Shaping environments where community emerges naturally Can you really create community through master plans and elaborate strategies? Sometimes, says Joseph Myers--but more often, lasting authentic connections occur organically within healthy environments. Organic Community offers you practical guidance for helping your church or organization create spaces where community naturally comes into being. "Once again, Myers hits a home run. Organic Community calls us all--church and congregants alike--to honesty about our goals and then offers us sophisticated, efficacious, and grace-filled ways to realize them."--Phyllis Tickle, contributing editor in religion, Publishers Weekly "Looking back on twenty-four years of church planting and pastoral ministry, I wish I had thoroughly digested Organic Community before I got started. It would have saved so much wasted energy--mine, and those whose lives I foolishly tried to 'master plan.' This is a book I will reread and widely recommend."--Brian McLaren, author, activist; brianmclaren.net "If a classic is something that has never finished what it has to say, then this little gem is a 'classic.'"--Leonard Sweet, E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism, Drew Theological School; distinguished visiting professor, George Fox University; www.wikiletics.com "Myers acknowledges that his is a different kind of how-to book. As much, or more, it is a how-not-to book that exposes fallacies inherent in common organizational policies and procedures, which are all the more destructive in organizations relying on volunteer efforts."--Ray Oldenburg, emeritus professor of sociology, the University of West Florida; author, The Great Good Place Joseph R. Myers is anentrepreneur, speaker, writer, and owner of FrontPorch, a consulting firm that helps churches, businesses, and other organizations promote and develop community. Author of The Search to Belong, Myers is also a founding partner of the communication arts group settingPace, based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Six Ways to Improve Your Balance as a Group Leader Leading a successful small group is like walking a tightrope. You traverse a taut, exciting line, balancing the dynamic tensions characteristic of every group. Drawing from the concept of "polarity management," Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson help you understand and deal with six dynamic areas every group leader must manage in order to create genuine, transforming small group community. Your group is in for unprecedented connection and growth when you harness the interplay between * Truth and Life * Care and Discipleship * Friendship and Accountability * Kindness and Confrontation * Task and People * Openness and Intimacy Effective, life-giving small groups learn how to embrace both ends of each continuum. Walking the Small Group Tightrope will strengthen your sense of balance, help you gain confidence as a leader, and show you how to release the untapped creative and relational energy in your group.

Whether you re a new or seasoned group leader, or whether your group is well-established or just getting started, the Making Your Small Group Work DVD and participant s guide (sold seperately) will lead you and your group together to a remarkable new closeness and effectiveness. Designed to foster healthy group interaction and facilitate maximum growth, this innovative approach equips both group leaders and members with essential skills and values for creating and sustaining truly life-changing small groups. Created by three group life experts, the two DVDs in this kit include: * Four sixty-minute sessions on the foundations of small groups that include teaching by the authors, creative segments, and activities and discussion time. * Thirteen five-minute coaching segments on topics such as active listening, personal sharing, giving and receiving feedback, prayer, calling out the best in others, and more. Formerly titled ReGroup."

Assessment and solution for seven common obstacles to building small groups. It s one thing to start a small group ministry. It s another to keep the groups in your church healthy and headed in the same direction. Whatever your church s approach may be---whether it is a church with groups or of groups--- sooner or later, as a leader, you ll need to do some troubleshooting. That s when the expert, to-the-point guidance in this book will prove its worth. The beauty of this book lies in its unique diagnostic process. It allows you to assess, diagnose, and correct seven common deadly sins that can drain the life from your church s small group ministry. In The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry, what would take you years to learn through trial and error is distilled into some of the most useful information you can find. Drawing on the knowledge they ve gleaned from working inside Willow Creek Community Church, from consulting with hundreds of churches, and from conducting conferences and seminars worldwide, small group experts Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson furnish you with proven, real-life solutions to the toughest problems in your small group ministry. This is not theory---it is hands-on material you can read and apply today."

Like nothing else, small groups have the power to change lives. They re the ideal route to discipleship---a place where the rubber of biblical truth meets the road of human relationships. This updated and revised third edition of the bestselling Leading Life-Changing Small Groups handbook helps small group leaders learn the basics of leading a successful small group. Regardless of whether a person is leading for the first time or has been for years, this resource will help a small group leader more effectively facilitate group discussion and encourage and support group members in a way that leads to authentic and lasting life change. The unique, ready-reference format highlights the requirements and responsibilities of a small group leader, gives helpful insight into the process of group formation and answers practical questions about meeting preparation and how to encourage group participation. It includes a model for discipleship within a small group and suggestions for dealing with some of the common roadblocks and struggles that most groups encounter. This workbook can be used as a stand-alone resource to train coaches or partnered with the eight-session training videos taught by the author, available on the Equipping Life-Changing Small Groups DVD (sold separately). For those who want to lead small groups with excellence and truly witness life change in their small groups, this go-to guide offers practical answers and inspiring examples."

