Reflections on Sermon Based Small Group Seminar
Today we pulled of my doctoral workshop on sermon based small groups. It went well. I was pleased. I cannot state enough how much I appreciate my good friend Kenneth Priest who serves at the SBTC. He helped me pull this off in a way I could not have done myself. Dr. Richards and his team were gracious to allow me to use the facility, have acess to churches via mailout, and they provided me with materials, notebooks, and food for the participants. The SBTC team even provided me with video and audio recordings of the event. If you would like to get a copy, email me or connect with me on Twitter. We had up to 40+ sign up and may have had nearly that in attendance.
Here are my initial thoughts on the seminar today:
1. I am glad I did all this research on sermon based small groups. It has made me a better leader and preacher. I felt confident in answering questions and still thing the SBSG model is a great way to disciple people.
2. People with a traditional structure in place, like Sunday School, struggle with the SBSG model because it’s hard to see changing present structure. It’s hard to admit our Sunday School classes would be better off with small groups in them instead of care groups. It’s not impossible. As a matter of fact, I used to be a one way guy. I was Sunday School only. But I have come to the middle and employ the best of Sunday School and Small Groups. The SBSG model can work in a traditional structure. And it can sure be added as a small group component to an existing Sunday School structure.
3. My next opportunity to do the seminar will be in March and April at the Small Church Leadership Conference. I will make adjustments to the seminar so it can focus more on writing the material.
