a parent’s perspective on small groups

I (Doug) have been a big believer in the power of small groups for the 30 years I’ve been involved in youth ministry. I’ve even written books and taught seminars on the importance of small groups within a healthy youth ministry. But today I’m giving the Matt the day off and I’m writing solo from the angle of DAD (instead of youth ministry veteran).

All three of my own children (21, 18, 15 years old) have been or are currently connected in a small group within our student ministry. The thankfulness that I feel for the men and women who have invested in their lives is too difficult to articulate. My children are deeper, more committed followers of Jesus because of the investment others have made in their lives. I’m so thankful for those incredible volunteers!

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... | small group resource from doug and matt:
... | TEN STEPS to launching and maintaining healthy small groups.
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Here are ten specific rewards that teenagers receive from the ministry of small group leaders:

1. Another significant adult is caring for them and cheering them on.
2. They are encouraged to grow spiritually on their own by someone other than mom/dad.
3. They find support during turbulent times in their life.
4. Presence at their sporting events or key activities.
5. Someone who is excited to see them at church.
6. Someone actually notices and misses them when they’re not at church or small group.
7. A caring friend leaves them voice messages "just because I was thinking of you."
8. They have a neutral adult who doesn't freak-out over bad grades.
9. They develop a "safe" person to talk to.
10. The small group leader becomes a tender, yet truthful voice when they need a little correcting.

If you are in need a job description to give to your volunteer small group leaders, you might want to edit/adjust/add-to this list! Pass it on to those who have said “yes” to the shepherding of teenagers within a small group setting. You don’t need to tell them it came from a youth ministry author, veteran pastor, etc… instead, tell them you got this list from a dad. A dad who adores his children and is thankful for people like them who come alongside parents and do something a dad can't do (even a dad with a lot of youth ministry experience).

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... | small group resource from doug and matt:
... | TEN STEPS to launching and maintaining healthy small groups.
............

[BTW: Matt has 5 small children all under the age of 8…he will learn to be very thankful for help during the teenage years too.]