Small groups transform churches---and lives. Small group leaders often feel the weight of shepherding their small group members. But who shepherds the shepherd? Small group coaches fill a unique role by providing support and guidance for group leaders. When you re called to coach a small group leader in your church, your mind may be filled with questions: Am I godly enough? What do I have to offer? How do I begin? Although the challenge seems immense, Bill Donahue and Greg Bowman break down the work of coaching small group leaders into achievable steps. This expanded and updated edition offers field-tested and biblically supported advice on such topics as modeling a surrendered life to those you coach, gaining the tools and wisdom you need for coaching, and helping leaders grow spiritually. This workbook can be used as a stand-alone resource to train coaches, or it can be used with the training videos taught by the authors, available on the Equipping Life-Changing Small Groups DVD (sold separately). For those who want to coach with excellence and truly help small group leaders thrive, this go-to guide offers practical answers and inspiring examples. You ll find both challenge and promise in these pages as you learn to carry forth your God-given calling with confidence."

Our hearts were made for deep, authentic relationships---for community with others. And like nothing else, small groups provide the kind of life-giving community that builds and empowers the body of Christ and impacts the world. In this book, part of the Groups That Grow series of small group resources, authors Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson provide guidance for the strategic decisions that must be made to establish, develop and grow a thriving small group ministry in the local church. In Building a Life-Changing Small Group Ministry, they answer questions like: * Which approach or model for small group ministry is best for my church? * Who has responsibility for the ministry and how are they supported? * How do I organize the groups and coach the leaders? * Where do I find leaders and what kind of training do they need? * How do I guide people toward community life? What are the pathways and events that move people to become part of a small group? * What kinds of groups should we offer? * How do you multiply groups and launch new groups? * How do we define success in this ministry? As you work through the questions in each chapter you ll develop a coherent, strategic plan for building and leading the small group ministry at your church. And whether you are establishing a new ministry or transitioning from older models of small group ministry that are no longer effective today, you ll benefit from the time-tested wisdom of the authors. This workbook can be used as a stand-alone resource or it can be used with the five-session training videos taught by the authors available on the Equipping Life-Changing Small Groups DVD (sold separately)."

Matt is a lonely outdoorsman who begins his life anew in the wilderness after losing his wife, children, and farm in a flood years ago. One day Matt happens upon Sam, a photographer, and his dog, Moses. These city dwellers have traveled to Matt's neck of the woods to shoot pictures for "Our World" magazine. Matt saves Sam and Moses from a confrontation with a famished black bear and introduces them to his pet eagle, Quickshaw.

Sam, Moses, Matt, and Quickshaw become great friends and share numerous adventures that lead to an exciting discovery-an underground water passage that connects to a hidden city. Its human inhabitants believe theirs is the only civilization in existence. Once word reaches the public about the secret city, fortune hunters want to find its location, believing it to be a source of great wealth. But the real treasure is the love these people have for each other and the peaceful harmony in which they live.

The city holds an intriguing secret that renews Matt's interest in finding his family, presumed to be dead. Could they possibly be alive after all this time? Matt has some big decisions to make, and hopefully he can stand by them .

Incorporating a mixture of poetry and intriguing short stories, author Bill Donahue invites you into his captivating fictional world with these four heartwarming tales. "Two Little Men (Jacob and Caleb)"-Robert and Rhonda Benson and their two sons, Jacob and Caleb, are on vacation, when Mr. Benson is summoned home for business. Days later, panicked because she hasn't heard from her husband, Mrs. Benson learns that her husband's plane went down and has not yet been located. As soon as they have a chance, Mr. Benson's "two little men" set out to locate-and rescue-their dad. "Tess, Tamantha, Tamony"-Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth are the proud new parents of a beautiful little girl named Tess. But on their way home from the hospital, the family is caught in a terrible storm, and eventually, a deadly car accident. But what happened to baby Tess? "The Invisible Planet"-When "Harry" misses a turn and drives his car straight off a cliff, he plummets into an alien world. He has no idea how he survived or how far he is from home, but he quickly discovers that what matters the most in life is that he understand the life-altering message about God's plan for his life . "The Creation of Ky"-When Ky, a seemingly typical fly, meets Professor Ly, the two become partners in a series of adventures working for the CIA.

