Great Groups

Jay Gordon & Chris Amaro
  • 5.0 (13)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

A Podcast Designed for Small Group Leaders. Great Groups are small groups that focus on making disciples, building community, serving, and living on mission. You may call your groups Sunday School Life Groups, Community Groups, or a host of other names, but whatever you call it, we want to help your group be a great group. We built the podcast to encourage and equip adult small group leaders at Brook Hills and beyond.

  1. MAY 12

    Using Two Types of Questions: Relational & Bible Study (Episode 153)

    In this episode, Jay and Chris discuss two types of questions from two recently published articles, one from the Navigators and one from Church Leaders. The first part of the podcast deals with what the Navigators article describes as "Storytelling Questions", defined as questions that allow people to reveal who they are. These questions help build community in groups which also aids in disciple-making. The second part of the podcast deals with good Bible study questions that help dig into both understanding and applying a Biblical passage. All group leaders should understand and use questions frequently because they help engage people in one another's lives and in their walk with Christ.  Don't forget, at Brook Hills we produce a weekly Small Group Guide that focuses on Bible study questions. You can find that each week below the sermon at brookhills.org/sermons. Building Relationships in Small Groups, The Navigators Twenty Bible Dialogue Questions, Church Leaders Small Group Edition See all our Great Groups podcasts. Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes. We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form.  Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

    31 min

  2. APR 14

    One Group Starting Another: Multiplication with Alan Chappell & Chris Welsh (Episode 152)

    In this episode, Jay and Chris talk with co-leaders Alan Chappell and Chris Welsh about their group's plan to launch a new group. Their group has become pretty large. You'll hear their reasoning and how they've gone about it. Jay will also share eight compelling reasons for starting new groups. Tune in and consider how your own group might take similar steps toward growth and multiplication. Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes. We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form.  Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

    27 min

  3. MAR 31

    Attendance Reset: What One Group Did, with Caroline Chong & Lily Underwood (Episode 151)

    Caroline and Lily's group hit a week when only one person was present. It was time for a reset to the faithful attendance they had all agreed upon. Listen and hear what they did, and also get ten tips for promoting faithful participation in your group.  Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes. We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form.  Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

    47 min

  4. MAR 17

    Celebrating 150 Episodes, Biblical Radicalization & Personal Ministry (Episode 150)

    Join Jay and Chris as we celebrate 150 Episodes, reveal some fun info about the location of our listeners, share some of our favorite podcasts, and discuss some wandering thoughts like Biblical radicalization & personal ministry.  Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes. We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form.  Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

    23 min

  5. FEB 23

    Pastor Matt's Library: Good Books For Leaders 2025 Gathering (Episode 149)

    In this episode, Jay and Chris share a couple of their book recommendations before playing a recording of "Pastor Matt's Library" from our Fall Small Group Leader Gathering. Listen in for the first time or for a reminder of some good books you may be interested in reading. Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes. We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form.  Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

    13 min

  6. FEB 18

    Life Hacks for Small Group Leaders (Episode 148)

    In this episode, Jay and Chris share a couple of their life hacks before playing a recording from our Fall Small Group Leader Gathering where Pastor Matt and Jay share Life Hacks for Small Group Leaders. Listen in for the first time or for a reminder of some life hacks to make your group leadership more easy and effective. Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes. We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form.  Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

    32 min

  7. JAN 8

    Six Tips for a Strong Start to 2026 (Episode 147)

    In this episode, Jay and Chris talk about getting a strong start to 2026. Listen in and see if you've thought of these ways to start strong. 1. Pray for your group: spiritual maturity, life-giving meetings, and new people. 2. Plan some catch-up time after the holiday break. 3. Remind the group of the mission.      Love Jesus, Grow in Jesus, Make Disciples of Jesus      Group Purposes: Disciple-making, Community & Mission      Long-term: New groups and developing leadership. 4. Establish better rhythms as a leader: Prep time, contacting absentees, sharing group prayer requests, personally praying for group members, etc. 5. Identify areas of improvement for your group. Then, map out the route with specific plans. Seek input from group members, spouse, other leaders. 6. Plan your welcome. Be ready for guests.  Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes. We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form.  Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

    29 min

  8. 11/25/2025

    Evaluating Your Group with Laura Chramer (Episode 146, Part 2)

    In this episode, Jay and Chris are joined by Laura Chramer offering color commentary as we all discuss a set of questions used to evaluate your group. Jay discovered the questions in an article by Josh Hunt on the Small Group Network. We added a few from the staff and also asked AI, so the list of questions is immense. Don't feel overwhelmed by this. One comment on the podcast is that you'll have a great group if you teach for transformation, build community, and live on mission as a group. If you'd like to look through the questions as you think about the effectiveness of your group, just click the link below. Small Group Evaluation Questions Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes. We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form.  Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USASmall Group Leader Resources PageSmall Group Discipleship ResourcesSmall Groups @ Brook Hills

    34 min
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5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

A Podcast Designed for Small Group Leaders. Great Groups are small groups that focus on making disciples, building community, serving, and living on mission. You may call your groups Sunday School Life Groups, Community Groups, or a host of other names, but whatever you call it, we want to help your group be a great group. We built the podcast to encourage and equip adult small group leaders at Brook Hills and beyond.

Information

  • Creator
    Jay Gordon & Chris Amaro
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    154
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Great Groups
  • Show Website
    Great Groups

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