MID-STATE BAPTIST ASSOCIATION
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​​Welcome to the Mid-State
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​Baptist Association!

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If you think our website might be helpful for
other pastors, Christian leaders, teachers or
church members, please consider creating a
link to us from your website to help ​other
​people find us. Praying for your ministry!
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Revitalize Your Sunday School or Small Group Ministry!

​Study the above picture and think deeply about the strategy that is taking place in this small group Bible study.

They are sitting in a circle.
Communication is always better when it is done face-to-face. They are sitting close to one another like friends. If you want to build better friendships, don't sit across the room from one another or in rows.

​Shared Leadership
​Each person is taking a turn to help lead the Bible study. This increases learning and helps develop more leaders who might ultimately help you start more groups in the future.

Leader #1
The class begins by sharing some personal things about how life is going - what was stressful and what they were thankful for. Then they share prayer requests and everyone is prayed for every time they meet together.

Leader #2
All the class members are asked to read the entire chapter before they come to class, even if the "lesson" is only part of the chapter. We are helping people develop a habit of reading the Bible for themselves, not depending on someone else to tell them about it. We are also asking everyone to pick out a few things that stood out to them. We are asking them to be ready to share one or two of those things with the class. When they do this, everyone in the class becomes a "teacher." All the class members learn from one another, they gain insight, they get to know one another more deeply, and they gain confidence speaking about their faith.

Leader #3
​The lesson from the Quarterly (or whatever you have chosen in your small group) is a key passage in the chapter you read that you are focusing on. For example, you might have read John Chapter 4, but the key passage could be the story of the woman at the well. So, the third leader could read the key passage out loud.

Leader #4
Asking a different person every week to tell the key passage in their own words is a creative learning tool that is fun to use. When a person knows they will be telling the story in their own words, they read the passage over and over again and it helps them really focus on remembering the details.

Leader #5
The next leader can ask discussion questions that let everyone in the group participate. Discussion facilitators have to be patient and help everyone in the group be part of the conversation. Your goal is not to get one "right" answer. Your goal is to help everyone in the group think about the Bible story - what it means and how it can apply it to their life. You can use the questions from your Quarterly book, you can write your own questions, or you can use various standard questions that pertain to any passage in the Bible like the ones pictured here. 

Leader #6
If you want the "Sunday School teacher" or the "Small Group teacher" to lecture every week (it isn't necessary) then this might be the time for them to do that. They could take 5 minutes, or at the most ten minutes, to summarize the main takeaway points from the chapter. If the teacher does this at the beginning, he is taking away the motivation for class members to share what they learned. Instead of the "teacher" being the hero, you want the class members to be the hero.

Leader #7
​There are two things I recommend that your class do on a regular basis. One, have a monthly fellowship party for your class and encourage them to invite a friend, neighbor or family member. This can be a very fruitful opportunity to reach out to new people. Second, schedule some service projects throughout the year - maybe one every other month or so. They could be a service project to help the church, a member of the church, or someone in the community who is not part of your church. A project on a Saturday morning for 2 hours might be an example.
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Let's talk about ideas for church health and growth!
Contact us. We love talking on Zoom, in person, or on the phone with new pastors, new staff
members and new small group leaders! We have 100 ideas about worship, discipleship,
evangelism, missions and increasing your fellowship. You are invited to any of our three
monthly round ​table discussions
for church leaders that meet in Macon, Gray and Forsyth.
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​Which of these areas of your church ministry would you like to strengthen?
Click on the chapter title for ideas. You can download or print these documents.
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Table of Contents
1.   Worship
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      32 Ideas to Make Worship Better
2.   Sunday School
3.   Small Groups
4.   Discipleship
5.   Evangelism and Outreach Ideas
6.   Missions and Ministry
7.   Mid-State Baptist Association
8.   Student Ministry
9.   College Ministry
10. Single Adult Ministry
11. Senior Adult Ministry
12. Deacon Ministry
13. Communication
​14. Altar Counseling, New Member Class
​15. Longevity in Ministry
​16. Start a New member Class
​17. Diagnostic Questions on Church Health​
18. A Few Ideas for Reaching Next Gen
​19. Ideas to start a new worship service 
​20. Reduce expenses and increase income
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21. Tipping Points and Perfect Storms That
​       Can Destroy A Church
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22. Agenda for an Education Staff training
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Ideas For Ministry Leaders
These power points are meant for individual learning and as a discussion tool for a
group of leaders. Have all of your teachers (or deacons, or staff) read a power point and then
discuss in your group how particular ideas could be best used in your unique situation.

