Community U Saddleback Small Group Conference – Day 2 Notes

This weekend, we (Calvary Church) have the honor of hosting one of Saddleback Church’s regional “CommunityU” Small Group Conferences. Steve Gladden, Saddleback’s small groups pastor came, along with his team, to teach us how Saddleback does small groups.

If you missed them, here are my notes from Day 1.

Authenticity

Authenticity starts with our relationship with God. When your outside matches your inside. When you care less about impressing people and more about impacting people. When you are okay with saying, “This is how God wired me to be.”

We need to learn to lead from our weakness…like Jesus’ disciples did.

What keeps us from being authentic & how do we overcome (in groups)?

• Fear of exposure // Live in God’s light
• Fear of rejection // Trust in God’s love
• Fear of hurt // Let God give you a new heart

You have to build trust before you can give truth.

Discipleship (continued from Day 1′s discussion of the 5 purposes in small groups)

The goal of discipleship is transformation, not just information. Discipleship is about us taking on the character of Jesus. It’s about people development.

Discipleship is an ongoing process that takes time.

For an effective small group, there needs to be a balance between the health of the individual and the health of the group.

***I had to leave early and didn’t get the end of this session, but thought I’d post the uncompleted notes for those who are interested.***

For free small group resources from Saddleback, visit smallgroups.net.