When one suffers - all suffer.

When one member of a small group is in crisis, the entire group will experience pain and discomfort: pain for their brother or sister in Christ, pain that is reawakened in their own lives, and the painful effect that the crisis has upon the group.

Everyone has good intentions, but many times, neither the group nor their leader is equipped to respond in helpful or healing ways.

What does it take to provide safe harbor in this kind of storm?

> This month on the Groups That Grow training series, small group leaders will receive the practical and necessary skills to help individuals - and the group as a whole - manage crisis.

"We all have needs. But what do groups do when one or more persons has extreme pain or crisis?" says Bill Donahue.

In this practical broadcast, small group leaders and pastors will find useful answers to tough challenges:

• What are helpful vs. unhelpful responses?
• How can a leader provide direction?
• What kind of boundaries are needed?

Help your group become a place of God's strength, healing and sheltering love.

Bill Donahue is the Executive Director of Small Group Ministries for the Willow Creek Association. He is the author of Leading Life-Changing Small Groups, and with Russ Robinson, the coauthor of The 7 Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry, Building a Church of Small Groups, and Walking the Small Group Tightrope. Bill teaches at several seminaries and has written and edited many small group studies, including the Interactions Series, the New Community Series and the Bible 101 Series.