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16 Qualities of a Great Leader
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Ideas for Seven Sessions
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6 Weeks of Material
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What Is The Mid-State Baptist Association?
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7 Coaching Questions
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Things That Encourage Church Health
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Reach New People for Bible Study!
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Becoming the Class You Always Wanted To Be
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Make Disciples Who Make Disciples
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What They Don't Teach You In Sunday School
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You Can Lead A Discovery Bible Study
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Which Kind Is Best For You?
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Make Disciples Who Make Disciples
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Mostly free, mostly easy to do
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Tell Others Your Story of Faith
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Reaching Single Adults.
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Influencing the Next Generation.
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Ideas for Student Ministry
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Local, National, International
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Materials for 40 Days Campaign
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27 Tips To Organize Your Office
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What Do Great Leaders Do?
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What They Don't Teach You In Seminary
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11 Steps Might Make All The Difference
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Finding A New Pastor
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S.W.O.T. Analysis for Church
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Small Flaps Can Create A Hurricaine
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Growing As A Follower of Jesus
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Three Things I Want To Tell You
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Deacon Ministry to Grow Your Church!
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Tips for Personal Study
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Personal Finances 101
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Build Deeper Friendships
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Live A Life Of Service
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Connecting With Our Community
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PAUL: A Life Well-Lived
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Impacting Your Generation
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How many of these do you know?
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How many of these do you know already?
MINISTRIES
Administrative Assistant Training​
Baptist Collegiate Ministry at Wesleyan College
Building Web Sites for Churches
Builders For Christ
Church Health Strategy Training
Church Planting Assistance
Church Revitalization Coaching
College and Single Adult Ministry Training
College Student Internships
Communication Strategy Training
Conflict Mediation Assistance
Deacon Retreats and Training
Discipleship Leader Training
Evangelism Leader Training
Food Ministry
Help Pastors Find a Church
Help Churches Find a Pastor
Mission Strategy Acts 1:8 Training
New Pastor Orientation
Preaching/Testimonies at Your Church
Pastor's Wives
Round Table Lunches for Pastors
Round Table Lunches - Student Pastors
Round Table Lunches - Worship Leaders
Seminary Tuition Assistance
Sewing Group Ministry
Small Group Leader Training
Sunday School Teacher Training
RESOURCES
Blog
Book Library for Leaders
Calendar
Facebook Page
Interim Pastor Ideas
Newsletter
Party Trailer - Bounce House, Popcorn machine, Snow Cone machine
Projector and Screen
Pulpit Supply Speaker List


PARTNERSHIPS
Baptist Collegiate Ministry Mercer University
​Baptist Collegiate Ministry Wesleyan College
Builders for Christ
Georgia Baptist Mission Board
LifeWay Christian Resources
Mission Associations in Georgia
International Mission Board
North American Mission Board
SBC Seminaries

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ABOUT US
Our Staff
Our Board of Directors
Our Churches
What Is A Baptist Association?

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We would love to have you like
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The Mid-State Baptist Association exists to assist
​churches as they transform their communities.

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Books or DVD
​Lending Library
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Leader ​Round Tables
College Ministry at Wesleyan BCM

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​Bible Study Teacher Training
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Builders for Christ
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Party Trailer

Financial Support for the Mid-State Baptist Association

Local Baptist Churches who are part of our Association support the MBA financially with their gifts.
If an individual would like to make a gift to the Association, or help with a particular part of our ministry, please contact the Director of the Mid-State Baptist Association (see our Contact page).
If someone wants to give a designated gift for a certain kind of ministry, some examples might be:
  • Food Ministry - to help with distribution of food to families in need
  • Seminary Scholarships - for students from our local churches attending one of the six SBC seminaries
  • Construction or repair help for local churches - new roof, disaster relief, etc.
  • Conference scholarships and books for pastors
  • BCM - Baptist Collegiate Ministry ministry at Wesleyan College or Mercer University
  • Church Planting - helping a new church get started with the supplies they need
  • Leadership Intern Program - the Association offers this to local college students - the purpose is to help them practice teaching, sharing their testimony in a local church, leading Bible study small groups, do service projects and grow in their own personal discipleship.
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  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Roundtables
  • WESLEYAN BCM
  • Churches
  • Food Ministry
  • Ministries
  • Leadership Training
  • Resources
  • Garry Goodin Blog