The book is designed to read to, or by children, young adults, or anyone who likes to read. It is a story about a very old and unusual bed that has been all over the world and in many famous hotels and now owned by an elder lady. To her grandchildren and those close to her as, "Grandma." Her grandchildren always wondered how that many stories could have come from such a small book. The book had no title or pictures on the front cover, and grandma never shared pictures from inside the book for there weren't any. The children have tried to find the book while Grandma was out, however it is never seen, only at bedtime and only in Grandma's hands. Grandma's granddaughter finds the secret after Grandma's death. The bed was the storyteller all the time. Just as the children, and anyone else who heard the stories, Grandma also was hearing them for the first time. Volume number one is the beginning of and explanation of Grandma's Bed being the storyteller from it's many different hotels, and stories only it would know because it was there. The stories have many twist and turns. There are stories of happiness, sadness, compassion, surprise, tenderness, suspense, Etc. Granddaughter Melinda takes over Grandma's bedroom and Grandma's role as the reader of the bedtime stories that the children quickly gather to hear at Grandma's bedside every night.

Connect. Change. Cultivate. These three words can simplify the vital work of a small group leader. Bill Search, small groups pastor for one of the nation's largest churches, lays out these three "patterns" for success that don't lock you into one approach, the latest fad, or complicated procedures. These biblically grounded C's can make whatever small group model you like best work better. Whether you're a first-time facilitator or a seasoned veteran, a pastor or a volunteer leader, applying these principles will enrich the spiritual life of any small group. "Too often we complicate what God designed to be very simple. Fortunately, Bill Search has peeled back much of the complexity that often gets built into ministry, as he explains small groups as an essential but simple concept. Simple Small Groups is liberally sprinkled with the stories and quips of a small groups pastor who is first and foremost a clear and insightful communicator."--Steve Gladen, pastor of Small Groups Community, Saddleback Church "This simple, user-friendly book with a truly modern approach can help your church and small groups achieve harmony and balance, while helping to overcome obstacles that create dysfunction. Transform your ministry!"--Dave Stone, senior minister, Southeast Christian Church "What I like most about Simple Small Groups is its smart fusion between philosophy and practice. This is neither a dense theological treatment, nor a simplistic how-to manual. Rather, it's the best of both."--Jason Malec, director of Starting Point, North Point Community Church "Through stories that we all can relate to and principles learned through years of group life experience, Bill shares a mind-set that is easilyunderstandable, and easily applied and customized to groups of all types."--Mike Hurt, former small groups pastor at McClean Bible Church, Washington, DC; senior pastor, Parkway Church, Victoria, TX "Bill does a great job addressing the practical struggles with small group life. It's a great book for real 'rubber meets the road' evaluation of ministry."--Brandon Guindon, executive pastor, Real Life Ministries

What images come to mind when you hear the name "Jesus"? Religious icon? Mystical guru? Maybe he's the figure in the stained-glass window at church, or in the painting hanging in the hallway of your grandmother's house. Bill Donahue spent years asking these questions, and the Jesus he eventually met was not merely an ancient sage but the living, breathing Son of God. He found himself captivated by Jesus' teaching, embraced by his love and disarmed by his grace. And so in this book, the author brings to life the many facets of who Jesus is and what his work in the world is all about. Written in forty brief segments with opportunities for personal reflection and dialogue with God, In the Company of Jesus makes ideal daily reading. This book is a companion to the Jesus 101 series and elaborates on the ideas found in those studies. This winsome approach to Jesus will expand your ideas about who he is and draw you into his very presence. Whether you are meeting Jesus for the first time or you've known him for many years, you'll find new insights from time spent in the company of Jesus.

El manual de grupos pequenos que ha sido un exito de libreria con mas de 100.000 ejemplares vendidos. AHORA ACTUALIZADO. Como ninguna otra cosa, los grupos pequenos tienen el poder de cambiar vidas. Son la ruta ideal al discipulado; un lugar donde el caucho de la verdad biblica se encuentra con el pavimento de las relaciones personales humanas. Durante seis anos Bill Donahue proveyo capacitacion y recursos para los lideres de los grupos pequenos, de modo que la iglesia Willow Creek pudiera desarrollarse hasta llegar a ser una iglesia de grupos pequenos. Ahora esta dedicado a producir herramientas que ayudaran a los lideres de la iglesia a perseguir el mismo objetivo: proveer un lugar en la comunidad para toda persona de su congregacion. En Liderando cambios de vida, Donahue y su equipo presentan de un modo profundo las nociones practicas que han hecho tan eficaz el ministerio de grupos pequenos en Willow Creek. Una guia de referencia comprehensiva y lista para los lideres de grupos pequenos. El formato singular y con referencias listas de este libro le da a los lideres de grupos pequenos, pastores, lideres iglesia, educadores y asesores una nocion practica de: * La formacion del grupo y los valores * Los requisitos y responsabilidades del liderazgo * La filosofia y la estructura de los grupos pequenos * La preparacion y la participacion en las reuniones * El discipulado dentro del grupo * La capacitacion del liderazgo y mucho mas. Liderando cambios de vida le ofrece, tanto a un grupo individual como a todo un ministerio de grupos pequenos, la direccion comprensiva que necesita para cultivar grupos pequenos que cambian la vida asi como fructiferos seguidores de Cristo."