Search
Search

Article Archives

Category: Small Groups

Seedbed - Seven Minute Seminary

The Small Group Band Meeting: A Place to Grow in Holiness Together

In 18th century Methodism, ordering people according to gender and marital status and putting them in micro-communities catalyzed spiritual growth of regions and realigned the spiritual trajectory of entire nations. Watch this Seven Minute Seminary video of Kevin Watson painting a compelling picture of Wesleyan band meetings.

Read More »
Seedbed - Seven Minute Seminary

The Genius of Wesleyan Small Groups

Both John Wesley and George Whitefield won thousands of converts to Christ in the 18th century, leading to a great revival of the church. But Whitefield often relied on Wesley to organize and offer spiritual oversight to new converts. Watch Dr. Ryan Danker explain how this phenomenon and the flexibility of John Wesley’s ministry to meet the spiritual needs of the day contributed to renewal in the church.

Read More »
Seedbed - Seven Minute Seminary

Keys to a Better Small Group Experience

What are some keys to a better small group experience? In this Seven Minute Seminary, Kevin Watson shares insights from the early Methodist small group practices, including the class meeting and the bands, both set up to enhance and produce social religion—the pursuit of holiness in shared community.

Read More »

The Third Race: How The Early Church Engaged with Culture

How did the early church engage with surrounding culture? In this article Steve Bruns offers illuminating insight from how the early Christians lived a spiritual life and made disciples. It is this pattern that Wesley employed in his own organization of the Methodist societies, and this pattern will help us discover what we can learn from the early Church and apply to today.

Read More »