Podcasts about small group leaders

This week on the Small Group Leaders Podcast, Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Wade Inn share insights on guiding your groups as we launch our series, “Savage Savior: The Unexpected Heart of God."

In this episode, Jay and Chris discuss both launching (or relaunching after the summer break) and welcoming guests well. Don't miss Jay's stark discovery about guests and groups. As they talk about launching, they cover the importance of expecting guests, arriving early, and creating a welcoming environment that helps people feel at home. They also share practical suggestions for a successful launch, including praying, reaching out to everyone, and providing a few snacks. Listen in for helpful reminders and practical tips for starting the season strong and making guests feel welcome. Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.Lifetime Show NotesBrook Hills Pages:The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

Tune in to this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, where Pastor Alfredo Canencia Jr. and Jerrick Riveral share insights on guiding your groups as we conclude our series, “Chosen: The Life Of A Disciple."

In this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, Pastor Tim Ma and Chad Udani share insights on leading your groups in part three of our series, “Chosen: The Life Of A Disciple."

Check out this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Alfredo Canencia Jr. share insights on leading your groups in part two of our series, “Chosen: The Life Of A Disciple."

In this episode, Jay and Chris evaluate their own groups using a list of ten categories (see the list below). We discuss such things as disciple-making focus, the leader's personal example, welcoming guests and more. Listen in and find a couple of areas of improvement for your group in the upcoming year.Evaluate Your Group and Your LeadershipHere are ten best practices for healthy groups. Consider the last year and give yourself one point for each item. What do you need to work on for the upcoming year?Disciple-making Focus: I'm often thinking about how to help the people in my group take next steps toward maturity in Christ.My Example: I have a growing relationship with Christ, and I allow what I'm learning from Scripture to spill over into my teaching. Discussion: Our group meetings include meaningful discussion, and I intentionally work on crafting good questions.Inviting and Welcoming: We talk about inviting people to our group, have a plan for when guests visit, and discuss how to help them feel welcome.Consistency: We meet every week, even when we know there are only a few of us. We leverage the smaller meetings for more conversations and prayer.Through-the-Week Engagement: Our group doesn't just exist on Sundays. We are interacting with one another throughout the week.Effective Use of Time: We start on time, end on time, include at least 30 minutes of Bible study, and make time for prayer and relationship-building.Shared Leadership: As a leader, I don't do everything. We leverage people's gifts to help with leading, teaching, prayer, fellowship, missions, hosting, hospitality, and communication.Serving Together: We find ways to serve together as a group and also celebrate when group members serve individually.Prayer: We engage in prayer together as a group, allowing people to hear other group members pray for their requests.Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.Lifetime Show NotesBrook Hills Pages:The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

Tune in to this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, where Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Jennifer Matias share insights on guiding your groups as we reflect on the things God has been teaching us in the first half of the year. 

This week on the Small Group Leaders Podcast, Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Tim Ma share insights on guiding your groups as we launch our series, “Chosen: The Life of a Disciple."

Tune in to this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Kalae George share insights on leading your groups as we conclude our series, “Less Than Perfect: Flawed People, Faithful God."

This week on the Small Group Leaders Podcast, Pastor Wade and Rae Inn share insights on guiding your groups through part 3 of our series, “Less Than Perfect: Flawed People, Faithful God."

Check out this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Alfredo "Coach" Canencia, Jr. and Chad Udani share insights on leading your groups in part two of our series, “Less Than Perfect: Flawed People, Faithful God."

In this unique episode, Jay and Andy Noel sit down with Dr. Robert Coleman—author of The Master Plan of Evangelism—at his home in Wilmore, Kentucky. Their visit took place during the 2023 Asbury Revival; they missed the outpouring by just one day, but gained something just as meaningful: an intimate conversation with one of the most influential voices in disciple‑making.Dr. Coleman reflects on the heart behind The Master Plan of Evangelism, a book that may be even more about disciple‑making than evangelism itself. His insights are warm, wise, and deeply rooted in decades of walking with Jesus and training others to do the same.Listen in as this renowned leader shares what truly matters in making disciples who make disciples.Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.Lifetime Show NotesBrook Hills Pages:The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

Tune in to this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy and Naomi Lile share insights on leading your groups as we kick off our new series, “Less Than Perfect: Flawed People, Faithful God."

This week on the Small Group Leaders Podcast, Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Alfredo Canencia Jr. share insights on guiding your groups through the final part of our series, “Closer: Removing Relational Barriers.”

Check out this week on the Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy Lile and Chad Udani share insights on guiding your groups through the fourth installment of our series, “Closer: Removing Relational Barriers.”

This week on the Small Group Leaders Podcast, Pastor Tim Ma and Pastor Kalae George share insights on guiding your groups through the third part of our series, “Closer: Removing Relational Barriers.”

