Henry Cloud - Making Small Groups Work: What Every Small Group Leader Needs to Know

Resources by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

Boundaries

Boundaries Workbook

Boundaries audio

Boundaries curriculum

Boundaries in Dating

Boundaries in Dating Workbook

Boundaries in Dating audio

Boundaries in Dating curriculum

Boundaries in Marriage

Boundaries in Marriage Workbook

Boundaries in Marriage audio

Boundaries in Marriage curriculum

Boundaries with Kids

Boundaries with Kids Workbook

Boundaries with Kids audio

Boundaries with Kids curriculum

Changes That Heal (Cloud)

Changes That Heal Workbook (Cloud)

Changes That Heal audio (Cloud)

Hiding from Love (Townsend)

How People Grow

How People Grow Workbook

How People Grow audio

How to Have That Difficult Conversation Youve Been Avoiding

Making Small Groups Work

Making Small Groups Work audio

The Mom Factor

The Mom Factor Workbook

Raising Great Kids

Raising Great Kids audio

Raising Great Kids for Parents of Preschoolers curriculum

Raising Great Kids Workbook for Parents of Preschoolers

Raising Great Kids Workbook for Parents of School-Age Children

Raising Great Kids Workbook for Parents of Teenagers

Safe People

Safe People Workbook

12 Christian Beliefs That Can Drive You Crazy

ZONDERVAN

Making Small Groups Work

Copyright 2003 by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

ePub Edition June 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-85940-6

This title is also available in a Zondervan audio edition.

Visit www.zondervan.fm.

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cloud, Henry.

Making small groups work: what every small group leader needs to know / Henry Cloud and John Townsend.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-310-25028-9

1. Church group work. 2. Christian leadership. 3. Small groupsReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Townsend, John Sims, 1952- II. Title.

BV652.2.C572003

253.7dc21

2003011380

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

NASB refers to the New American Standard Bible, KJV refers to the King James Version of the Bible.

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in association with Yates and Yates, www.yates2.com.

Interior design by Tracey Moran

This book is dedicated to
small group leaders everywhere.
May God richly bless your efforts
to help your group discover more
about him, life, themselves,
and each other.

Contents

HOW SMALL GROUPS
HELP PEOPLE GROW

WHAT HAPPENS
IN A GOOD GROUP

THE RESPONSIBILITIES
OF GROUP FACILITATORS

THE RESPONSIBILITIES
OF GROUP MEMBERS

HOW TO DEAL WITH
PROBLEMS IN GROUPS

Sealy Yates, our agent, for helping to guide our writing lives through the years. Your wisdom and discernment have been a welcome help to us, and we thank God that you are in our lives.

Scott Bolinder, our publisher, for your commitment to quality publishing. Your concern for the value of the written word to the church has helped many over the years.

Sandra Vander Zicht, our editor, for your many hours of work on this book, and your friendship. We have appreciated your careful attention to our books in order that the ideas may be as accessible as possible to readers. Thanks also to editors Joan Huyser-Honig and Jim Ruark for helping us to say more clearly and succinctly what we are so passionate about communicating.

The staff at Cloud-Townsend Resources for their sacrificial and tireless efforts over the years to multiply and enrich small groups throughout the world. Your work has certainly helped launch many groups for the first time and improve the lives of many others. Maureen, Kevin, Jody, Raul, Kris, Belinda, thank you.

Mariners Church and Jim Gaffney for your help over the years to give a great lab to our materials and small group vision over the years. May God continue to bless the fruits of all you are doing there.

Dr. Phil Sutherland, for your training in the power of the small group to change and heal. Your input helped us to understand the power and the complexity of the small group process, and we ask Gods blessings on how you influence others.

The staff of the former Minirth-Meier Clinic West hospital programs for your competence and care in using small groups. Many years ago your partnership with us helped a great deal of people in small groups in many profound ways.

Thanks and appreciation from Henry to the staff of Answers for Life also for your vision and work to create and enhance the evangelistic and growth mission of small groups throughout the country. Your sacrifice is a model to all who have a passion for this kind of work. Denis and Marianne, Scott and Claire, Robbie and Terri, Lillie, Steve and Colleen, and Becky, thank you.

Henry would like to thank Willow Creek Community Church and the Willow Creek Association for allowing me to be a part of your efforts to equip small group leaders around the world. It has been inspiring to work with you over the years, and I appreciate all that you do to help the church realize that small groups are more than an add-on to church, or a fad. You have helped many to see that what occurs in small groups is not just something at the church. It is church. Thanks to Rex, Bill, Russ, Kristen, Katherine, and Stephanie.

Henry would like to say thanks to my pals at CCN for helping to get small group training broadcast to churches all over America. It has been a lot of fun, and I look forward to many times of broadcasting the concepts in this book. You are awesome to work with: Bill, Ryan, Deb, Jay, Peter, and all.

Henry and John would like to thank their own small groups over the years for helping them to grow. We are different because of you.

A strong wind is blowing across the church, and it is good. More and more churches are starting small group ministries. Some small groups meet for fellowship and support. Others meet to address specific life topics such as marriage, parenting, dating, addictions, or divorce recovery. Still others gather to study the Bible or to grow spiritually or even to engage in spiritual formation.