GroupLink Facilitator Guide

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Table of Contents

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Table of Contents (this page)……… Page 1

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What this Guide Includes……… Page 2

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Tips on Starting Well……… Page 2

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Tips of Facilitating……… Page 3

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Meeting Agenda #1………. Page 4

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Meeting Agenda #2………. Page 5

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Meeting Agenda #3………. Page 6

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Meeting Agenda #4………. Page 7

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Meeting Agenda #5………. Page 8

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Meeting Agenda #6………. Page 9

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Meeting Agenda #7………. Page 10

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Meeting Agenda #8………. Page 11

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Additional Resources to Help Your Group……… Page 12 NOTE: For on-line “Small Group Tips” you can also go on-line at…

http://www.crfsmallgroups.org/GroupLinkTopTenIssues.htm)

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What this Guide Includes

Thank you for facilitating your group! This Facilitator Guide will give you what you need to successfully facilitate your group through the “8 Week Challenge”. Here is what this guide includes:

• Tips on how to maximize your group’s “8 Week Challenge” experience

• A week-by-week agenda to use for your group meetings

• A list of additional resources you can access as needed to help your group

Your Small Group Coach (a “consultant” assigned to help you with your group) will be checking in on your group as you progress through the challenge. Be sure to let him/her know of any challenges, successes or questions you may have. And again, thanks for facilitating your group!

Tips on Starting Well

1) Focus on getting to know one another: The group’s goal over the challenge period is to become well acquainted with one other and not to get through the curriculum. At the end of the challenge period, your group will decide to either continue on as a permanent group or to celebrate what you’ve experienced but graduate (end) your group. If you don’t get to know one another during the challenge period, you won’t be positioned to make this decision as a group.

2) Have your group fill-out a Group Sign-up Sheet: Everyone in your group needs to share group responsibilities. This makes the load light because everyone helps out a little (e.g. bringing

refreshments, hosting, facilitating, helping with the children, etc…) and no one person has to do too much. The sign-up sheet in the appendix must be filled out for each group and turned in to your coach. All slots should have someone’s name specified (or “n/a” as applicable). This is a requirement for a group to participate in the “8 Week Challenge”.

3) Use this Facilitator Guide: During the challenge period, your time is best spent helping the group convene and sharing group responsibilities so everyone can focus on getting to know one another.

Using this guide lets you do this so you don’t have to spend your time worrying about “what to prepare” for your group’s next meeting.

4) Have everyone review the Participant Guide: The Participant Guide tells group members what is expected of them during the “8 Week Challenge”. Having everyone review this guide will significantly improve your group’s experience together. We have found that if participants don’t agree to these basic guidelines, their group rarely makes it through the challenge period. Because of this, it is a requirement that all participants review this guide if they want to participate in the “8 Week Challenge”.

5) Stay predictable: During the challenge period (the first 8 meetings), we strongly encourage your group to meet on the same day/time and frequency for each meeting. Weekly is best to maintain relational connections if possible. Changing the meeting day, time, and/or frequency of your new group is a prescription for failure.

6) Have Fun: We want your group to be an enjoyable and an encouraging experience. Make sure laughter is a part of each meeting…have fun!

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Tips on Facilitating

1) Start with an ice breaker question. Always begin your meeting time with a question that will help

“break the ice” and help everyone relax. A sample ice breaker question is provided as part of each week’s agenda. Normally you might think you should be polite and let someone else go first.

However, since your group is new, you can to help things get started by answering first.

2) Proceed using the Regroup or Liquid study guide. This Facilitator Guide (this document) references Regroup and Liquid, two DVD based studies that you will use as the curriculum for your group meetings. These studies are something everyone will benefit from regardless of where they are on their spiritual journey. Remember that your group is new so your main goal is to help them get to know one another. This curriculum is geared specifically toward helping to make this happen as your group learns the skills needed to be an effective group member. Using it will improve the likelihood that your group will have a positive experience.

