Lifetogether is all about resourcing ministry, and on the pages of our site you’ll discover the latest resources.we’ve created for pastors and church leaders. In these pages you’ll not only learn about our ministry and our projects, you’ll find a wealth of ideas, tips, and suggestions for growing your own church and building dynamic small group communities.
I came to Christ in college because someone took a chance and invited me to join a small group Bible study. I heard the dangerous message of the Gospel in a safe place, and was encouraged to gather some friends of my own and start a new group. Seven of the young men in that group ended up accepting Christ, and three of them made the decision for full-time ministry.
Over the years I’ve had the privilege of working on staff at some of the largest churches in the country, including Saddleback and Willow Creek, but the genius of a small group program is it can work for a church of any size, in any location. In fact, at Lifetogether we believe small groups are one of the most significant, effective ways to disciple existing Christians and evangelize seekers.
Our video-based resources make it easier for churches to launch a new small group emphasis, kick off church-wide campaigns, connect their members, reach their communities, and even start new campuses and microsites. Video teaching, print curriculum, and supplemental tools like video testimonies and devotions combine to create a catalytic tool that can change lives.
After working at Willow Creek, I was invited by Rick and the team at Saddleback to join their staff to champion small group ministry, leadership development, and their membership process. When I arrived they had only 73 off-campus small groups with more than 10,000 people in the church. Rick was then, as he still is today, the most teachable pastor on the planet, and in those early years we tried a variety of strategies to connect people into small groups.
At that point there were only two or three pastoral staff for small groups, which required us to shift from a staff-driven model to a volunteer-driven model. That worked to connect about 50% of the congregation; then we needed to shift to a resource-driven approach with video curriculum. The first one we produced, on the book of James, helped us mobilize 100 people to start new small groups in their home. The production was simple but the lessons we learned were exponential.
“In the dream-it-up phase of a project — where you imagine the possibilities, consider the alternatives, and produce a scenario for communicating your message in a compelling way — I’ve never met anyone who can match Brett’s genius.”
-Rick Warren, Saddleback Church, LAKE FOREST, CA
We went on to produce a series called The Millennial Member in 2000, then 50 Days of Faith, and ultimately 40 Days of Purpose, which became the model for church-wide campaigns. For the next 20 years, Saddleback produced an annual campaign along with video campaigns for many others.
I went on to produce the first Purpose-Driven small group series called Doing Life Together which sold over three million copies, and had the privilege of coaching the first group of churches using 40 Days in their churches. Since then more than 30,000 churches have used this campaign.
For almost twenty years, in a full or part-time capacity, I continued to partner with Rick, Kay, and Saddleback helping to multiply their small groups, curriculum, and church-wide campaigns. For the last ten years I’ve produced special projects and productions for Rick and Kay, most recently The Daniel Plan series that went on to win Christian Book of the Year in 2015. We also worked together on the Purpose of Christmas and The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church.