In this episode, Jay and Chris discuss two types of questions from two recently published articles, one from the Navigators and one from Church Leaders. The first part of the podcast deals with what the Navigators article describes as "Storytelling Questions", defined as questions that allow people to reveal who they are. These questions help build community in groups which also aids in disciple-making. The second part of the podcast deals with good Bible study questions that help dig into both understanding and applying a Biblical passage. All group leaders should understand and use questions frequently because they help engage people in one another's lives and in their walk with Christ. Don't forget, at Brook Hills we produce a weekly Small Group Guide that focuses on Bible study questions. You can find that each week below the sermon at brookhills.org/sermons.Building Relationships in Small Groups, The NavigatorsTwenty Bible Dialogue Questions, Church Leaders Small Group EditionSee all our Great Groups podcasts.Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.Lifetime Show NotesBrook Hills Pages:The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

Tune in to this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Alfredo Canencia Jr. share insights on leading your groups in part two of our series, “Closer: Removing Relational Barriers.”

Check out this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Kalae George share insights on leading your groups as we launch our new series, “Closer: Removing Relational Barriers.”

Tune in as Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Kalae George remind Small Group Leaders that the mission doesn't end after the event—it's just the beginning. Through the story of the Road to Emmaus, they unpack how Jesus walked alongside people in relationship, patiently helping them grow in faith. The May 2026 Leadership Group Podcast challenges leaders to relentlessly follow up, invest in discipleship, and help people move from simply attending church to fully following Jesus. 

Tune into this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy Lile and Chad Udani share insights on leading your groups as we conclude our series, “The Return: Discerning the Signs of the Times.”

Check out this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy Lile and Lexan Lomibao share insights on leading your groups in part two of our series, “The Return: Discerning the Signs of the Times.”

In this episode, Jay and Chris talk with Alan Chappell and Chris Welsh about how their group is going to launch a new group out of theirs. You'll hear their reasoning and how they've gone about it. Jay will also share eight reasons for starting new groups. Listen in and start thinking about how your group could follow in their footsteps.Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.Lifetime Show NotesBrook Hills Pages:The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

Tune in to this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Tim Ma share insights on leading your groups as we kick off our latest series, “The Return: Discerning the Signs of the Times.”

Don't miss this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast! Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Wade Inn share great insight on how to lead your groups strong after Easter weekend—lean in and get equipped!

Volunteer Leaders are so crucial to a healthy youth ministry. But as you recruit, should you focus more on older leaders? Or younger leaders? In this debate style episode we have two leaders make their case on both sides of the aisle! Let's dive in, together! [FREE] HYBRID STRATEGY GUIDE https://www.patreon.com/posts/complete-guide-142500019?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Caroline and Lily's group hit a week when only one person was present. It was time for a reset to the faithful attendance they had all agreed upon. Listen and hear what they did, and also get ten tips for promoting faithful participation in your group. Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.Lifetime Show NotesBrook Hills Pages:The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

Tune in to this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Alfredo "Coach" Canencia Jr. share insights on leading your groups in the final week of our series "The Mission: God's Calling, Your Purpose."

Small Group Leaders are the life-blood of any good student ministry. But what is our most effective strategy to deploy them? Is it to saddle a great leader with students for their entire careeer? Or is it rather to introduce students to great leaders along their journey? In this first debate style episode we have two amazing youth pastors, on two different sides of the argument, and they're going head to head, and you get to be the voter! [FREE] HYBRID STRATEGY GUIDE https://www.patreon.com/posts/complete-guide-142500019?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

In this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, Chad Udani and Jerrick Riveral share insights on leading your groups in the third week of our series "The Mission: God's Calling, Your Purpose."

Join Jay and Chris as we celebrate 150 Episodes, reveal some fun info about the location of our listeners, share some of our favorite podcasts, and discuss some wandering thoughts like Biblical radicalization & personal ministry. Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills.Lifetime Show NotesBrook Hills Pages:The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

Check out this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy and Naomi Lile share insights on leading your groups in the second week of our series "The Mission: God's Calling, Your Purpose."

Check out this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy andPastor Tim Ma share insights on leading your groups as we launch our new series, "The Mission: God's Calling, Your Purpose."

Tune into this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy and Naomi Lile share insights on leading your groups in the final installment of our latest series, "REALationships: Authentic Relationships in a World of Artificial.”

In this episode, Jay and Chris share a couple of their book recommendations before playing a recording of "Pastor Matt's Library" from our Fall Small Group Leader Gathering. Listen in for the first time or for a reminder of some good books you may be interested in reading.Send a textThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA Small Group Leader Resources Page Small Group Discipleship Resources Small Groups @ Brook Hills

Check out this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, where Pastor Billy Lile and Naomi Lile share insights on leading your groups in part four of our latest series, "REALationships: Authentic Relationships in a World of Artificial.”

