If you have a willing heart, and a few open seats in your living room, you are ready to lead a group. The streamed video curriculum is “plug and play” so that anyone with any level of experience can lead a successful group.
No. Although some members of existing groups will choose to take a break from their group in order to lead a new one, others will simply meet on a different night and be part of two groups. Do what feels comfortable.
YES. You will receive some very important training, and you will be given additional information that will enable you to pick up the material for your group. Orientation will be scheduled soon after you sign up to become a group leader.
One of the great things about leading a group at your home is that it fits your schedule. Pick the day and time that works best for you. The typical time slot will be 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Your commitment is to lead the spring/fall study that accompanies Pastor Bill’s series. You will also be encouraged to rotate the facilitator role from time to time. Over time, healthy groups will rotate locations as well. At the end of the series each leader will decide whether to continue with the group or identify a new leader.
From start to finish, the average small group lasts between 1 ½ to 2 hours. As the leader, you might commit a little extra time between meetings each week to review the video curriculum or leader materials as well as time to pray for your group members.
The group will last between 1 ½ to 2 hours, the video itself will vary in length, with most being 15-20 minutes long. The rest of the evening will be spent discussing group questions that explore the subject matter more intensely and a time for prayer and connection.
We want you to start by inviting your friends! You can even ask them if they know anyone who would like to come. There will also be some helpful training at the Leader Orientation that will help you think of others to invite. In addition, we may have the names of a few people who have signed up for the study and live nearby.
If you’d like to form a group with a certain affinity like: (couples, singles, gender, or a specific age range, etc.) that’s fine. Yet, in most cases your geographic community will provide a “proximate” life stage or lifestyle affinity. Yet the best way to get people that you’re most comfortable is to invite your own friends that you enjoy hanging out with.
The ideal number of people in a group is 8-10. We suggest inviting as many as you can. In our experience, about half of those who say they'll come, will actually come. If your group is still smaller than 10 after the first night, have the group invite some of their friends.
Ultimately, each leader will decide how they will address the issue of childcare. Most groups ask the members to find their own babysitters and attend the group by themselves. Some groups put the children together in a “bonus” room at the leader’s home and all the members pitch in to pay a sitter or two to watch over the kids of the group.
We are incredibly grateful for your gift of shepherding others. When your commitment is over, each leader will decide what their role will be with the group of friends that formed in their home.
No, on the night you will miss the group, simply plan on having others lead and facilitate the evening.
Thank you for taking the first step toward leading others to be Known, Accepted, Supported and Developed.
BECOME A GROUP LEADER
