Our Partnerships with 40 of Outreach Magazine’s Top 100 Largest & Fastest-Growing Churches
Over the years at Lifetogether, we have either published video curriculum, consulted on the small group ministry and/or produced fully-custom alignment campaigns for over 500 growing churches. Below is a list of 40 of the churches we have worked with from Outreach Magazine’s largest and fastest-growing churches. Now, for the first time ever, we are coaching and producing programs for churches no matter what your stage or size.
Saddleback Church – Rick Warren
While serving on the staff at Saddleback Church, I helped produce multiple churchwide alignment campaigns and dozens of video-based curriculum series––including the Purpose Driven Life series and the the most famous spiritual growth campaign of them all, 40 Days of Purpose by Rick Warren.
When I got to Saddlleback, there were only 73 small groups, and we were able to grow to over 2,500 groups during the 40 Days of Purpose campaign.  Some of the breakthroughs and innovations during those early years set the foundation for what is now over 7000 off-campus small groups. Over 40,000 churches have done one of the 40 day campaigns over the years. It was quite a season and the best is yet to come.
Below you’ll see The Daniel Plan curriculum and campaign that we helped put together at Lifetogether for Zondervan and Purpose Driven. The Daniel Plan book was awarded Christian Book of the Year and the five volume video curriculum series featured teaching from Rick Warren, Mark Hyman and Daniel Amen–– and it was actually hosted by my wife, the Founding Director of The Daniel Plan. You have to check out this series.
Willow Creek – Bill Hybels
After serving with the senior staff for half a dozen years I served on a team that went from 23 groups to over a thousand groups with over ten thousand people in groups. I was invited back several years ago to produce the first video campaign called Wiser Together. With our coaching and consulting they were able to connect over ten thousand into groups in the first wave and one year later over twenty-thousand people.
Oak Hills Church – Randy Frazee & Max Lucado
We produced one of the more unique video series with Randy Frazee, his wife Roxanne, Max Lucado, and his wife Dana called Make Room For Neighbors. This was one of the most beautiful productions, shot in multiple settings in their community. The curriculum includes testimonies and training features that have helped to launch thousands of people into groups and introduced a new model on how they could launch groups directly off the weekend series.
Church of the Highlands – Chris Hodges
We produced the curriculum companion for Chris Hodges’ book Fresh Air. We were able to coach and consult the small group team on how to recruit, develop, and lead a team. We equipped some high performance writers and talented designers to produce this series.
Christ Fellowship Church – Todd Mullins
Over ten years ago we produced the first video curriculum and church-wide campaign for Christ Fellowship with Tom Mullins, Todd’s father. This campaign helped launch 500 groups at the time and got close to 5,000 people into groups. Just this last week we confirmed a new partnership with Todd to help him and his team take their small group ministry to the next level and streamline their system strategies and staffing models to connect over 100% of their adults in groups.
Southeast Christian Church – Dave Stone
Over the last three years we have produced Dave Stone on several video curriculum projects including the Life on Mission project that was produced with over a hundred of the largest and fastest growing Christian Churches in the country. This series was published by Purpose Driven Ministries and introduced to hundreds of churches.
Woodlands Church – Kerry Shook
We consulted with Kerry Shook over a two year period helping them connect over 7,500 people in groups. We helped produce numerous video curriculum and church wide campaigns including One Month to Live curriculum series that was used in over 8,000 churches.
Mariners Church – Kenton BeshoreÂ
We produced the very first video curriculum and church-wide online campaign for Mariners church that connected over 5,000 people years ago. We produced Kenton Beshore right out of his office that aligned with a video companion curriculum. This aligned with a major church wide capital campaign that raised over 19,000,000 in the months following this small group campaign. We also introduced a breakthrough leadership training strategy that trained more than a 1,000 small group leaders.
Bayside Church – Ray JohnstonÂ
We recently launched a one year partnership with Bayside that included four major video curriculum that all align with the weekend sermon series. The first campaign just recently launched and has already has close to 2,000 groups and close to 20,000 people into these groups. The small group campaign leveraged all of our latest and greatest strategies recruiting leaders, training leaders, and mobilizing ordinary people in the congregation to take a video series and gather some of their friends. The results on this one speak for themselves.
New Life Church – Rick BezetÂ
I traveled to New Life and produced Rick in a video series that was produced for the ARC Church planting network. This video series was called Life Giving Relationships in which we produced over 100 of the top 100 Churches in their network. There were over 1,000 people who attended, including their entire leadership team.