3) Pray at the end of your meeting. Actually, you can pray anytime during your meeting! However, each session in this guide provides a time of prayer for your group towards the end of each meeting.

Praying together as a group is so important that we’ve included specific ways to pray for each session. We’ve made these prayer times easy and non-threatening so people won’t feel put on the spot or uncomfortable during the group’s prayer time.

4) Don’t teach…facilitate. Your primary job is to create an environment where people feel comfortable and are willing to participate. Facilitating a small group is not about you answering all the questions.

Instead, it’s about you helping to draw answers out of those participating in the group. Your group will be most successful when the members do most of the talking.

5) Cultivate discussion. The personal stories of the group members are what will make the small group meeting successful. The most valuable thing you can do as a facilitator is to get people to share their thoughts how the Biblical principals you are learning apply to their lives. Since you are using a video curriculum, be aware that the video portion of the study may cause some people to shift into listening mode. Your job as the facilitator is to help get all the members engaged to create a richer discussion. Here are some good questions to draw out discussion from your group members:

• Who has a response they’d be willing to share about this?

• What else comes to mind for you when you think of that question?

• Joe [direct a question towards someone], what are your thoughts about this?

• Joe thanks for sharing that, who else [direct a question away from someone] has something they’d be willing to share about this question?

• Let’s go around and give everyone a chance to share an answer to this question, I’ll start [to model to others how they might respond]. If you’d prefer not to answer, just say “pass”.

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Meeting 1 Agenda

Objective

To start to get to know one another and share your stories with one another.

To Prepare

1. Familiarize yourself with this session’s agenda (see below)

2. Familiarize yourself with the Regroup session on “Telling Your Story”, pgs. 59-61 3. Have the Group Sign-up Sheet to remind people of roles for current and next week 4. Contact the host (if host is different next week) to remind them about hosting 5. Special Notes: Whichever two adults are doing childcare this night, remind them to

share their own stories with each other even as they do childcare (and ask the kids if they are old enough to share). This is as simple as just sharing about their childhood, teen/young adult years, and current life. Remind them they will actually have MORE time than others in the group to do this which is a benefit of doing childcare this week!

6. Relax! If you simply follow this session’s agenda, you’ll be fine!

Agenda (see detail in subsequent sections below)

15 min Ice Breaker

60 min Study: Regroup “How to tell your story….”, pages 59-61

10 min Administration: Fill-in two more weeks on the Group Sign-up Sheet,

05 min Prayer

15-30 min Fellowship/Refreshments

Icebreaker

Please to share your name and where you live in the area. Share something you like about where you live.

Study

Follow the Regroup participant’s guide pages 59-61. You will be sharing your life stories with each other tonight as the main part of your meeting. Here is the overall study agenda (see book):

• Watch Video for about 15 minutes (p. 59-60)

• Share your stories for about 35 minutes (p 61)

• At the end debrief on how you felt as you shared for about 10 min (p. 61)

• TIPS:

o You have 35 minutes for folks to share a short version of their life story so keep the sharing moving from person to person so everyone has a chance to share. Mention this to the group (~10 folks x ~3.5 min each).

o If the book has a list of choices for responding, simply pass the book around to people

Administration

• Have folks sign-up for two more week’s roles on the Group Sign-up Sheet and give the Facilitators Guide to the person doing this the next week. Remind everyone of their roles for the coming week. You can begin sharing prayer requests as the sheet is being passed.

Prayer - If time, members can share prayer needs. Either way, have someone close in prayer. If you “open the floor for prayer”, make sure you emphasis that people do not have to pray out loud so they feel comfortable with the prayer time (you don’t want them to feel pressured).

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Objective

To continue to get to know one another as you learn about God’s purpose for your small group.

