A growth group is a place where Christians can grow. It is also a catalyst for the growth of the gospel. The quality of a Growth Group is determined by the quality of it

Growth Groups: a Trining Course for Small-group Leaders: Leader's Manual

Colin Marshall

Christian Books & Bibles

Matthias Media

Product Description Growth Groups is for any Christian or group of Christians committed to equipping leaders of God's people. It is designed to train leaders who can teach the Bible and pray with other Christians. It will prepare leaders to gather together fellow-believers in evangelistic enterprise. In short, this book by Colin Marshall will equip leaders to grow Christians and grow the gospel. The course is for anyone who wants to pursue these ends. This manual can also stand alone as a valuable guide for leaders to work through on their own if they can't join a course with other leaders. There is also a set of Trainer Notes to assist those who want to run the training course. Review Having been leading Bible study groups for 8 years and studied at a seminary for 3 years, I did not expect a lot from Growth Groups initially (thinking of the saying 'there is nothing new under the sun'!). But as it turns out, Growth Groups has been one of the most rewarding Christian learning experiences I have gone through. It sharpened my vision of gospel ministry and raised my awareness of how to diagnose dysfunctional groups. Most of all, it taught me how to teach the Bible and prepare for a bible study in a way that submits fully to the authority of the Word of God. Rather than using the Bible as a springboard for great discussion, the course focuses on how we are to dig deep into the Bible by studying the passage and finding out what God intends to say to us in those words. I thoroughly enjoy the fellowship and friendship that has been built and would recommend it to anyone who wants to teach and study the Bible seriously in any small group setting. --Diana (home group leader)I joined Growth Groups to equip myself better in leading Bible studies. The course has been helpful especially in helping me to set the right direction in leading a home group: that we are to meet together for gospel growth (evangelism) and spiritual growth (becoming more Christ-like). It also corrected my old concept that being a bible study group leader is just a facilitator. Growth Groups teaches me that as leaders, we are first of all teachers and shepherds who are accountable for God's sheep. I will surely apply what I have learnt as I continue leading a home group. As a first step, I correct my mindset and re-position myself as a teacher. I would also like to try to challenge my group members to raise their level of commitment when we begin a new series of bible study. I would recommend Growth Groups to all current and future leaders because it is very helpful in setting a right mindset for gospel ministry. --Harmony (home group leader)

Growth Groups

The Trellis and the Vine

Tony Payne

Religion & Spirituality

After the gospel itself, the greatest need of the Christian church is to keep finding and training people who will faithfully teach the Bible to both Christians and non-Christians. How can we discover these individuals? How can we help them develop in both Christian commitment and ministry competence? This handbook is part of the answer. It's about recruiting godly, ministry-hearted Christians, placing them under the guiding hand of an experienced minister, and giving them a two-year full-immersion experience of working for a church or related ministry. It's about ministry apprenticeship. The insights and programmes in Passing the Baton are based on 25 years of experience in running ministry apprenticeships as part of the 'Ministry Training Strategy' (MTS). This programme, initiated by Colin Marshall and Phillip Jensen at the University of NSW in Sydney in the early 1980s, has been developed, copied, refined and implemented in many parts of Australia and the world, including Britain, France, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Singapore, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan, and South Africa. For many, it has been a revolution. In this convenient handbook, you'll find an introduction to the what, why and how of ministry apprenticeship, including first-hand testimonies from trainers and apprentices, and loads of detailed information and practical suggestions about how to set up, run and maintain a ministry training program in your local church or fellowship. For ministers who see the need for such training in their churches, or potential trainees who want to understand what apprenticeship is about, Passing the Baton is the place to start.

Passing the Baton: A Handbook for Ministry Apprenticeship

All Christian ministry is a mixture of trellis and vine. There is vine work: the prayerful preaching and teaching of the word of God to see people converted and grow to maturity as disciples of Christ. Vine work is the Great Commission. And there is trellis work: creating and maintaining the physical and organizational structures and programs that support vine work and its growth. What s the state of the trellis and the vine in your part of the world? Has trellis work taken over, as it has a habit of doing? Is the vine work being done by very few (perhaps only the pastor and only on Sundays)? And is the vine starting to wilt as a result? The image of the trellis and the vine raises all the fundamental questions of Christian ministry: * What is the vine for? * How does the vine grow? * How does the vine relate to my church? * What is vine work and what is trellis work, and how can we tell the difference? * What part do different people play in growing the vine? * How can we get more people involved in vine work? In The Trellis and the Vine, Colin Marshall and Tony Payne answer these urgent questions afresh. They dig back into the Bible s view of Christian ministry, and argue that a major mind-shift is required if we are to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ, and see the vine flourish again.