The Rock Church – Miles McPhersonÂ
We partnered with The Rock Church over a year to help launch and lead a new movement in their church to connect their entire congregation into community. In their first major campaign we helped move them from having 350 groups to just about 800 groups. The format was over the top and one of our most creative campaigns where we introduced a decentralized worship experience and an 8.5 X 11 full color congregational style curriculum. This initiative was integrated with a major capital campaign where they secured $73M in the “One Fund” strategy.
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Watermark Community Church – Todd Wagner
We met with Todd and his small group team and introduced them to a new way of developing video based curriculum that align with their weekend teaching series and helped to influence the development of what was several different series that aligned with the weekend teaching and catalyze people into community.
Celebration Church – Stovall Weems
We produced a video curriculum series for Stovall and Kerri Weems based of Kerri’s book Rhythms of Grace. This series was shot in Weems’ home, wrapped around an audience of 40 people in their own living room. The companion series included a spectacular print curriculum and video DVD and when rolled out to the church there were amazing results. It served as the catalyst for us to partner with Christine Caine and develop five different propel curriculums. We are in conversation now to develop the next initiative to take their small group ministry to the next level.
Southland Christian Church – Jon Weece
Years before John took over as senior pastor at Southland Christian Church we consulted with Mike Rowe and the existing staff team to take their small group ministry to the next level.
North Coast Church – Larry Osborne
Larry has always been an inspiration on how we have done our small group ministry, from the early days of working at Willow Creek. Recently I gathered with Larry and his entire leadership team to talk about the breakthrough model we’re doing with decentralizing the worship experience by producing the worship team of a local church. With his encouragement we are now producing worship with many of our church partners. Churches are now included 10-20 songs that will be introduced in small group curriculum, microsite services, online services and as he said one of the best applications is church planting. I have produced for Larry many times over the years from church leadership training and other tools for church leaders.
Potential Church – Troy Gramling
Produced a stewardship curriculum called Reveal with Troy. Teaching one of the sessions years ago with the capital campaign company RSI was based off the theme of time, talent, and treasure, and served as a Continuity program for capital campaign and stewardship programs.
United Methodist Church of the Resurrection – Adam HamiltonÂ
We consulted with Adam Hamilton and his church for a year helping to introduce a new model of how to decentralize small groups. How to launch small groups into the community to reach their community for Christ. Adam went on to produce over a dozen based video curriculum that aligned with multiple books he had written and that aligned with his weekend services. Adam continues to be one of the greatest proponents of bringing alignment to what happens on the weekend with what happens in a small group setting throughout the week
The Summit Church – J.D. GreerÂ
We consulted and coached J.D. and their executive team to produce their first video curriculum that aligned with a weekend teaching series and stewardship campaign where they raised a significant base of funds to fulfill their mission vision church planting and campus expansion. This was in the early days of lining a major church like campaign with a curriculum. Now it is the norm for us to partner with many churches and their capital campaigns.
Central Christian Church of Arizona – Cal Jernigan
We partnered with Cal to develop a series based off a life message that he had on the Kingdom. In a cabin setting in the mountains we shot what was 30 different testimonies and teachings. This helped launch hundreds of small groups in his congregation and community. Studying a life message helped connect thousands of people in the congregation into community.
First Assembly of God – Dan BetzerÂ
Years ago we consulted with Dan Betzer and the entire team at First Assembly on how to connect your entire congregation into community by leveraging the model of off campus small groups with the weekend services. During this time we were not using the video curriculum that has proven to exponentially launch more and better groups on and off campus.
Cathedral of Faith – Ken ForemanÂ
We’ve partnered with Ken and Curt Foreman and the entire Cathedral of Faith family to produce a major church wide campaign and video series called Family Matters. This series was produced in a town hall format and included the production of their worship team in one of the most spectacular productions we have ever done. Results launched 5,000 people into groups with 500 new groups
Shepherd of the Hills Church – Dudley Rutherford
We produced one of the most creative series we have done yet with Dudley. Being an avid cyclist, Dudley based the series Walls Fall Down off the his published book. We filmed this while Dudley rode his bicycle up and down the hills of Los Angeles. This series launched thousands into groups during a major campaign season.
Life Church TV – Craig GroeschelÂ
I helped Craig produce material that was used for a project with Saddleback Church that integrated leader training with a teaching series. We were able to coach through how to use this material to launch and train leaders on the vision and values of worship in a church.
World Outreach – Allen JacksonÂ
We have partnered now for three years in a consulting relationship with Allen Jackson. We have had the privilege of producing 8 different unique video series that has gotten north of 10,000 in 1,100 small groups. This is one of the best models that we have that has sustained growth over multiple series rather than just one. The most recently produced project is also the most creative piece of work called Let’s Pray. Just this fall he is launching an additional 2,000 to his already extremely effective small group strategy.