In this episode, Jay and Chris share a couple of their life hacks before playing a recording from our Fall Small Group Leader Gathering where Pastor Matt and Jay share Life Hacks for Small Group Leaders. Listen in for the first time or for a reminder of some life hacks to make your group leadership more easy and effective.Send a textThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA Small Group Leader Resources Page Small Group Discipleship Resources Small Groups @ Brook Hills

In this episode, we will be talking about win number one, Daily Devotion to Jesus. We'll be sitting down with Alex Rodriguez, the National Director for Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, and the creator of the Six Wins of a Small Group Leader teaching. And then we will get to talk to Sara Torres, who has been a small group leader at Texas Tech University as an Undergrad, a Chi Alpha Intern and now as a Grad student, We will hear about what she has learned and how her devotional life has grown through three different seasons of leading students to Jesus on the college campus.

Tune in as Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Alfredo Canencia Jr. share insights on leading your groups in part three of our latest series, "REALationships: Authentic Relationships in a World of Artificial.”

Listen to this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Alfredo Canencia Jr. share insights on leading your groups in part two of our latest series, "REALationships: Authentic Relationships in a World of Artificial.”

Tune in to this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy Lile and Pastor Tim Ma share insights on leading your groups as we launch our latest series, "REALationships: Authentic Relationships in a World of Artificial.”

Listen to this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Alfredo "Coach"  Canencia Jr. and Pastor Billy Lile share insights on leading your groups in the final installment of our series, "Itʻs All Good: Our Part In Godʻs Story."

Tune into this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Wade Inn and Pastor Billy Lile share insights on leading your groups in part three of our new series, "Itʻs All Good: Our Part In Godʻs Story."

Check out this week's Small Group Leaders Podcast, as Pastor Billy Lile and Lexan Lomibao share insights on leading your groups in part two of our new series, "Itʻs All Good: Our Part In Godʻs Story."

In this episode, Jay and Chris talk about getting a strong start to 2026. Listen in and see if you've thought of these ways to start strong.1. Pray for your group: spiritual maturity, life-giving meetings, and new people.2. Plan some catch-up time after the holiday break.3. Remind the group of the mission.     Love Jesus, Grow in Jesus, Make Disciples of Jesus     Group Purposes: Disciple-making, Community & Mission     Long-term: New groups and developing leadership.4. Establish better rhythms as a leader: Prep time, contacting absentees, sharing group prayer requests, personally praying for group members, etc.5. Identify areas of improvement for your group. Then, map out the route with specific plans. Seek input from group members, spouse, other leaders.6. Plan your welcome. Be ready for guests. Send us a textThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA Small Group Leader Resources Page Small Group Discipleship Resources Small Groups @ Brook Hills

In this episode, Jay and Chris are joined by Laura Chramer offering color commentary as we all discuss a set of questions used to evaluate your group. Jay discovered the questions in an article by Josh Hunt on the Small Group Network. We added a few from the staff and also asked AI, so the list of questions is immense. Don't feel overwhelmed by this. One comment on the podcast is that you'll have a great group if you teach for transformation, build community, and live on mission as a group. If you'd like to look through the questions as you think about the effectiveness of your group, just click the link below.Small Group Evaluation QuestionsSend us a textThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA Small Group Leader Resources Page Small Group Discipleship Resources Small Groups @ Brook Hills

In this episode, Sam interviews Michael Kelley of the Rooted Network. They discuss three essentials that every great small group leader should consistently practice. These simple but powerful habits can transform any group into a place of authentic community and spiritual growth. The post Three Things Every Church Small Group Leader Should Be Doing appeared first on Church Answers.

In this episode, Jay and Chris are joined by Laura Chramer offering color commentary as we all discuss a set of questions used to evaluate your group. Jay discovered the questions in an article by Josh Hunt on the Small Group Network. We added a few from the staff and also asked AI, so the list of questions is immense. Don't feel overwhelmed by this. One comment on the podcast is that you'll have a great group if you teach for transformation, build community, and live on mission as a group. If you'd like to look through the questions as you think about the effectiveness of your group, just click the link below.Small Group Evaluation QuestionsSend us a textThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA Small Group Leader Resources Page Small Group Discipleship Resources Small Groups @ Brook Hills

These 5 Shifts in my approach to volunteers revolutionized by youth ministry. These aren't quick hacks — they're the foundational principles that changed my thinking but they led to real, measurable growth. The best news of all, not for me in the moment, but you is that each of these shifts were like levels in a video game that come with the big bad boss of a failure story that I had to defeat, from one of my 15 years in youth ministry, each boss becoming more and more epic, the final one left me questioning not only my job, but my career in ministry.

In Today's Episode: Jay and Chris sit down with guests John Mark and Keilah Carter to chat about life, leadership, and what's happening in their Small Group. It's always fun to hear from fellow leaders—and maybe even steal a few good ideas!We start by learning about John Mark and Keilah's backgrounds, work, and hobbies before diving into a rich conversation about their group . Topics include:Their current Bible study and favorite resourcesThe different roles people play in their groupHow they do community nights and global missionsScripture memorization and why it mattersGroup meeting format and use of breakout groupsEvangelism and sharing their faithGroup leadership succession and changesThere's a lot to unpack in this episode—so come join the conversation and get inspired to your own group well!Send us a textThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA Small Group Leader Resources Page Small Group Discipleship Resources Small Groups @ Brook Hills