeaways for us to help.

In this video, Jeff Ballard shares how we can walk with someone who shares a deep sin with us or our group, including asking the following questions.

Sometimes the word “accountability” can instill fear—and for good reason. When misused, it becomes nothing more than legalistic, performance-based righteousness. Biblical accountability can be a beautiful tool within the context of a group and can draw members into deeper fellowship. But what exactly is biblical accountability?

At College Park, we believe in equipping our ministry leaders to better serve those in our congregation. One of the ways we do this is through Small Group Leader Equip Nights. Check out all the past training content including power points slideshows and downloadable PDF guides to better equip you as you lead your group.

If there has been one constant this year it is this: uncertainty. Crisis causes change. And change leaves us figuring out how to respond. If uncertainty is our constant companion, what do we do about that? It’s never easy to feel out of control. We cherish finding a sense of stability. So, here are four actions we can take to continue moving forward even in the midst of uncertainty.

As Small Group leaders we have answered a call to steward those entrusted in our group. Much like a gardener, we are tasked with nurturing, but the Lord is the one that causes the growth. We can’t take credit when our group is doing well, but we can take steps to ensure against neglect. 

I don’t want to burn out. But there are so many threats in life that push me toward spending all my energy and having nothing left. Especially after a season of heightened crisis, we need some recovery. So, what can we do to avoid burnout? Let’s try these six practices

I can say leading a Small Group has become one of the greatest joys and experiences I have had in my faith journey so far. I am able to encourage, be encouraged, and bring people together so that they can continue to love one another well and I can also be loved. Every member of the Small Group community plays a special part in that.

In the age of Photoshop and curated feeds it has become normal to only publish what we want people to see. I longed to feel like I could be myself without the need to hide behind a mask or stand protected behind a wall. These precious relationships can only flourish by being vulnerable and sharing real struggles with others.

Although it can be scary to think about “losing” a really great group member, we’re called to encourage one another to maximize using our spiritual gifts (see Heb. 10:24-25). And one of the best days in a Small Group is that bittersweet day when a member is released to start leading a group on their own. Here are five clues that will help you know if someone in your group is ready to lead

You understand that to be a Christian is to be a disciple-maker, but you aren’t sure how to go about it. You want God to use you to make a difference in the lives of people around you through mentoring, but actually getting started has you at a standstill. Thankfully, God by his grace has given us help in his all-sufficient Word to know how to get started in the kingdom-advancing work of discipling.

Living in the middle of a worldwide pandemic is surfacing my fears and worries in ways that I have to address. Can you relate? What does help? Having others walk with us, pointing us toward God.

Having been a leader in different contexts over the years, I was pleasantly surprised that this coaching relationship was a core dynamic to Small Groups. If I was going to keep growing as a spiritual leader, I felt that this coaching relationship was a must!

When your Small Group can’t meet in person, you can still gather digitally by using a video conferencing app like Zoom. This article will only cover some top questions about how to use Zoom.

No one is going to deny it: this is a unique season. For most of us, this kind of threat feels utterly unusual. But God’s people are in fact very used to threats and fears—and they know exactly where to go for safety.

When we connect into God’s church, we are supposed to “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ”. But is that actually happening in your group? Here are three questions you can ask to find out.

We’ve all been to the doctor to get a check-up on how our body is doing. But how do you run a check-up on a Small Group? Whether you are a Coach or a leader, the following nine questions should help:

We could think that involvement in a Small Group absolves us of our responsibility to fully engage on Sunday mornings. That won’t work. Sunday mornings are the primary place where God’s people gather and worship, and Small Groups allow us to dig deeper into how to apply those truths into our real lives.

While plans are good and necessary, it is God who ultimately directs your steps. Whatever your hesitations are associated with the new year, have you asked what God’s plans are for your Small Group? Here are a few suggestions to help frame your mind as you enter a new decade.

How many times have we heard a fellow member share a prayer request update and realized that we completely neglected to pray for them during the intervening week between Small Group gatherings? These four methods can help with upping our prayer priority for those in our group—even in the midst of our full schedules.

Texts and emails have become the main method of communication and prayerful encouragement with my leaders. Whenever I am thinking about the leaders that God has given me to serve, I can quickly send an encouraging text or verse them. This has been a key way to stay intentional and connected.

When my Small Group is experiencing lethargy because of non-committal members, what do I do? Do I ignore them, confront them, or just shut down the entire group? Here is one proposal for how to reset your group.

Small Group Leaders tend to be the “first responders” when it comes to helping people in our church body. Here are four keys to making sure your “first response” offers real help.

If you are in a group, chances are that you care about the other people in your group. But how can you reach past the walls of your living room into God’s world-wide mission?

“What are we going study?” is always a question that Small Group leaders wrestle with once–or in our case many–times a year.

In a previous post, we uncovered what real fellowship looks like. But what are a few easy tools that we can use in the group to bring about this real fellowship?

Community. Vulnerability. Real-ness. Living life together.  As group leaders, we all want these things – even if they’re hard to define.

Every one of us gets discouraged from time to time. Some of us get discouraged often… How can we help each other fight discouragement as brothers and sisters in Christ?

I’m better at evangelism than I was in college. But it’s still really hard. And I’d guess it’s hard for you and the members of your Small Group as well. So, how can we help our groups—and ourselves—grow in giving the gospel to our dying world?

Our Member Covenant explains what we live together at College Park Church, and every member agrees to live it out as a part of our church family.

9Marks has written three helpful articles that help establish some of the basics regarding church membership and church discipline.

How can Small Groups encourage community with all ages in their Small Group? Consider these ten ways to help children belong in your group.