The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift That Changes Everything

Book by Colin Marshall, Tony Payne

Some of us really love our churches, some of us aren t so positive, and for many of us that feeling can change from week to week. This six-session program is about how to love your church whether you re feeling enthusiastic about it or not. It s about the mindset we take with us as we go to church each week, and how that mindset is expressed in a multitude of ways, big and small. In particular, it s about the part that we all play as God s people in loving, serving and building each other up, Sunday by Sunday. We all have a ministry the ministry of the pew.1 Over the six sessions of the course you will cover subjects such as: » your current attitudes towards church, and how they are expressed » what the Bible says about the meaning and purpose of church » what it means to love your church and the people who go there » how all of us can be active encouraging servants before, during and after church, rather than just consumers or spectators. Each session contains a mix of discussion, Bible study, video input and prayer, along with simple exercises to help you put the ideas into practice on Sunday. Here are the table of contents for the course and a sample of the video from the first session: Table of Contents Introduction 1. Walking into church 2. Building in love 3. Get ready to build 4. Love over coffee 5. Loving the outsider 6. Loving your church Appendix 1: Leader's notes Appendix 2: How to use this course in your church (for pastors and church leaders) Six Steps to Loving Your Church is a course best undertaken in a small group (of 3-8 people). To run the course you will need: » a copy of the workbook for each person » a copy of the course DVD » a way to show the DVD content to your group

Six Steps to Loving Your Church

In this much-anticipated book, Colin Marshall and Tony Payne answer the question they have been asked countless times by pastors and church leaders all around the world since the publication of "The Trellis and the Vine". The question goes like this: "Look, I've read your book, and it expresses what I have always thought about Christian ministry. But as I kept reading, I had this sinking feeling that what actually happens in our church is still a long way from the kind of disciple-making ministry vision you outline and that I believe in. So my question is this: What can we do about it? How can we shape the whole culture of our church around disciple-making?" In "The Vine Project", Marshall and Payne provide a roadmap and resources for this sort of church-wide culture change. The book guides your ministry leadership team through a five-phase process for growth and change, with biblical input, practical ideas, resources, case studies, exercises and projects along the way. You will be helped to: clarify and sharpen your convictions (Phase 1) reform your own personal life to express these convictions (Phase 2) honestly evaluate every aspect of your current church (or ministry) culture (Phase 3) devise some key plans for change and put them into effect (Phase 4) keep the momentum going and overcome obstacles (Phase 5). "The Trellis and the Vine" proposed a "ministry mind-shift that changes everything". "The Vine Project" shows how that mind-shift can and must shape every aspect of what you are doing as a congregation of Christ's people to make disciples of all nations. For more information and help in working through 'The Vine Project', as well as additional resources, templates, videos, case studies, the PDF of the Team Manual, and much more, visit thevineproject.com (a website is run by Colin Marshall and the team at Vinegrowers.)

The Vine Project

How central should the work of disciple-making be in our daily lives and in our church culture? How do we get there? And what does it actually look like? The 8 studies in Making Disciples will highlight the work of disciple-making as the very heart of the Bible s vision for the life of God s people. They will also: guide you as you explore and discuss key Bible passages show you what it might look like to be involved in this great work of God forge the deep biblical convictions that you will need in order to commit to disciple-making address the challenges and potential pitfalls around making disciples of Jesus help you see disciple-making as both an enormous privilege and an attainable goal.

Making Disciples

All Christian ministry is a mixture of trellis and vine. There is vine work: the prayerful preaching and teaching of the word of God to see people converted and grow to maturity as disciples of Christ. Vine work is the Great Commission. And there is trellis work: creating and maintaining the physical and organizational structures and programs that support vine work and its growth. What’s the state of the trellis and the vine in your part of the world? Has trellis work taken over, as it has a habit of doing? Is the vine work being done by very few (perhaps only the pastor and only on Sundays)? And is the vine starting to wilt as a result? The image of the trellis and the vine raises all the fundamental questions of Christian ministry: What is the vine for? How does the vine grow? How does the vine relate to my church? What is vine work and what is trellis work, and how can we tell the difference? What part do different people play in growing the vine? How can we get more people involved in vine work? In The Trellis and the Vine, Colin Marshall and Tony Payne answer these urgent questions afresh. They dig back into the Bible’s view of Christian ministry, and argue that a major mind-shift is required if we are to fulfil the Great Commission of Christ, and see the vine flourish again.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Colin Marshall. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Colin Marshall

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Colin Marshall. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Growth Groups: a Trining Course for Small-group Leaders: Leader's Manual

Growth Groups

The Trellis and the Vine

Passing the Baton: A Handbook for Ministry Apprenticeship

The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift That Changes Everything

The Trellis and the Vine

Six Steps to Loving Your Church

The Vine Project

Making Disciples

The Trellis and the Vine