Randall Neighbour

I want to give a shout-out to another new blogger. Well, he's not really a new blogger. He's just new to a user-friendly blog platform! And he's certainly not new on the small group scene. Today, I want to honor someone who has been on the front lines of community and spiritual formation in the church for a long time-- Randall Neighbour. I won't say how long because that would make both of us feel old. :) But when I first started attending a small group-based church (we called them cell-based churches back then), the guys at Touch Outreach Ministries were churning out ridiculous amounts of inspiring, motivating, and educational resources for planting, growing, and building small group ministries. I was hooked. I've got a ton of their books on my bookshelf. (I will blame them for the fact that my church called their groups "Touch Groups" which was extremely awkward. I was in college. What do you think it feels like to invite your lab partner to your "touch group?" But that's my only beef with them!) :)

Now, I get to read the stuff that spills out of Randall's mind on a daily basis on his blog, The Naked Truth About Small Group Ministry. Randall is also asking lots of questions to dig into the trends of small group ministry and determine what's working and what's not working. I appreciate his blog because he's all about being real, transparent, and honest about what's happening in our community and discipleship environments. I'd encourage you to head over there and get naked, metaphorically speaking, and join the conversation.