Courageous Living Bible Study
By Michael Catt, Stephen Kendrick, Alex Kendrick

A review by Lee Vaughn

The Courageous Living Bible Study is a dynamic 4-week study that helps lead men toward living more courageously in four key areas: responsibility, priorities, legacy, and faith.

Each week’s study has four components: READ – includes a story of a modern day hero; WATCH – review a clip from the film; STUDY – dig into passages of Joshua; & LIVE – put what you are studying into practice.

Our 8 week men’s group was made up of married and singles, young and old, with varying degrees of spiritual maturity. We met during the fall of 2011 right when Courageous, the movie was opening up in theaters. God used this study to draw us together as a group and to go deep with each other and God’s call on our lives as men. The illustrations from the movie, the modern day heroes within the study and the scriptures themselves fostered open discussions and real relationships within the group.

The format we followed to incorporated this 4-week study into our 8 week commitment:

• Week 1: Large focus on getting to know one another, shared testimonies, and a word study on “courageous” in the scriptures.
• Week 2: We watched the movie as a group, short time of connection and prayer.
• Weeks 3-7: Followed the study guide dividing the 4th lesson into two parts; more shared testimonies.
• Week 8: Summary lesson, sharing impacts from the study and next steps.

There was strong positive feedback from the men who participated in the study – movie was powerful – the openness and the prayers of the various men was encouraging – a close bond was built among men who previously had not known each other.

A Woman After God’s Own Heart
by Elizabeth George

A review by Trisha Hicks

A Woman After God’s Own Heart is a book that walks through scripture to discover what God says about who He created us to be. There are 24 short chapters in the book. I recommend reading 2 chapters a week and making it a 12 week study, or combining some of the similar chapters into 10 weeks. There is also a workbook that walks through more scripture, practical application and discussion questions for the small group. Unless you enjoy creating your own questions, I recommend getting the workbook to help guide your time together as a group.

This is a very scriptural based book that dives into God’s priorities concerning our walk with the Lord, our ministry, our home, our husband and our children. If you have women in your group who are not married or don’t have children, it still has valuable principles that can be applied to any stage of life, but I would make sure everyone in the group is at a place where they are ready to learn more about being a godly wife and mother.

Elizabeth’s suggestions are sometimes bigger than life, but remember as the leader to always bring it back to scripture and the underlying principles. I thought a few times while reading that she sets the bar too high, but don’t let her ideas overwhelm you, everyone needs to start somewhere and everyone has room to grow. Have the group focus on evaluating where they are in their relationship with God and others and focus on taking it to the next level. Keep in mind that each woman’s next step may not look like the examples Elizabeth gives or like the next step of the other women in the group.

Overall, it’s a challenging book with scripture-based principles.

Twelve Ordinary Men
by John MacArthur

A review by Adam Schwenk

John MacArthur’s Twelve Ordinary Men explores the lives of the twelve disciples in fascinating detail. MacArthur combines Scripture with historical data to create a detailed biography of each disciple, but goes beyond information and discusses practical application for your life. For instance, while discussing Peter, MacArthur gives principles to being a strong leader in your Christian community. Overall, your small group will learn how God can do great things with normal people.

While the book contains a lot of information, we have a ten week study guide (download PDF here) for leaders to use in small group discussion. This guide synthesizes all the information for each chapter to ask four discussion questions and a reflective question for the group. We found the book fascinating, but would not use it in a small group without the study guide. The guide will help you focus so that the content in the book is not overwhelming. Twelve Ordinary Men is definitely worth checking out, especially if your group desires to do a study with heavier content.

Training vs Trying – Pursuing Spiritual Transformation
by John Ortberg, Laurie Pederson & Judson Poling

A review by Carol Tran

We all can use a refresher course once in awhile, even on those things we know well. When we’re forced back to the “basics” we have the opportunity to realign ourselves, recalibrate and get recharged. Training vs Trying is a refresher course in the Spiritual Disciplines. We can all fall prey to practicing those areas in our spiritual lives that we enjoy or come easily to us. Ortberg challenges the reader to not only “try”, as the word instructs, but to “train” just as an athlete trains for a marathon. Practice and repetition is the method that the authors suggest to make the disciplines come to life.

