Category Archives: Uncategorized

Everyone Is Looking for a Story

Published by Brandon Hiltibidal on November 29, 2023

You are looking for a story. Whether you recognize it or not, you were in fact, created for a story and you long for a story to build your life around. Psychologists, philosophers, theologians, scholars, and researchers all agree that we humans...

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Church Leaders Must Think Flock Strategy and Sheep Strategy

Published by Brandon Hiltibidal on November 21, 2023

Over ten years ago, I worked closely with Thom Rainer and Ed Stetzer to evaluate the research behind Transformational Church—a book that came from a massive study across many churches where we sought to discover characteristics that God was using...

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Three Ways to Show Your Group Leader Your Gratitude

Published by Brandon Hiltibidal on November 15, 2023

Leading a small group is not an easy job. Schedules are full. People are messy. And public speaking is generally considered to be scarier than death. So, if you have a group leader, you should look for ways to show them you are thankful for what they...

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How a College Basketball Team is Benefitting from the Rooted Experience

Published by Brandon Hiltibidal on November 9, 2023

Rhett Soliday is the Associate Athletic Director and Head Men's Basketball Coach at Vanguard University. We recently had the opportunity to ask him about how he uses the Rooted experience in his men’s basketball program and how God is working in...

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4 Ways to Help Your Pastor Believe In Groups

Published by Brandon Hiltibidal on November 3, 2023

While it is extremely important for the senior pastor to be an advocate for groups in the church, there may be some work to do to get him there. A church without the pastor as the champion for groups will typically max out at around 40 percent who...

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4 Most Common Comments from “Regular People” About Studying Theology

Published by Brandon Hiltibidal on October 19, 2023

In the summer of 2020, I led an online theology class for people in the church I pastor. I was blown away that over 1000 people engaged in the class, asked thoughtful questions, and walked through the material each week. We used a theological text...

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3 Reasons Christian Leaders Should Say “I Don’t Know” More Frequently

Published by Brandon Hiltibidal on October 14, 2023

I am teaching a theology course to some amazing people at our church on Wednesday nights. We offer three different “Deep Dive” courses and the one I am currently teaching is Deep Dive: The Story of God which walks through the Bible as one...

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3 Ways to Use Silence in a Small Group

Published by Brandon Hiltibidal on October 8, 2023

We are afraid of silence. Especially as small group leaders. If there is silence in the room, then that means no one is talking. And if no one is talking, then we are surely failing as facilitators. But I believe we are missing out on an effective...

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A Big Question Technology Raises and Theology Answers

Published by Brandon Hiltibidal on September 28, 2023

In our highly connected and technologically savvy society we have heard it said, “Do we really want those tech companies to know everything about us? It seems like they are everywhere and know everything!” We are uncertain about Big Data for...

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Why Does Your Group Exist?

Published by Brandon Hiltibidal on September 21, 2023

Every small group needs a reason for existence. Why should we carve out more time in our busy lives to spend it with people we might barely know? For most people and groups that reason is the desire for community. We desire friendship, and that is a...

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