Northview Church – Steve Poe
We have produced several different series with Steve and the team at Northview. Each project has been a little different in how they are produced. Both were in done in a home setting. The latest was done in a very interactive town hall like environment around the topic of family, marriage, and relationship. This series helped to launch almost six thousand people into groups and continues to grow.
The Crossing – Jerry HarrisÂ
Jerry Harris is one of the contributing teachers on the video series that we did in conjunction with the North American Christian Churches and Tim Harlow called Life On Mission.
Savannah Christian Church – Cam Huxford
Cam was one of the contributing teachers on the series that we did with the North American Christian churches where he provided featured Leadership training for pastors called Life On Mission that helped focus their life and mission. Helping to refocus on living selflessly, Life On Mission, was released by Purpose Driven Ministries and introduced to hundreds of churches.
River Valley Church – Rob Ketterling
We produced Rob and his wife Bekkah along with his entire family in a series done with the Assemblies of God denomination. Over a two year partnership we were able to produce a 40 volume series along with leadership training. This series was called believe based on Dr. Woods keynote address. Rob played a primary role in the series Life Giving Relationships in which we produced.
Shadow Mountain – Dr. David Jeremiah
We were able to produce a three volume series with Dr. David Jeremiah. We produced an adult, Spanish, and youth edition of the series. This series helped to raise the weekly tithing by almost a hundred thousand a week. And helped to finish what was a half a million dollar capital campaign for a new educational building.
Scottsdale Bible Church – Jamie Rasmussen
When Pastor Darryl Deuse (SP) was still the senior pastor we produced a series with him and Jamie Rasmussen that helped to launch thousands of people into small groups at Scottsdale. It was in the early days of curriculum but we are in conversations with Jamie now about all of the latest innovations and findings. We hope to continue to build on what was started years ago.
Healing Place Church – Mike Haman
Produced several different series with Mike and his team. The initial development of the “GROW” strategy was developed at the healing place. This “grab a friend and go” strategy over a six month period has exponential growth.
Cornerstone Church – Sergio De La Mora
Coached and consulted with Sergio and his team on small group strategies for some time informally. We have had Sergio participate on multiple curriculum series over the year and conversation about helping to produce a series on the revolutionary heart as we speak.
Faith Promise Church – Chris StevensÂ
We consulted with Chris over a years time and helped to produce multiple curriculum with him and his wife on a married series and a vision and value series. These efforts help connect about 5,000 people into groups. As a result of our coaching Chris has gone and produces multiple series. They have one of the healthiest small group ministries in the country.
Faith Assembly of God – Carl Stevens
Years ago we consulted with Carl and his team to develop a health small group ministry. As an Assembly Of God church, where small groups are not as common, we were able to make incredible progress together.
East Lake Church – Mike Meeks
We consulted with Mike Meeks for a season and helped him take his small group ministry to the next level. We coached Mike through producing multiple projects. This is one of the most vibrant churches in the world.
Cherry Hill – Shane Farmer
Working with Shane at Willow Creek on the largest small group launch Willow creek has ever done in history called Wiser Together. We developed small group strategy that has influenced Shane and the small group ministry at Cherry Hill.
Traders Point Christian Church – Aaron Brockett
Aaron was one of the contributing participants in the series Life On Mission and provided the young emerging voices in a tribe of more established churches around the country. Aarons teaching style is authentic and edgy at the same time. Offered leadership training to many pastors
Real Life Church – Rusty GeorgeÂ
Produced a town hall video production in a living room setting with Rusty that helped connect over 3,000 people in this congregation. The team engaged in the opportunity to decentralize worship. We were able to help author and design curriculum that acted as a companion and complement to the series.
Crossroads Christian church – Chuck BooherÂ
Participated in the production Life On Mission that has been introduced to hundreds of churches. Chuck provided both teaching content and leadership training.
Eastview Christian Church – Mike Baker
Produced a series with Eastview in the streets in Chicago. Walking through the community Mike did the best job teaching in order to produce a series that was launching in hundreds of churches around the country. We were able to help write and produce with Mike and the teaching team. This was used as an alignment campaign connecting over 4,000 people.
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Gil Steiglitz, small groups Pastor at Bayside, says working with Lifetogether helped Bayside see the critical steps needed to implement a strong small groups program and create a new culture. Instead of asking “How can we get more people into groups?” Gil and his team are how asking, “How can we recruit more people to gather their friends and grow together?” The focus has shifted to hosts, with the church even creating a quick text option for people to respond that they’ll lead a group.