This study is seven sessions/weeks. In the study you’re given “Spiritual Exercises” to work on during the week. These exercises along with the discussion questions in the back of the book bring practical application to each lesson. Use Training vs Trying with your group to get back to the “basics” and get recharged for the Lord.

This book is one of a seven booklet series, Pursuing Spiritual Transformation, by Willow Creek Association.

In 1961 five families in the small town of Tysons Corner, VA formed a church where the Bible would be taught and the Gospel shared with those living in and around Washington, DC.

Fast forward 50 years later to today. As a small group leader at McLean Bible Church, you are carrying on that legacy of faith by inspiring your group members to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, connect in Biblical community, serve in their God-given ministry, and share the Gospel.

Join the entire MBC family on Friday, March 16, as we celebrate God’s faithfulness over the last 50 years to McLean Bible Church through leaders like you. Bring your entire small group and enjoy dinner from 6–8 pm, worship and prayer from 8–9:30 pm, and dessert, coffee and fellowship from 9:30–10:30 pm.

For more information and to pre-purchase dinner, please visit mcleanbible.org/50.

Community by Andy Stanley

A review by Trisha Hicks

If your small group is new or needs a refresher on the importance of being in biblical community, Community by Andy Stanley is a great option for you. This study will inspire group members to desire authentic community. It is a series of 3, 20 minute sermons from Andy Stanley followed by questions for your small group. Andy covers essential topics for being in genuine community. He addresses the importance of being intentional and committed to being in relationship with other believers. He also addresses how easily sin can deceive us and the need for doing life with others so they can point out self-deception in our lives.
As the leader, it would be helpful to view the sermon and questions before your small group meets. This way, you can have answers ready for the questions in case you need to get the ball rolling during the discussion. Side note: There is a reference to MySpace in the second session, so it is a little outdated, but the principles are still relevant.
The Small Groups Team at Tysons has copies of this DVD available for rent. Please contact Trisha at trisha.hicks@mcleanbible.org, if you are interested.

Community: Building Relationships Within God’s Family by Bill Hybels

A review by Colleen Hunter

This is a great study to help your group understand what Biblical Community is and engage each person personally and corporately. This is a highly practical and biblically grounded study broken into six sessions. The sessions themselves are well organized. As a leader, you can choose to linger in some places and move quicker through other parts. Some parts of the session are designed for personal reflection to prepare for discussion while other parts provide a great entry point for discussion no matter what past experiences have been. I have used this study more than once in the early stages of a small group to establish our expectations, fears and realities and found it extremely helpful! The thoughtful questions make for stimulating discussion and honest dialogue. I would also recommend this to a group that may not be in the early life stage but needs to go back to the practices of Biblical community. The cover may seem cheesy or outdated but do not judge this book by its cover!

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?

It’s that time of year again! Thankfully we haven’t had any snowstorms yet (except the freak October snow), and with the Christmas season comes a few tips in leading your small group well. Here are some ideas to integrate this month:

1. Reflect on Christ’s mission. While Christ’s birth is a cute story in our culture, we need to remind ourselves of why Jesus came and how His salvation has impacted each of us. (Romans 5:18 “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.”)
2. Rest. Many of you have already decided to break for the holidays, but for those who haven’t, consider taking a few weeks off because of extra work in the office and traveling.
3. Celebrate together. Find a time to gather as a group to celebrate what God has done in your group this year. What have been the greatest memories? How has He answered prayer? What is one thing He taught you this year?

You should use this season of Christmas to intentionally lead your group in reflection, rest, and celebration. We hope you have a great season of gathering with friends and family, and we’ll be praying for you as you lead your group!

Proper boundaries in the context of a small group permit the leader to be physically, emotionally, and spiritually available equally to all group members. But when do you help your small group member and when do you refer them?

Consider some of the following situations; what would you do? A small group member calls you 4-5 times per week for advice. A member of your small group loses his or her job and asks if they can borrow money from you or the group. A small group member becomes disruptive or monopolizes the conversation in almost every weekly meeting.

