Speakers
Steve Gladen
Select this track if you have not previously attended training by Saddleback’s small group pastor Steve Gladen on exponential small group ministry essentials.
This is not basic small groups. These are exponential ministry principles that have been honed in the laboratory of a mega church, applied by churches of all sizes around the world, and found to be transferable. In this highly interactive track you’ll learn the principles that God has used to create one of the most successful small group ministries in the nation at Saddleback Church, a model that has been successfully used in churches around the world of all sizes and virtually all denominations.
This track includes eight sessions over the two days of the conference, covering the following in-depth subjects and more:
Topics include:
- How to connect more people into small groups than attend your weekend services. Saddleback has 150% of weekend attendance meeting weekly in small groups.
- How to develop spiritually healthy groups that are discipleship vehicles in which your congregation can sink deep spiritual roots.
- How to help each person in a small group measure their progress and plan their own discipleship next steps.
- How to mobilize the people in your church to serve each other and your church in ministry.
- How to get everyone serving in some capacity with whatever skills, talents, gifts and passions God has given them.
- How to implement an evangelism and missions strategy through your small groups to reach your community and the world for Christ.
- How to grow small groups through personal connections, how to be intentional in your own neighborhood, how to make your small groups a force for good in your community. How to unleash your small groups to be world-changers.
- How to incorporate worship into the small group experience so that small groups are approaching the throne of God in every meeting.
- How to see lives change through living as an act of worship
- How to raise up wiling leaders from your congregation, getting them out of their seats and into leading a small group.
- How to find, train and manage volunteers to care for the groups in your church.
Innovative interactivity let you discuss what you’re learning with others in churches like yours, all around the world. You’ll get instant feedback and great ideas from others who are going through this track with you.
Speakers
Greg Anderson
Scott Boren
Alan Danielson
Debbie Eaton
Mark Howell
Rick Howerton
Mac Lake
Eddie Mosley
Randall Neighbour
Todd Olthoff
Ben Reed
Cynthia Ross
Spence Shelton
Joe Windham
Heather Zempel
Select this track if you HAVE previously attended training or a conference by Saddleback’s small group pastor Steve Gladen on exponential small group ministry essentials. This next-level interactive track is taught by over a dozen small group minds including small group ministry leaders at churches of all sizes. Each topic explores what happens when you apply ministry principles that work in one size church into practice in other types and sizes of churches. You’ll gain street-level insights from leaders who have hit the walls and found ways over, around, through or under them. You’ll gain breakthrough ideas and practical knowledge to successfully apply exponential small group ministry principles in your church.
Innovative interactivity let you discuss what you’re learning with others in churches like yours, all around the world. You’ll get instant feedback and great ideas from others who are going through this track with you.
Please note: all content is subject to change as speakers and topics are confirmed.
Topics include:
- Overall church strategy – how does the strategy of your church affect your small group ministry and what can you do about it? What strategy works? Which strategies don’t?
- Aligning affinities – what happens if your ministries are at cross purposes? How should they work together? Is it even possible to get everyone on the same page for small group success?
- Building infrastructure: Recruiting and growing a leadership base, and Systems to support growth. Can you do it alone or do you need to raise up leaders to help care for groups? What do you need to keep track of and what are some ways you can do this?
- Relational leadership – can you just tell people what they need to do and they’ll do it? What if they’re the senior pastor, or the elder board, or highly influential members of the congregation? What if you need the cooperation of other ministry leaders to accomplish your goals? How do you lead up and lead across?
- How do we make small groups missional in practice, not just talk about it? How do they become the hub of outreach? What kind of mindset do we need to have as ministry leaders and what do we need to teach them?
- Training/leader development – what does a small group leader need to go from “sure I’ll do that since you asked me” to becoming a key disciple maker? What is a disciple? If someone’s been in your group for a year to 1½ years, what’s a win look like? Then how do you bring your small group leaders to that place?
- Application bumps. A panel of small group ministry leaders who have gone through the process of implementing exponential small group essentials. What bumps have they hit, meaning what bumps can you expect and what did they do about them? This session will prepare you for what’s coming or give you insight into what you already hit.
- Measuring the heart – what does life change look like? This is what it’s all about. If we don’t know what life change looks like from some measurable description, how will we know if what we’re doing in our ministry is helping?
Speakers
Ron Wilbur
Chip Kelly
Ben Reed
Select this track if you have previously attended a Saddleback small group conference or other training from Steve Gladen in which he has shared the principles of exponential small group ministry.
In the Planning Track, Ron, Chip and Ben will help you create an 18-month action plan for your small group ministry using the essentials of exponential small groups. Your plan will be tailored to your church, your issues, your road blocks and your strengths and weaknesses. You'll get some initial prep work to do before Twelve starts to get you ready for an exciting two days of teaching, stories, and planning. Make sure you register any other members of your team, staff or non-paid, who need to be invested in the ministry in implementing the plan. Embedded in the planning process are 50 key learnings of the successful Saddleback model that now has more people in weekly small groups than attend weekend services. We'll be using unique planning tools to examine the issues, craft a considered set of strategies, prioritize them, and map them over an 18-month calendar. If you need an action plan that is strategic (meaning, intentional), that will help you take your ministry to the next level, this track is for you.
Innovative interactivity let you discuss what you’re learning with others in churches like yours, all around the world. You’ll get instant feedback and great ideas from others who are going through this track with you.
Dave Alford
Brandon Cox
Tom Holladay
Liza Gant
Jay Kranda
Kenny Luck
Reggie McNeal
Rick Bradford
Efraim Meulenberg
Helen Mitchell
Dr. Les Parrott
Cynthia Petty
Geoff Surratt
Len Sweet
Every registrant at Twelve will have 30 days on-demand access to all of the sessions in the track they have selected, PLUS all sessions in the Bonus Track. This track has amazing teaching from some of the smartest people on the planet. And, like the title says, it’s a bonus! That means these sessions are a free extra!
Innovative interactivity let you discuss what you’re learning with others in churches like yours, all around the world. You’ll get the benefit of getting feedback to your ideas and comments as you provide your thoughts with others.
Please note - all content is subject to change as speakers and topics are confirmed.
- Social media and how to use it to make community real and connect people to it.
- Online community - how to build it and how to use it as an outreach and discipleship strategy.
- Workplace groups - how does Kingdom work get done in the workplace?
- What is intentional men’s ministry and how do you get herds of guys into community?
- Multi-site model – what does that mean for small group structure? How do small groups become the hub of church planting?
- Reggie McNeal talking about missional community
- The real Len Sweet on community
- Group dynamics and how to foster it through knowing everyone’s communications sweet spot
- Family small groups - how to include your kids in your small group for everyone's growth
- Kids small groups - the start of a lifetime with the Lord
- Student small groups - the essentials of growing students in community
- Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing small groups - Pastor Jim Brewington shares two decades of experience