Bayside Church in northern California has a strong weekend worship experience, with 15,000 to 18,000 people gathering each weekend across five campuses. However, the pace of small group development had lagged behind with “only” around 450 home groups that connected fewer than half of Bayside’s attenders. The senior leadership wanted to have as many as 1000 groups – a “stretch goal,” they said – and to create a sustainable model for moving forward. The Bayside team worked with Lifetogether in August 2016 to produce “Born for This,” a seven-week video and print curriculum campaign focusing on the book of Philippians and designed to correlate with the pastors’ weekend teaching.
Through the partnership with Lifetogether and the coaching and insights from the Lifetogether team, Bayside has made other changes that are transforming their small groups program. In addition to recruiting new hosts, the church has also created a strong orientation and training program, with video training filmed by the Pastors as well as personal training from Brett Eastman and Dave Stewart. The Senior Pastors also prioritized small groups in a new way, with a sustained push over weekends in July, August, and September.
Because of the church–wide emphasis on “Born for This,” other programs and Pastors are pulling together around the vision. Bayside positioned the groups as a “both/and” solution, releasing the pressure for everyone to conform. Small groups in the student ministry, men’s ministry, and women’s ministry are all growing.
Over the last twenty years, we’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds of the largest and fastest-growing churches in the country, including 50 of the top 100 listed in Outreach Magazine’s annual list.
The number one event in any local church in America is the weekend service, and it requires most of the staff’s best efforts- all the more reason to leverage that experience far beyond the weekend. What if there were more and better ways to leverage the impact of the weekend sermons? What if we turned one weekend into more of a “catalyst” to next steps vs. merely a weekend event?
The greater opportunity is to challenge any new or existing attender to continue the conversation with a friend or two with the short video segment based on the weekend sermon. If we can motivate unconnected attenders to take this step, many will grow into being a small group over time.
When I got to Willow Creek we began hosting on-campus events to connect unconnected people – it worked but compared to what? We would have hundreds of people come and get in a group and we would hope and pray it stuck. Upon further analysis, “the sign up to show up” was embarrassing and the “stay up” was disaster.
Letting people sign up for groups on the weekend or go online to get in a local group is not as effective for connecting people into community.
When I served on the Saddleback staff, mid-week worship was the number one thing recommended as a next step off the weekend service. Many churches still host a mid-week service on either Wednesday night, Sunday night, or some other night of the week. But this was taken over by Saddleback by a small group experience and we eventually shut down the mid-week worship experience. Most of the growing churches we are working with now are doing the same thing.
Hosting a “40 Day-like campaign” has long been an outstanding strategy to build momentum into the fall, new year or spring seasons in any church. There are hundreds of best-selling authors and Christian publishers with a handful of off-the-shelf campaigns to choose from.
After trying to create small groups in a church and still producing a weekend service, a new integrated model is emerging. We are calling it the “Conversation Service,” which is the best of small groups and a weekend service. This new service is not traditional, nor contemporary, but in a new conversational format that we believe will emerge as the new contemporary service in the future. The teaching is taught in the round with an audience surrounding the senior pastor. It starts like a small group with an icebreaker and some brief interaction from the audience, then proceeds with the teaching by the senior pastor, and then ends with audience interaction that is open, authentic and unplugged. We can produce this live and make it available for the small group to discuss or just produce it as a brand new curriculum format.
Small groups driven by a video teaching experience can be the best of the resources provided by the attractional service and the integration of the best of the missional model. At Seacoast Church, Greg and Josh Surratt had a “Missional Ministry” developing but it wasn’t very comprehensive or effective in its approach. We aligned their weekend content by providing video curriculum resources and saw an exponential number of groups launch that were not just effective for assimilation but evangelism and outreach as well. We are working with a number of churches around the country that are integrating the best of both of these models.
Over the last 25 years, we have hosted more live small group leader training sessions than anybody in the country. The initial training may include 75% of those registered but the follow-up training only has a fraction of the response. That’s why we are seeing a growing trend of producing small group leader training and volunteer training online in a variety of new formats. The clear winner is to produce a video training versus a print-only handbook. Some may simply be a video of frequently asked questions, some are taught by small group pastors and some are topical or developmental. But the most effective is a whole new approach to training.
Over the last 25 years we have cracked a new code on how to start more groups but the constant struggle is how to sustain those groups, and we are learning a ton in this area as we work with the bleeding-edge congregations.