Dot Com(unity) Is (almost) Back!

Just one more week until we can resume our study together

by Sam O'Neal

Sorry, this image was the closing thing I could find to a horse "champing at the bit." (If that confuses you, you'll have to check the newsletter to find out more.) Anyway, we are on the cusp of a new session of Dot Com(unity), and I just wanted to quickly cover a few points and reminders to help everyone get ready.

What Is Dot Com(unity)
If this is your first experience with Dot Com(unity), you can learn about its origins and main purpose by clicking here. To summarize, Dot Com(unity) is what I call a co-learning experience. The goal is to get small groups from across the country (and the world) all studying the same material at the same time.

Our blog then provides a place for the leaders of those small groups to join together as a support network. You can ask questions about doctrinal issues, whether a particular icebreaker works well, how to handle a problem that has come up, and so on. It's like having a whole network of coaches who are all studying the same thing as you and can provide you with encouragement and support.

What Are We Studying?
We'll be focusing on the SmallGroups.com Bible study called Use Your Spiritual Gifts. This is a great course because it will not only help your group members identify their spiritual gifts (the material includes a gifts inventory/assessment), but it also addresses key issues like identifying our specific calling and dealing with the shame that often hinders and suppresses our gifts.

Why Do I Have to Pay?
This is our third session of Dot Com(unity), but this is the first time we have required participants to pay for the featured Bible study. I'm sure that many of you are wondering why that is so, and that's a fair question. The answer is that we have to generate a certain level of revenue in order to remain in operation.

SmallGroups.com is part of the Christianity Today International family of websites, which means we are part of a not-for-profit company. We exist to support and equip the Kingdom of God, not to make financial profits. And yet, we do have several expenses, including paying the authors of our Bible studies, not to mention the editors, designers, maintaining the website, and so on. So we have to generate enough revenue to cover those expenses.

That's why we charge for our premium products, like Bible studies. Please note, however, that we are including a 50% discount for the Use Your Spiritual Gifts study featured in this Dot Com(unity) session. Just use the coupon code DC0909. And yes, we will always provide a discount for our Dot Com(unity) studies.

Also, let me just throw in a quick pitch for a membership to SmallGroups.com. If your church purchases a SmallGroups.com membership, it can provide free access to SmallGroups.com for all of its small-group leaders. That means your church can provide you (and your fellow group leaders) with unlimited access to Bible Studies and training resources just by signing up—you wouldn't have to pay anything extra. Just a thought to keep in mind. (And if you can't convince your church to take the plunge, we also have individual memberships.)

Okay, if you have any other questions or items to discuss before we get started next week, just let me know. I'm looking forward to it!