Here's a way to give your small group a little fresh air. Invite a guest to speak at your group. Maybe it's someone you met at church who has a great testimony. Or, someone involved in leadership in one of the ministries. Maybe it's a pastor - okay, you probably can't get Pastor Rick but there are lots of pastors to choose from. How about your Community Leader. This is a veteran of small groups who is in leadership in the ministry in service to your group and as many as 2-3 dozen other groups. Your Community Leader talks to these groups on a regular basis and so they have stories of things that are working for other groups that they can bring with them when they visit. They can also tell you about what they do to support your group - they're an invaluable resource that only the smartest groups take full advantage of. How about someone on the PEACE team? They're great speakers and they love small groups. Or, ask your Community Leader or Area Leader for some ideas of guest speakers. Don't know your Area Leader? This is the staff pastor responsible for caring for your group and several hundred others. Your Community Leader reports to them. In fact, your Area Leader might even be willing to be a guest speaker at your group. Others to consider - visiting missionaries, musical guests (lots of people play instruments and sing - ask them to visit!), visiting pastors (sign up to host pastors who visit the church from out of the area, then ask them to speak to your group), you get the idea.

A guest speaker breaks up the routine, brings a new and often very fresh message to the group, and gives your group the breather that keeps things interesting. You can even have a guest speaker via online - we'll talk about that in the next blog post