When done well, meals can be a formative disciple-making tool, yet many groups choose not to do them because they assume that they're too expensive and too much work. In this episode, Groups Director, Trevor Nashleanas, explains the importance and power of meals, and how to do them well.
Effective groups tend to have effective rhythms. But how do you know which rhythm to implement in your group? In this episode, City Groups Director, Trevor Nashleanas, offers three principles to consider and assesses three common approaches to group rhythms.
In this episode, Groups Director, Trevor Nashleanas talks about the three different kinds of group leaders, and three things you need to know to become the kind of group leader people will follow.
What Kind of Group Leader Are You Summary
Getting Beneath the Surface - A Guide for Effective Follow Up
At Citylight, we want our groups to be missional communities, teams of missionaries who labor together to make disciples among their relational networks. In this episode, Groups Director, Trevor Nashleanas, teaches four principles that will help you put the mission back into missional community.
Live like a Missionary Summary
Vision leaks. If you're not constantly reminding yourself and your group why you do what you do, your group will eventually start going through the motions as it slowly descends into death. Today, Jourdan Ficther, Groups Director at Providence Church in Omaha, Nebraska, talks with Sarah Buettenback, Groups Director at Citylight Midtown, about why its important to lead with vision, and how to do it.
Related episodes
The predominant image used for leadership through the Scriptures is that of a shepherd and his sheep. To lead biblically, group leaders must therefore understand how to shepherd people spiritually. In this episode, City Groups Director, Trevor Nashleanas, teaches on the importance and benefits of shepherd-leadership.
Book Recommendations on the topic of Shepherding
A group member just opened up about their pain. How you respond has the pontential to either heal the hurt or make it worse. That might sound overwhelming, but with a little effort, your group can turn that awkward moment into a real means of grace. In this episode, Citylight Groups Director, Trevor Nashleanas, shares three principles that will help you help hurting group members.
Jack Arant is the City Group OG. He's been a faithful presence in the Citylight Church Community for more than ten years, and in today's episode he reflects on lessons he's learned from Citylight's humble beginnings to its explosive multiplication. This episode is filled with wisdom that will benefit any leader, no matter how long they've been playing the leadership game.
Related Episodes
Developing Your Leadership Presence Part 1
Developing Your leadership Presence Part 2
Lessons Learned from 10 Years of Ministry with Gavin & Chris
What's the difference between an average group and an exceptional one? Are some people more anointed than others? Does it come down to raw talent? Is it possible for an average group to become exceptional? In this episode, Groups Director, Trevor Nashleanas will teach explain the three things that exceptional groups have in common.
Leaders who care about efficiency tend to lead alone. Leaders who care about longevity prefer to lead together. If you're the kind of leader who wants to excel in the long run, then you need to strengthen your team leadership muscles. In today's episode, City Groups Director Trevor Nashleanas will help you do that by teaching you the ins and outs of team leadership.
For nearly ten years, people could self-iniate the connections process at Citylight by reaching out to group leaders directly. After nearly a decade, we've changed our approach to inviting people into community. In this episode, City Groups Directors, Sarah Buettenback and Trevor Nashleanas sit down to talk about the changes we made and why.
Does your leadership fluctuate between seasons of pride and despair? If so, you might be suffering from the performance trap. In this episode, City Groups Director, Trevor Nashleanas, talks about what the performance trap is and what you can do to break free from it.
Breaking Free from the Performance Trap Discussion Guide
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
The Church is a God-centered community on mission, which means that every Christian is a missionary. In today's episode, Citylight's Global Missions Director, Luke Manna, talks about what group leaders can learn from our global partners.
You can connect with Luke at luke@citylightomaha.org.
To learn more about Citylight's Global Partners visit https://citylightomaha.org/global/
Nobody likes to have hard conversations. They're often awkward, tense, and uncomfortable. But if you lead long enough, you'll experience your fair share of them, and you'll need to know how to handle them well. In this episode, City Groups Director, Trevor Nashleanas, defines what hard conversations are, explains why they matter, and shares eight practical steps you can take to make those conversationsations fruitful instead of frustrating.
Hard Conversations Discussion Guide
Developing Your Leadership Presence Part 1
Developing Your Leadership Presence Part 2
A missional community is an outward facing group of Christians who gather for the sake of making disciples among their neighborhoods and networks. They are kingdom outposts where not-yet-believers can explore and learn about Jesus among Christians who are thoughtfully and intentionally engaging their neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and family members with the gospel. Unlike traditional small groups, missional communities know that the group does not exist for them. They are the group, and they exist for the world. In this episode, City Groups Director, Trevor Nashleanas, explores three simple ways that you can help your group become this kind of community.
Turning Your Small Group into a Missional Community Discussion Guide
Missional Community Prayer Guide
A Field Guide for Everyday Mission - A great resource for group discussions, huddles, or personal development. If your group is serious about becoming more missional, this guide provides dozens of tools to help you take practical steps in that direction.
Sarah Buettenback is a Citylight OG. She joined the core team with her family in 2012, and has served on staff since 2013 in Serving Teams and Community Engagement. Now a City Groups Director at the Midtown location, Sarah shares her story and offers insights to help you lead your group into a new season of ministry fruitfulness.
Comments or questions about the show? Send us an email at citygroups@citylightomaha.org.
One of the most common questions small group leaders ask is, “What do we do with all the kids?” Sadly, many groups take a passive approach to children, which creates unnecessary chaos, confusion, and stress. But it doesn’t have to be that way. While kids do require more intentionality, it is possible to involve them in a way that minimizes the stress and chaos that some groups seem to face. In this episode, City Groups Director, Trevor Nashleanas, talks about principles and strategies for including kids in group.
Have a question or a topic you'd like addressed? Email citygroups@citylightomaha.org. We'd love to hear from you!
What About the Kids Discusison Guide
Leading group discussions is like playing baseball. If you get a base hit 30-40% of the time, you're doing really well. But that doesn't mean you should settle for mediocre discussions every week. With a few mindset shifts and some guiding principles any small group leader can take their discussions to the next level. In this episode, City Groups Director Trevor Nashleanas, will give you the tools you need to lead better group discussions.
Leading Better Group Discussions Discussion Guide
In this episode, City Groups Director, Trevor Nashleanas, sits down with co-lead pastors Gavin Johnson and Chris Hruska to celebrate Citylight's ten year anniversary, and to talk about the unique role that City Groups have played in Citylight's mission to multiply disciples and churches. If you're looking for insights that will turn your small group into a true missional community, or you need fresh vision for your group, then this episode is for you.
Have a topic you want to see addressed on this podcast, or questions you'd like answered? Send them to citygroups@citylightomaha.org.
One of your most important responsibilities as a City Group Leader is to develop your leadership presence. In this episode, City Groups Director Trevor Nashleanas will give you three powerful ways that you can do that.
Developing Your Leadership Presence Part 1
Download the discussion guide for this episode.
For a similar perspective see the article Is Your Discipleship Model Missing Something? on the Gospel Coalition.
