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As leaders, we're called to make disciples. So, let's continually look for fresh ideas that help people take their next steps toward maturity in Christ. Here's one idea Jay learned from a colleague that helps group members verbalize the next step they'll take based on their group study. Chris and Jay trade stories from life and ministry, then land on a simple small group practice that turns Bible study into real-world obedience. We want our groups to aim beyond good teaching and build a culture of transformation, next steps, and steady growth.  • quick catch up on family, travel, and real life pressures that shape leadership  • five core competencies (see below) • a practical disciple-making habit: end group by breaking into twos or threes to name application  • why speaking intentions out loud helps truth move from head to heart  • using soft accountability and weekly challenges to support follow through  • cautions about breakouts becoming side groups and how to keep it temporary  • remembering that everyone is in a different spiritual place and avoiding putting people on the spot  • modeling spiritual maturity as a journey rather than perfection  put some of these things into practice, give them a try.  As promised, here are Pastor Matt's Five Core Competencies of a BH Group Leader: 1. Knowledge of God 2. Character 3. Teaching Ability 4. Encouragement of Others 5. Team Mentality In upcoming podcasts, you can hear Matt talk about knowledge of God. We'll also meet with Parker Snider to review the Brook Hills Group Values. Send us Fan Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

More topics were discussed on this podcast episode than any other. Jay had heard Alex tell church guests about groups and was eager to host him and Chandra on the podcast along with Chris Amaro, of course. Here's what all we discussed: merging people with differing life stages or circumstances into a group, how Alex uses the Group Guide to prepare to lead a session, Shawn Ryan's journey and long podcasts, why people need community, dealing with levels of participation in groups, volunteers enlisting volunteers, special-needs families, welcoming, a posture of serving and how it changes everything, and probably a few more things! Listen in for some ideas about making your group great! Send us Fan Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

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 Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

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 Leadership Here 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 Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

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 Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

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 Navigators Twenty Bible Dialogue Questions, Church Leaders Small Group Edition See all our Great Groups podcasts. Send us Fan Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

In this episode, Jay and Chris talk with co-leaders Alan Chappell and Chris Welsh about their group's plan to launch a new group. Their group has become pretty large. You'll hear their reasoning and how they've gone about it. Jay will also share eight compelling reasons for starting new groups. Tune in and consider how your own group might take similar steps toward growth and multiplication. Send us Fan Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

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 Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

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 Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

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 us Fan Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

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 us Fan Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

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 Fan Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall 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 Questions Send us Fan Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall 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 Questions Send us Fan Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

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 Fan Mail Thanks 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, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills