Be a Catalyst: Start a New Group

My peers and I have collaborated on a short new book entitled Be a Catalyst: Start a New Group. It is available for Kindle download. Here are the chapter titles and authors:

• Introduction: Start New Groups, Bob Mayfield, Oklahoma
• Chapter 1: Why Start New Groups, Kiely Young, Mississippi
• Chapter 2: Finding Your Target, David Bond, Arkansas
• Chapter 3: Show Them the Apprentice!, Darryl Wilson, Kentucky
• Chapter 4: Forming New Group, Mark Miller, Tennessee
• Chapter 5: When and Where New Groups Begin, Jeff Ingram, Louisiana
• Chapter 6: Next Steps, Sean Keith, Louisiana.

This is a great companion piece for Extreme Sunday School Challenge: Engaging Our World Through New Groups by Bruce Raley and David Francis of LifeWay Christian Resources. The chapters in this resources include the following:

• Introduction: It’s Time to Engage the World through New Groups
• Chapter 1: The Potential
• Chapter 2: The Essentials
• Chapter 3: The Opportunities
• The Challenge.

A significant premise for Be a Catalyst: Start a New Group is that a new groups movement is needed, and new groups are best started through the prayerful efforts of a catalyst. Here is a definition of a new groups catalyst listed on page 2:

Most groups need someone to encourage them to begin a new group and provide some form of accountability. Although is seems that starting a new group is a natural thing for an existing group to do, the reality is very few groups ever initiate starting a new group on their own. Almost always, a person outside the group helps initiate the beginning of a new group. Often, this person is the pastor and/or Sunday School director. This new group’s catalyst is a critical part of a new group’s movement in a local church.

In a similar way, new groups cannot start without leaders for the new groups. To read most of my chapter, Show Them the Apprentice!, check out these Sunday School Leader blog posts:

• Show Them the Apprentice, Part 1
• Show Them the Apprentice, Part 2
• Show Them the Apprentice, Part 3

A new groups movement and one new group begin the same way: in prayer. I recently called people to join me in praying for a new groups movement and for MORE:

• Join Me in Prayer for New Groups Movement
• Sunday School Leaders: Join Me in Praying for MORE

Are you willing to be a catalyst? Are you willing to start a group? Are you willing to start a movement? Make disciples. Be revolutionary!