To Prepare

• Familiarize yourself with this session’s agenda (see below)

• Read the introductory pages to the Regroup study on pages 11-13

• Familiarize yourself with the Regroup’s first study session on pages 18-22

• Have the Group Sign-up Sheet on-hand for your group to fill-in the next two weeks

• Contact the host (if host is different next week) to remind them about hosting

• Again…relax! If you simply follow this session’s agenda, you’ll be fine!

Agenda (see detail in subsequent sections below)

15 min Ice Breaker

60 min Study: Regroup Session 1 “God’s Purpose…”, pages 18-22 10 min Administration: Fill-in two more weeks of Group Sign-up Sheet

05 min Prayer

Icebreaker

Please share your name, how long you’ve been living in the area, and your favorite past “smaller group” experience (could be from church, work, sports, civic club, etc…).

Study

Follow the Regroup participant’s guide pages 18-22. If a question asks people to review something in the book, simply pass the book around as each person answers.

Administration

• Have folks sign-up for two more week’s roles on the Group Sign-up Sheet and give the Facilitators Guide to the person doing this the next week. Remind everyone of their roles for the coming week. You can begin sharing prayer requests as the sheet is being passed.

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Objective:

To continue getting to know one another as you learn how to be a good small group member.

To Prepare:

• Familiarize yourself with the Regroup’s second study session on pages 24-29

• Have the Group Sign-up Sheet on-hand for your group to fill-in the final two weeks

• Good news! After tonight, you won’t have to ask folks to sign-up for anything!

Agenda:

15 min Ice Breaker

60 min Study: Regroup Session 2 “Five Habits…”, pages 24-29 05 min Administration: Finalize Group Sign-up Sheet

10 min Prayer

Icebreaker

Please share a little about what your family was like when you were growing up (this can be your immediate or extended family).

Study

Follow the Regroup participant’s guide pages 24-29.

Administration

• Pass around the Group Sign-up Sheet and finalize last two weeks of sign-up slots

• Please get a copy of this sheet to your Small Group Coach in the next week for tracking purposes

• Give the Facilitators Guide to the person doing this the next week. Remind everyone of their roles for the coming week.

Prayer

Go around and ask everyone to fill in this sentence for the group prayer time. “One way you can pray specifically for me this week is to pray about ________________.”

Have your Prayer Coordinator for the current session write down the prayer requests and e-mail them out to the group. Have a volunteer close the group in prayer and ask the group to pray at least one time over the list of requests in the coming week after they receive them via e-mail (i.e. do this in their own private prayer time).

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Objective:

To continue getting to know one another and as you confirm the ground rules for your group.

To Prepare:

• Familiarize yourself with the Regroup’s third study session on pages 32-38

• Have 3 x 5 index cards or pieces of paper for group members to write their prayer requests on at the end of the meeting

Agenda:

15 min Ice Breaker

60 min Study: Regroup Session 3 “Ground Rules….”, pages 32-38 00 min Administration: n/a

15 min Prayer

Icebreaker

Share one of the most memorable moments of your life (doesn’t have to be a typical life event like

“when I got married” but it very well can be if that is what you want to share about). Why was it memorable?

Study

Follow the Regroup participant’s guide pages 32-38.

Administration

Prayer

Have everyone write down a prayer request on a 3 x 5 piece of paper. Go around and have each person share their prayer request with the group if they feel comfortable doing so. If they don’t, let them know they can say “pass”.

Ask for a volunteer to start the prayer time by praying first and encourage everyone else to pray as they feel led. Tell them that they can pray silently (if praying silently, folks can say “amen” when they are done so people know they are finished) or out loud. When you are ready, close in prayer

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Objective:

To continue getting to know one another and to confirm your groups purpose (this session prepares your group to continue on after the 8 Week Challenge but will obviously not be implemented if your group decides not to continue after the challenge period is over).

To Prepare:

• Familiarize yourself with the Regroup’s fourth study session on pages 40-44

• Have 3 x 5 index cards or pieces of paper for group members to write their prayer requests on at the end of the meeting

Agenda:

15 min Ice Breaker

60 min Study: Regroup Session 4 “Group’s Purpose…”, pages 40-44 00 min Administration: n/a

15 min Prayer

Icebreaker

If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it? Why?

