Leading Online Small Groups: Embracing the Church's Digital Future

Online groups aren't new. After all, I started my first online small group in 1994 on CompuServe with a dial-up modem. While they're not new, online groups are next. Apart from the technology, there are many commonalities between online small groups and offline small groups, yet they are not exactly the same. With online groups people are not gathered in the same room and in some cases, they're not even in the same state, province, or country. Online groups are portable. Snowbirds can stay connected whether they're in the North or the South. Online groups break down many limitations. Time of day, distance, and travel no longer deter online groups. Whether the group meets by video, audio, or asynchronously (and even occasionally in-person), online groups provide flexibility to both make disciples and engage spiritual seekers. Leading Online Small Groups is a complete guide to online groups and is adapted from Leading Healthy Groups by Allen White. Whether you are leading your very first online meeting and are unsure of how to navigate the software to handling childcare to navigating group dynamics and special situations, Allen draws from his over 30 years of ministry experience to guide you every step of the way. Online group life certainly involves meetings to study God's Word, but it involves so much more in becoming a healthy, dynamic small group. In this book, you will learn how to: Chapter 1: Start Your Online Group, if you're leading for the first time. Chapter 2: Connect with Your Coach (or even find one). Chapter 3: Plan Your First Online Meeting (step by step). Chapter 4: Develop Your Group Members. Chapter 5: Make Disciples. Chapter 6: Navigate Online Group Dynamics. Chapter 7: Set Group Boundaries (so you don't burn out). Chapter 8: Launch Others into Leadership. Based on his own experience with online small groups as well as his general experience with small groups, Allen guides you through the complexity of online groups and relationship in general.