GENERAL TOPICS FOR GROUPS
Name- The Chazown Experience
Author- Craig Groechel
Prep time- 1 hour
Series length- 6 sessions
Group type- any
About the study- It's the Hebrew word for vision, and it's what God had in mind for
you when you were created. Each of us is a masterpiece, placed on earth for a
unique purpose that's solely ours to fulfill. Come uncover God's dream for your life your Chazown.
Name- Five Things God Uses to Grow Your Faith
Author- Andy Stanley
Prep time- 30 min with 10 minute daily study
Series length- 6 sessions for weekly or bi-weekly
Group type- any
About the study- What would it be like to have perfect faith? Find out in Andy
Stanley's dynamic group study! The six sessions will spark discussion about
approaching each day with unshakable confidence; belief in God's control; and trust
in his purposes. Discover how God uses practical teaching, providential
relationships, private disciplines, personal ministry, and pivotal circumstances to
grow your faith.
Name- Your Move
Author- Andy Stanley
Prep time- 30 min with 10 minute daily study
Series length- 4 weeks for weekly or bi-weekly
Group type- any
About the study- Having trouble discerning what your next move in life should be?
In this DVD study, Andy Stanley discusses four questions to help you determine
what to do when you feel like pausing before taking action. You'll also learn how to
make more of your life by making sound, godly decisions.
Name- Life’s Toughest Questions
Author- Erwin McManus
Prep time- 30 min
Series length- 6 weeks for weekly or bi-weekly
Group type- any
About this study- Life is full of questions, but rarely do we get the answers that
satisfy our souls. Using the Scriptures as our guide, Erwin McManus leads us in
grappling with some of the most meaningful and difficult issues in life.
Name- Radical
Author- David Platt
Prep time- 1 hour
Series length- 10 week study
Group type- any
About the study- Take a transforming journey in authentic discipleship. As the
pastor of a large and wealthy congregation, David Platt began to see a discrepancy
between the reality of his Church and the way Jesus said His followers lived. In
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, Platt examines how
American Christianity has manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences and
challenges readers to rediscover the path.
Name- The Christian Atheist
Author- Craig Groeschel
Prep time- 1 hour min - Group Host will need to create questions and talking points
for group discussion.
Series Length- there are 12 chapters in this book. The group can do one chapter for
12 weeks or 2 chapters for 6 weeks. This study can be weekly or bi-weekly.
Group type - Any
About the study- Does your belief in God impact your life? If the answer is no, you
may be a Christian Atheist. A Christian Atheist is someone who believes in God, but
lives like He doesn't exist--you believe in God, but worry all the time, or you believe
in God, but trust money more. In The Christian Atheist Craig Groeschel shares from
his own journey of growing up in a "Christian" household, but the most that faith
required was to attend church several times a year. When Groeschel discovered that
the real key to faith is intimacy with God, everything changed. Discover a powerful,
intimate relationship with God for yourself and you'll never be the same.
Name- Faith Hope and Luck
Author- Andy Stanley
Prep time- 30 min with 10 minute daily study
Series length- 5 weeks for weekly or bi-weekly
Group type- any
About the study- It's risky business when faith in God relies on our interpretation of
his activity---or lack of it---in our lives! Andy Stanley reveals the difference between
faith and hope and offers a biblical definition of faith.
Name- Life’s Toughest Questions
Author- Erwin McManus
Prep time- 30 min
Series length- 6 weeks for weekly or bi-weekly
Group type- any
About this study- Life is full of questions, but rarely do we get the answers that
satisfy our souls. Using the Scriptures as our guide, Erwin McManus leads us in
grappling with some of the most meaningful and difficult issues in life.
Name- The Open Table: An Invitation to know God
Author- Donald Miller
Prep time- 15 minute daily reading
Series length- 5 weeks
Suggested use- weekly or bi-weekly
Group type- any
About the Study- There are many people who argue God doesn’t exist and many who
argue God does. Still, millions know that, all arguments aside, what they feel in their
souls is a need for God. To some, the idea of searching for God sounds as ridiculous
as chasing a leprechaun to get his pot of gold. And yet few go looking for a
leprechaun, while millions go on looking for God. At the heart of the Christian storythe story at the heart of The Open Table-is this basic idea: God shows up in the lives
of people who search for Him.
The Open Table DVD uses state of the art video and the power of personal testimony
to put God in front of anyone who has yet to meet Him. The Open Table Participant’s
Guide is there for those whose interest is sparked and who want to dig deeper. In
the unique and relevant voice of Don Miller, The Open Table introduces people to
the person and deity of Christ, and everyone is invited to the table.
Name- Hope Lives: A Journey of Restoration
Author- Amber Van Schooneveld
Prep time- 30 min
Series length- 6 sessions
Suggested use- we suggest that this study be done bi-weekly or weekly
Group type- any
About the Study- Poverty. The sheer size of the problem pins Christians to their
couches. What can we do? Where should we start? And can your lone small group
make a difference? This five week, DVD led series shows your small group God's
heart for the poor. Prompts them to examine their own hearts. Moves them to
respond.
In five DVD led sessions your small group will...
-Discover what keeps you from engaging in global issues
-Explore what Scripture really says about the poor
-Understand the true nature of poverty
-Draw Close to the poor through prayer
-Respond to God's voice as he speaks to you about poverty
Needs for Study- 1 DVD and optional book
Name- Twisting The Truth
Author- Andy Stanley
Prep time- 30 min
Series length- 6 weeks
Suggested use- weekly or bi-weekly
Group type- Any
About the Study- In this six-session small group series Andy Stanley exposes some
common ways God’s truth gets twisted. This study helps us discover ways the truth
gets twisted and more importantly how we can recognize and overcome it.
