My peers and I have collaborated on a short new book entitled Be a Catalyst: Start a New Group. It is available for Kindle download. Here are the chapter titles and authors:
- Introduction: Start New Groups, Bob Mayfield, Oklahoma
- Chapter 1: Why Start New Groups, Kiely Young, Mississippi
- Chapter 2: Finding Your Target, David Bond, Arkansas
- Chapter 3: Show Them the Apprentice!, Darryl Wilson, Kentucky
- Chapter 4: Forming New Group, Mark Miller, Tennessee
- Chapter 5: When and Where New Groups Begin, Jeff Ingram, Louisiana
- Chapter 6: Next Steps, Sean Keith, Louisiana.
This is a great companion piece for Extreme Sunday School Challenge: Engaging Our World Through New Groups by Bruce Raley and David Francis of LifeWay Christian Resources. The chapters in this resources include the following:
- Introduction: It’s Time to Engage the World through New Groups
- Chapter 1: The Potential
- Chapter 2: The Essentials
- Chapter 3: The Opportunities
- The Challenge.
A significant premise for Be a Catalyst: Start a New Group is that a new groups movement is needed, and new groups are best started through the prayerful efforts of a catalyst. Here is a definition of a new groups catalyst listed on page 2:
Most groups need someone to encourage them to begin a new group and provide some form of accountability. Although is seems that starting a new group is a natural thing for an existing group to do, the reality is very few groups ever initiate starting a new group on their own. Almost always, a person outside the group helps initiate the beginning of a new group. Often, this person is the pastor and/or Sunday School director. This new group’s catalyst is a critical part of a new group’s movement in a local church.
In a similar way, new groups cannot start without leaders for the new groups. To read most of my chapter, Show Them the Apprentice!, check out these Sunday School Leader blog posts:
A new groups movement and one new group begin the same way: in prayer. I recently called people to join me in praying for a new groups movement and for MORE:
Are you willing to be a catalyst? Are you willing to start a group? Are you willing to start a movement? Make disciples. Be revolutionary!
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