Here are the elements I’ve found essential for a great group:

A great group needs a leader. When everyone is always voting on what we do next, we never do much. A good leader makes for a good group.
A great group is built around God’s word. Too often, small groups become all about fellowship. While fellowship is always essential, doing life around God’s word is what truly makes the difference.
A great group is a safe group. If people can’t discuss openly without fear of judgment, rejection, or gossip, the group is …

I found this on Lifeway.com and it is a great help in dealing with difficult people in your church.  (Your church does have at least one difficult person, right?!)
Can you identify any of these folk in your church?
Brooks Faulkner, Pastoral Ministry Specialist, at LifeWay Christian Resources, identifies nine types of difficult people and the usual effect they have on people.

The sherman tank will run right over you.
The star performer is entitled to your preferential treatment.
The megaphone will talk your ear off.
The bubble buster deflates everyone’s enthusiasm.
The volcano has temper like Mt. …

One of the dreadful consequences of division is lack of successful evangelism. Division depletes and diminishes our ability to reach those far from God. In Jesus’ prayer for unity, he asks:
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:20-21)
Unity enhances and extends our influence to …

The New Testament makes it clear that it is God’s will for every person to grow up and become spiritually mature. It is also clear that spiritual maturity doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a journey that we’ll be engaged in for the rest of our lives. These gatherings are designed to help you take the next steps in your spiritual growth. There are all kinds of habits we need to develop as we grow to spiritual maturity. We’ll focus on the habits and skills that are foundational to the life of …

HOPE Fest will be held Saturday, July 18 from 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. The RiverPoint Church Worship Band will be playing at 1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.
What Is Hope Fest?
A coalition of area community groups, churches and local organizations are joining together to provide HOPE Fest 2009. According to organizers, participants can enjoy the free KidZone with inflatable games, juggler, clown, hand painting, and pirates to duel! Free haircuts, oil changes for single moms and widows, jars of peanut butter & jelly, clothing, and live music from area artists, …

This is one of the greatest events in the history of RiverPoint Church! This event lines up with one of our core values, SERVICE: The church will see its greatest influence by being servants to the community. We will constantly strive to reach out to our community with acts of kindness for the purpose of showing the love of Christ.

Today was our first Car Care Saturday event and it was GREAT!
Over 50 of our volunteers gathered at the RiverPoint Church campus.
We serviced over 70 cars.
The service included…
Airing up tires.
Checking …

Every church has a different process for leading new followers of Jesus Christ to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. As I’ve prayed about what our church might do in this area, I think it should be simple. So, here’s some of my ideas.

Encourage them to continue attending your church every week.
Give them a Bible (NIV, Life Application Study) & Daily Bible reading program.
Encourage them to join a small group within your church to encourage and teach them.
Teach them about Biblical baptism.
Ask someone in their small group to partner …

I’ve recently been thinking about my prayer life and what I’ve been praying for since we started RiverPoint Church. It’s awesome to see when God begins to answer those prayers. At first I was pretty impatient because I wanted things NOW! But now, I’m seeing God work and answer in HIS time which is perfect.
Here’s a couple of things I’ve been praying over and how God’s answered my prayers.

A Band – When we first started the church we used CD tracks and iWorship videos. I hated that stuff. About a …

A couple of days ago there was a lot of traffic on Twitter about LIFEGroups (small groups). From what I read, there are many churches that are struggling with groups and only a handfull that are doing them well. I can say from experience, RiverPoint Church hasn’t done the best job of getting groups started either. When we first got off the ground, I felt like we started groups too soon, but we started them anyway and prayed they would work. Well, some of them did, but others either got …

I love my wife. I’ve been married for 12 years and she still loves me. Sal has always been a caring, giving, loving and has always had a huge heart. But late last night, she amazed me. We were in Wichita, KS and had to stop by the grocery store to pick up some baby stuff. When she went to check out, her cashier was a young, pregnant high school girl. The girl asked my wife questions like, “how long does this formula stuff last?”, and “where can …