Needs for Study- DVD and Study guide
Name- Purpose Driven Life
Author- Rick Warren
Prep time- 1 hour
Series length- 6 sessions
Suggested use- we suggest that you do this study in a bi-weekly format
Group type- any
About the Study- In this remarkable best-seller Rick Warren will help you
understand God's purpose and plan for your life so that you can learn to live the life
for which you were created. The book is divided into 40 short chapters so that it can
either be read as a personal devotional or studied in a small group setting. Don't let
yourself or your family and friends go without this life-transforming book!
Needs for Study- The book
Name- How to Study the Bible For Yourself
Author- Tim LaHaye
Prep Time- 30 minutes
Series Length- 6 to 12 weeks
Suggested use- weekly or bi-weekly
Group Type- any
About the Study- Don't be left behind in your study of Bible! In this special 30th
anniversary edition of LaHaye's classic work, you'll discover techniques to identify
the Bible's major principles, promises, and commands; understand key verses and
themes; develop more fulfilling reading habits; become a mentor to help others dive
into the text.
Name- Discovering God’s Will: When You’re Heading In the Right Direction
Author- Andy Stanley
Prep time- 30 min
Series length- 8 sessions/weeks
Suggested use- we suggest that this should be done in a 9 weeks series
Group type- any
About the Study- Determining God's will can be a difficult process, especially when
we need to make a decision in a hurry. In this series, Andy Stanley discusses the
three-tiered will of God. He describes how God uses other people and the principles
of scripture to guide us as we attempt to discover the personal vision God has for
our lives.
Needs for Study- Study Guide and DVD
Name- Defining Moments
Author- Andy Stanley
Prep time- 30 min
Series length- 8 sessions/weeks
Suggested use- we suggest that this should be done in a 9 weeks series
Group type- any
About the Study- Life is full of defining moments. Like landmarks on a roadmap,
these moments mark key points along your life’s journey. In this series, participants
see seven individuals in the Bible who meet and accept the truth. You'll see that
facing the truth, about any reality in your life, is a defining moment you won't want
to miss.
Needs for Study- Study Guide and DVD
Name- Epic
Author- John Eldridge
Prep time- 30 min
Series length- 6 sessions/weeks
Suggested use- we suggest that this should be done in a 6 weeks series
Group type- any
About the Study- Epic builds upon our love of stories and movies, and a longing we
all share to make sense of our lives. For when we were born, we were born into an
epic that surpasses any movie, but most folks have no idea of the story God is telling,
or how to find their place in it. This study will lead you deeper into the drama,
showing you how to discover with more depth and insight the role you are meant to
play in God’s plan for the world.
Needs for Study- Book and Study Guide
Name- Breakaway
Author- Andy Stanley
Prep time- 30 min
Series length- 6 weeks
Suggested use- weekly or bi-weekly
Group type- Any
About the Study- In this six-session companion study guide to the Breakaway DVD,
Andy Stanley illustrates how our core beliefs influence our decisions, which dictate
the outcomes of our lives.
Needs for Study- DVD and Study guide
Name- When The Game Is Over It All Goes Back In The Box
Author- John Ortberg
Prep time- 30 min
Series length- 6 weeks
Suggested use- weekly or bi-weekly
Group type- Any
About the Study - Like cards and tokens at a board game's end, life's rewards--houses, cars, promotions---all get "put away" after we take our last breath. Discover
how to make the temporary a servant of the eternal, and exchange "having" for the
riches of being! John Ortberg's six sessions will help you leave this life with the only
prize that matters.
Name- Taking it to the Limits
Author- Andy Stanley
Prep time- 30 min
Series length- 6 weeks
Suggested use- we suggest that you do this in a bi-weekly study
Group type- any
About the Study- Do you feel snowed under and maxed out? In our Take It to the
Limit culture, many people spend, acquire, and try to squeeze as much out of life as
they can---and end up feeling empty in the process. In this 6-session companion
study guide to the Take It to the Limit DVD, Andy Stanley pulls you back from the
edge and helps you strike a balance by showing you how to do less, not more.
Needs for Study- 1 DVD and 1 study guide, participants have the option to get the
study guide, but it is not needed
Name- Life Rules
Author- Andy Stanley
Prep time- 30 Min
Series length- 6 weeks
Suggested use- we suggest that you do this in a bi-weekly study
Group type- any
About the Study- Half the fun of being a kid is misbehaving without getting caught.
But adults know that there's nothing amusing about breaking Life Rules. In this 6part series, Andy Stanley outlines God's principles for improving your current
relationships---and mending damaged ones. As you learn to forgive, accept, serve,
encourage, and submit to others, you'll discover positive changes in everything you
do.
Needs for Study- 1 DVD and 1 study guide, participants have the option to get the
study guide, but it is not needed
Name- Best Question Ever
Author- Andy Stanley
Prep time- 30 Min
Series length- 6 weeks
Suggested use- we suggest that you do this in a bi-weekly study
Group type- any
About the Study- We all have regrets—things we wish we'd never done or said. But
life doesn't have to be that way! While trying to help people distraught over bad
decisions, Andy Stanley discovered The Best Question Ever. Now he shares it with
you in a 6-part DVD and this companion study guide. Claim the power to goof-proof
your decision making with the simple question, "What's the wise thing to do?"
Needs for Study- 1 DVD and 1 study guide, participants have the option to get the
study guide, but it is not needed