Josh Hunt's blog

Note: this article is one of six articles that eventually grew into a book: Make Your Group Grow. Available here: www.youcandouble.com I have just completed three months of asking 1031 teachers thirteen question designed to help us understand what makes groups grow. This article is the second in a series of reports on this survey. (Note: this is not a scientifically randomized survey, but rather a survey of group leaders that I filled out surveys online and at conferences.) I divided the findings into four sections: Things that didn't matter hardly at all. (Less than 10% difference in likelihood of growth in the bottom and top group) Things that only mattered a little. (Between 11% and 100% difference likelihood of growth in the bottom and top groups.) Things that mattered a lot. (If you are in the top group in these factors you are twice as likely--or more--to be growing than if you are in the bottom group. Be...

Note: this article is one of six articles that eventually grew into a book: Make Your Group Grow. Available here: www.youcandouble.com I have just completed three months of asking 1031 teachers thirteen questions designed to help us understand what makes groups grow. This article is the first in series that summarize my findings. (Note: this is not a scientifically randomized survey, but rather a survey of group leaders that I filled out surveys online and at conferences.) Before I begin, allow me to say something. (I have always found that line humorous, but you kind of have to think about it.) I don't like some of the answers I found in this survey. I have taught the exact opposite of what this survey reveals at some points. I disagree with some of these findings. But, the facts are the facts and I am going to report them just as they are. If you disagree with the findings, please don't shoot me, I am only the messe...

Guest article by Mark Howell http://www.markhowelllive.com R eminder : Two of my core assumptions are (1) if I want to make it possible for everyone to be part of a group, I need to lower the bar for leaders (and raise the bar for coaches and coaching) and (2) part of lowering the bar for leaders is that I need to provide material that almost leads itself. That said, here is how I train leaders to stimulate better discussions. Five Keys to Stimulating Better Discussions First, think ahead of time about where your members need to go … You don’t need to spend a lot of time on this, but it does help to think about the individual needs of your members as you’re looking over the upcoming session. Although this is a challenge in a newer group, it gets easier the longer a group has been together and the more you know about your members. One way you can speed up the process is to have each of your members take the Purpose Drive...

Jesus taught we are changed more by what we say than what we hear: He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' Mark 7:20 (NIV) That is why the Bible makes such a big deal about what we confess. That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:9-10 (NIV) It is not enough to believe. We must confess. The implication is we don't really believe it until we say it. We are changed more by what we say than what we hear. This is why Jesus asked Peter, "Who do you say that I am?" It is not like Jesus did not know. He knew that when Peter said, "You are the Christ" he would believe--really believe--and be changed by that message. This is why I believe so...

All Jesus did that day was tell stories—a long storytelling afternoon. Matthew 13:34 (MSG) Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables. Matthew 13:34 (NLT) Again Jesus used stories as illustrations when he spoke to them. He said, Matthew 22:1 (GW) Where to find good stories I try to spend about half the time I spend in preparation in formal preparation--reading commentaries and what not. The other half I try to spend in reading trade books. I try to read story-rich authors--people like John Ortberg, John Maxwell and John Ortberg. Did I mention John Ortberg? I really like him. I used to listen to a lot of cassettes, back in the day. Then, CDs, now podcasts. Great thing about podcasts: they are free! Who doesn't like free? I have listened to every sermon John Ortberg and Andy Stanley have preached in the last five years. All free, ...

I have said it before, I will say it again: I think Lifeway's Masterworks series is the best of the best. And, next quarter, it is the best of the best of the best. All literature published by any publisher struggles with the same problem: how do you find someone who can write something brilliant about the topic or text? Turns out, this is a very difficult task to do consistently. Masterworks has solved this problem in the following way. They don't try to find someone to write something brilliant. They find something that has already been written that is brilliant. The Masterworks lesson supplement I wrote today was on Beth Moore's book on Daniel. One could argue that Beth Moore is a brilliant writer. I'd agree. If she is writing the curriculum, how bad could it be? Masterworks gets this class of writers to write the literature every quarter. They take best selling Christian trade books and turn them into literature. It costs a little more, but it is great stuff! (OK, I...

I wrote a lesson on Psalm 73 recently: Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. Psalms 73:1-2 (NIV) Here is my paraphrase: I know God is good. . . in theory. But, my life pretty much stinks right now. Why doesn't God do something for me. . . NOW! I used this story from Warren Wiersbe's commentary: It was brought home to me when our first child was born. In the hospital God took that child. I only heard the cry of that little one. All she ever did in her life was cry. I shall never forget the day she died. Across the hall from where my wife was, there was a very wealthy couple who had a baby boy, and their rich friends came to celebrate with them. As I drove into the parking lot in my old beat-up Chevrolet, they all drove up in Cadillacs. They went into the hospital with their champagne and celebrated the birth of the little boy. He was ...