SG² Steve Gladen on Small Groups

Three Seasons of Ministry: What I Wish I Had Known Part 1: Starting Steve Gladen has served as the Global Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church since 1998. He oversees the strategic launch and development of over 7,000 adult small groups on multiple campuses. Steve has authored “Small Groups With Purpose,” which has been translated into eight languages to date, and “Leading Small Groups With...

This is a special episode provided to us by the Northeast Regional Leader, Chip Kelly. To set this up, Chip Kelly hosted an online Huddle where he invited other leaders along with Steve Gladen to discuss topics and issues about small group ministry leadership.  Enjoy!! ★ Support this podcast ★

Q How do you measure the fruitfullnes of small group ministry? How do you decide what metrics to you use? If you or anyone on your team are asking these questions, then you’ve come to the right place! Bill Willits is the Executive Director of Ministry Environments for North Point Ministries. NPM is the parent organization of six Atlanta churches (Including North Point Community Church) as well as...

Q Do you desire to be the best leader you can be? Would you like to strengthen the weaker areas of your leadership? Do you want to influence people like never before and help elevate your team to new heights? If your answer is "Yes," then you’ve come to the right place! Jenni Catron is the author of several books including " The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership. " She is also a leadership...

Q As a small group point person, how am I cultivating my own relationship with the Lord? Q How do I create a culture of discipleship within my small group ministry? If you or anyone on your team is wrestling with these questions, you’ve come to the right place! Reid Smith has been equipping group leaders for effective disciple-making since 1996. He was a part of the Small Group Network from the be...

Q How do you define discipleship? How do you know that people are actually being discipled through small groups? If you or anyone on your team is wrestling with these questions, you’ve come to the right place! Reid Smith has been equipping group leaders for effective disciple-making since 1996. He was a part of the Small Group Network from the beginning, serving as the Area Leader for the Northwes...

Q How do you change culture & lead effective small group ministry when your lead pastor or senior leadership may not be entirely on board? How can you align your small groups (House to house movement) to compliment your weekend services (Temple courts)? If you or anyone on your team is wrestling with these questions, you've come to the right place! Steve Gladen has served as the Global Pastor...

Q What is the difference between small groups and support groups? How do we care for the people in our small groups in ways that are healthy without becoming therapists for them? How do we keep small groups on track for their intended purpose? If you or anyone on your team is wrestling with these questions, you've come to the right place! Jon Noto serves as Community Life Pastor at one of Willow C...

Q What is the difference between small groups and support groups? How do we care for the people in our small groups in ways that are healthy without becoming therapists for them? How do we keep small groups on track for their intended purpose? If you or anyone on your team is wrestling with these questions, you've come to the right place! Jon Noto serves as Community Life Pastor at one of Willow C...

Daniel Thomas is the Campus Pastor & Director of Adult Ministries at Highlands Fellowship Church in Abingdon, Virginia. Prior to that role, Daniel served as Highland's Small Groups Director and Leadership Development Pastor. He is the Small Group Network Regional Leader for the Atlantic Coast. In this month’s “Group Talk” podcast, Host Carolyn Taketa talks with Daniel about the following topic...

If you are interested in learning about how online groups can help you & your church fulfill its mission of reaching the un-churched & making disciples, then you've come to the right place! Jay Kranda is the Online Campus Pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. The Online Campus includes over 20,000 people every week and 1,800 small groups, of which 40% are online. Jay is also the...

The world is becoming increasingly complex, while at the same time becoming increasingly interconnected. The reality is that with each revolution the planet Earth makes around the sun, our countries, cities and communities look less and less like they used to. The world is a very different place than it was 50 years ago. There is a great migration taking place in many parts of the world, and the b...

Diversity is a beautiful thing. People, cultures, perspectives and ideas come in all shapes, sizes, colors and variations, adding tremendous depth and value the tapestry of life we're all part of. And just like people, cultures, perspectives and ideas, personalities also come in all shapes, sizes, colors and variations. This, too, is a beautiful thing, However, problems tend to surface when we fai...

Millennials... Flaky. Inconsistent. Non-Commital. Inauthentic. Insert your own adjective here _______.  All terms frequently used when the millennial generation enters the conversation. However, even for as much as there may be threads of truth woven into stereotype personas, the reality is many millennials are quite the opposite of how they are often portrayed.  Many are dependable, consistent an...

Albert Einstein once said, "everything must be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." When it comes to designing and implementing systems for your church's Small Groups Ministry, you'd be hard pressed to find truer words spoken.  Whether you're a groups ministry veteran or brand new to the groups world, the constant challenge at every level of your ministry will not necessarily be "what" yo...

Building a team. Developing a playbook. Identifying wins. All fundamentals of any effective football team. But would you believe they're also some of the same foundational principles that will greatly determine success in small group ministry?   In this month's Group Talk, Carolyn Taketa talks with Small Group Network Founder, Steve Gladen, about the core strategies that are crucial on both the fo...

Neil Sedaka was right. Breaking up IS hard to do. But sometimes, breaking up is necessary. While Neil probably didn't have your small group in mind when he wrote his deceptively sweet heart break anthem in the 60's, he very well could have! Sometimes, the question isn't "if" you should end your small group, but rather "how". What are some indicators that it is time to break up? What if people don'...

Because we are all Small Groups Ministry practitioners on some level, it is easy to unwittingly assume that everyone else is just like... "us". They value what we value, think how we think, want what we want and respond how we respond. The truth is, most of us are sitting on the proverbial front row, with rows and rows of "them" behind us... different personalities, different experiences, differen...

Challenging seasons of life are inevitable. It is never a question of "if" they will occur, but rather "when". When life gets tough, it is often how we respond to the challenges we're faced with that shape us more than the situation itself. Particularly as a leader, it is in those times when living with vulnerability and authenticity can have the biggest impact on leading with vulnerability. In th...

Summer is a time when is seems like everyone’s schedule gets turned upside down, making it hard for your groups to meet consistently. However, with just a little creativity and planning, the Summer months could present your groups with a unique opportunity to focus on outreach and connect with the local community in extremely effective ways An effective outreach strategy could very well be lying r...

Kay Warren is the co-founder of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA with her husband Rick Warren as well as the founder and advocate of the HIV & AIDS initiative at Saddleback and around the world. She is an international speaker, best selling author, and bible teacher. Kay’s latest book, “Choose Joy, because happiness isn’t enough” was published in 2012. After their son, Matthew, took his li...

Many of us have stepped into existing small groups ministries to add new support, leadership and vision to what was already there. But what about creating a groups ministry at a church where one didn’t necessarily already exist?   Ministry buzzwords are a dime a dozen, but actually having to implement ideas and vision to relaunch a groups ministry can be a real challenge. It’s crucial to get your...

Are you looking for the silver bullet for your groups ministry? Then keep looking, because this isn't the Group Talk for you. But if you're willing to sit and listen, learn, and digest, this edition of Group Talk will help you think outside of your box. You have something to learn from the Mid-Sized Community movement. Get your notepad ready. ★ Support this podcast ★

The sage prophet Benjamin Franklin once said "a failure to plan is a plan to fail." Every day of every year, teams and leaders across the world read that perennial quote in bewilderment, wondering "how did he KNOW?!?" If you've ever been there and felt the weight of the failure to plan, this month's Group Talk is for you! The million dollar question is always "how do I establish goals, plot my pat...

Listen to the host of Group Talk, Carolyn Taketa interview Mark Howell , the Pastor of Communities at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada.   ·       ★ Support this podcast ★