If you lead a group long enough, you’ll eventually run into circumstances like this, and being prepared will help you to tactfully respond with grace and wisdom. Every situation is different but, generally speaking, consider these 3 guidelines:

1. Know yourself. All of us have different backgrounds and training, and you need to be aware of what is in your range of experience and abilities when leading others who are in need.
2. Discern the issue. Pray for guidance as you help someone. If you are comfortable in the situation, continue to help. If it is too much to handle, please refer.
3. Know who to refer. Inform your coach or staff contact if there is any issue that is overwhelming for you. Your coach and the staff are here to help in situations like that!

Sometimes, a small group leader refuses to set proper boundaries because it feels wrong. Consider the two most common misperceptions about boundaries:

Misperception #1: Setting boundaries is selfish.
Misperception #2: Setting boundaries hurts people.

Let’s begin by addressing the first misperception. Far from being selfish, setting boundaries is simply good stewardship of the relationships to which God entrusts to each person. This does not mean you’re neglectful or unloving, but without saying “No” at certain times, you will burn out.

The second misperception is a natural way of thinking, but we need to train ourselves to realize that most people are respectful of the leader’s time and commitments. The group just needs to know! Rather than hurting people, a leader who sets boundaries actually makes him or herself available in a healthy way. Proper boundaries create space where relationships – all relationships – can flourish.

Remember, we do not expect you to be equipped to deal with every potential problem raised within the group, such as drug addiction, major depression, domestic violence, etc. If an issue is above your ability or experience, please let us know immediately so we can help.

Over the next two months we will be discussing boundaries with small group ministry. Have you ever felt drained by the demands of the relationships in your small group? If so, you probably need to review proper boundaries in ministry.

What do we mean by boundaries? A boundary is a mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual marker that distinguishes one person from another. In a setting where broken people engage in authentic and honest community, a small group leader’s understanding of boundaries is essential. Without proper boundaries a small group leader may lose him or herself in the context of relationships, may begin to feel overly responsible for others, and may become resentful for the time and energy that these relationships consume.

Even Jesus had boundaries and knew when he needed to get away and “recharge” with God. Matthew 14 describes how Jesus, after feeding the crowd of thousands, withdrew to the mountain with God. He could have preached more sermons; he could have healed more people; rather, Jesus pulled away from the crowd.

Jesus had boundaries, and we need them, too. It might not be leaving a crowd on a mountainside, but to be effective leaders, we must implement boundaries. Next time we will answer why leaders fear having boundaries and how it negatively impacts their ministry.

What is the motive behind reproducing leaders? One motive is helping fellow believers embrace what God has called them to be as mature Christians.

What is maturity in Christ for those in your small group? How would you describe it? Maturity in Christ is more than simply having someone join your small group and assigning them to bring cookies or to open the night in prayer. Maturity in Christ is leading others into their full potential in their giftedness. Many Christians are on the sidelines in ministry, and whether their reasons appear legitimate or not, they need to be spurred on in their service to the Body. That can take on several different forms, and for some that next step of maturing in their faith is leading a new small group.

This is the very thing that Paul “struggled with all his energy” (v.29). Are you expending your energy to develop those in your small group to be mature in Christ and take on greater leadership? It’s easy to let them attend each week, but how are you coaching them to be greater vessels in the hands of God?

Here in Acts 9, the church is described as having exponential growth throughout the entire region. And when the whole church multiplies and grows, there is a demand for new leaders to step up and embrace what God has called them to do. Developing new leaders is essential to being a healthy church. Developing new leaders calls believers to be faithful stewards of the gifts God has given them. Developing new leaders needs to be the mindset of every small group leader if we are to reach new spheres of influence within Washington, D.C. It might be hard; it might be out of your comfort zone; it might challenge you more than what you “signed up for” as a small group leader. But new leaders need to be trained and released for ministry if the gospel is to have a multiplying work in our area.

So who in your group is ready to lead? Are they able to lead a new 8 week group? Or who are you preparing to take on new leadership? If no one, what is your one year game plan to develop a new leader by next fall? Continue praying for the new leader God wants you to develop for leadership, then let them lead.