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The Best of 2007
The articles, training downloads, and curriculum that caught your attention last year.
by Sam O'Neal
BuildingSmallGroups.com experienced a great deal of change in 2007. We partnered with www.Smallgroups.com, for example, in order to continue providing our readers with the best small-groups training available. We added dozens of curriculum courses to our already substantial archive so that churches can find quality, affordable teaching material on almost any topic. And we branched out into a larger variety of articles and downloads than ever before—even featuring our first multimedia article in November.
In the midst of all that change, I was curious to see what all of you—our readers—were most interested in. And to figure that out, I looked back at the resources that seemed to catch your attention best in the previous 12 months. So without further ado, here are the top-5 articles, curriculum courses, and training downloads of 2007.
Bonus! As a thank-you for your support in 2007, all of the curriculum courses and training downloads noted below will be 25 percent off for the next month!
Articles
- Spotting a New Leader, by Fred Smith.
Ten ways to identify a promising person to take on guidance of small group ministry.
- Confessions of a Small-Group Leader, by Joe Higginbotham.
A lay leader tells what he'll do differently the next time around.
- Learn to Shepherd Your Small Group, by Michael Mack.
Three important relationships that will help you watch over God's flock.
- Icebreakers and Beyond, by Dan Lentz.
Steering your discussion the right way.
- Nine Ways to Support Your Support Group, by Randy Christian.
Follow these foundational steps to get your groups off to a great start.
Curriculum Courses
- Advent: A Savior for All People (25 percent off!)
This four-session course helped many of you to focus on Christ this past Christmas. You learned from Zechariah and Elizabeth how to prepare your hearts to receive all that God has for us. Mary taught you about the true meaning of Christmas. You learned how to prioritize your Christmas from the shepherds. And Simeon and Anna taught you how to respond to the best gift of all time.
- Missional Evangelism (25 percent off!)
Missional is a popular word today. It implies that in our evangelism, we do more than simply throw the gospel at someone. Instead we look at our culture as if we were on the mission field and ask what we can do to connect with that culture and reach those around us. I'm grateful that so many of you used this six-session course to look at the world around you from a different angle.
- Crash Course on the Bible (25 percent off!)
The Bible is the best-selling book in the word, yet perhaps the most misunderstood, as well. Why do we need both an Old and New Testament? Who are the main characters in the Bible and what significance do they have? Can anybody who isn't a Bible scholar really understand this complex book? The good news is we can, and this six-session course helped many of you—and your groups—unlock the Bible.
- The Gospels: How Not to Be a Pharisee (25 percent off!)
This six-session course looks at Jesus' interaction with a group of first-century Jewish religious leaders called Pharisees. As revealed in the four Gospels, these Pharisees received the brunt of Jesus' criticism. The ability to see sin in others and ignore it in your own heart is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a Pharisee. Unfortunately, this tendency is as common today as it was in Jesus' time. This course has helped many people learn to pursue God with an open heart.
- Fighting for Your Prodigal Child (25 percent off!)
This four-session course is actually one of our newer downloads, which means that many of you had been waiting for something like this. Written by a parent with a prodigal child, this course deals with hard realities in a biblical way—encouraging us to set clearly defined boundaries, develop new strategies of praying, and focus on the promises of God.
Training Downloads
- Small-Group Leader: Orientation Guide (25 percent off!)
This is by far our most popular download of any kind, and it's easy to see why. The pack was designed to help your church provide orientation and basic training to new small-group leaders, and also to help seasoned small-group leaders refresh themselves about their responsibilities.
- Re-Launching a Small-Groups Ministry (25 percent off!)
This download was originally designed for churches that have launched small-groups programs in the past, but are still waiting for the ministry to fully take root—or for churches with negative experiences that want to try small-groups again. But I suspect that it has become this popular because all kinds of churches have found it helpful. As a Training Theme, this download includes everything from devotionals and how-to articles to assessments and case studies.
- Go Deeper with God (25 percent off!)
I was genuinely surprised to see this download in the top five—and genuinely excited. It has helped many of you discover the art of contemplative prayer and how to listen for God's replies. It has also given you the chance to explore the concept of lectio divinia and how it applies to a better understanding of, and closer relationship to, God. And those are exciting things!
- Family-Friendly Small Groups (25 percent off!)
If you're a parent or spouse involved in a small group—as I am—chances are good that a bit of tension has developed between your responsibilities in those circles. But small groups and families don't have to be at war. They can even help and support each other! I'm glad to see that these practical resources from small-groups and family experts have helped many of you in that area.
- Small-Group Facilitator: Orientation Guide (25 percent off!)
This guide has been specially designed to provide orientation and basic training for your church's new small-group facilitators and teachers. It's also a great way to help veteran facilitators and teachers review their responsibilities and refresh their understanding. Use it either for a group training session, or to hand out individually to small-group facilitators and teachers.
Copyright © 2008 by Christianity Today International
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