Study

Follow the Regroup participant’s guide pages 40-44. Record your group’s responses in the book.

Again, you will be using a study called Liquid (to be given to you by your coach for next week) which if you continue on as a group will be your study for Meeting #9, 10, and 11. However, after that, you can use these answers from today’s lesson to help you decide what you will do next. Of course, your coach will be available to help you as well.

Administration

Prayer

Have everyone write down a prayer request on a 3 x 5 piece of paper. Go around and have each person share their prayer request with the group if they feel comfortable doing so. If they don’t, let them know they can say “pass”.

Ask for a volunteer to start the prayer time by praying first and encourage everyone else to pray as they feel led. Tell them that they can pray silently (if praying silently, folks can say “amen” when they are done so people know they are finished) or out loud. When you are ready, close in prayer by being the last person to pray yourself.

Before ending the meeting time, have everyone pass their prayer request to the first person of the same gender on their right in the circle. Ask everyone to commit to pray at least one time on their own for this prayer request (i.e. during their private prayer time) before the group reconvenes.

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Objective:

Start the first lesson of the Liquid study you have been assigned. Get a feel for doing your first “real study” as a group.

To Prepare:

• You should have (or get) the Liquid study for your group from your coach

• Read the Liquid Leader’s Guide section (if you haven’t already) and the Leaders Guide Chapter #1. The questions in the boxes are the same ones you’ll be asking the group when you go through the participant’s portion of study during the meeting. The other information is just notes to get you thinking ahead as the leader

• Note this Liquid study will be 5 lessons (meetings) in all

Agenda:

15 min Ice Breaker

60 min Study: Liquid Study #1 00 min Administration: n/a

15 min Prayer

Icebreaker

Who is someone you know that you really enjoy getting to talk to. Why do you think this is?

Study

Follow the Chapter #1 section of the guide. You can read the comments/notes, highlight what you want, or just skip them all together and just ask the questions in the boxes. Don’t stress! Just do what you feel comfortable doing. Remember you want folks to share. Just follow the guide and it will tell you what to do.

Administration

Prayer

Divide the group into guys and gals and share prayer requests (use a different method to divide up like counting off 1, 2 etc…. if this isn’t applicable for your type of group, e.g. women’s only group).

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Objective:

Complete the second lesson of the Liquid study you have been assigned.

To Prepare:

• You should have (or get) the Liquid study for your group from your coach

• Read the Liquid Leader’s Guide section (if you haven’t already) and the Leaders Guide Chapter #2. The questions in the boxes are the same ones you’ll be asking the group when you go through the participant’s portion of study during the meeting. The other information is just notes to get you thinking ahead as the leader

• Note this will be the 2^nd of 5 Liquid study lessons (meetings) if your group continues past the 8 Week Challenge

Agenda:

15 min Ice Breaker

60 min Study: Liquid Study #2

00 min Administration: Have folks start thinking about continuing on with the group

15 min Prayer

Icebreaker

Who was your best friend growing up? What were they like and what did you like to do together?

Study

Follow the Chapter #2 section of the guide. You can read the comments/notes, highlight what you want, or just skip them all together and just ask the questions in the boxes. Don’t stress! Just do what you feel comfortable doing. Remember you want folks to share. Just follow the guide and it will tell you what to do.

Administration

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Objective:

Conduct a “Group Check-in” and determine everyone’s plans to either continue on with the group or not.

To Prepare:

• You will be using the Regroup material again this session. Review the “Group Check-in

#1” Tip on pages 63-64.

• Consider how you think the various folks in the group will respond to either continuing or not with the group

• Pray about your meeting time

Agenda:

15 min Ice Breaker

60 min Study: Regroup “Group Check-in #1”

00 min Administration: Have folks share their plans to continue or not

15 min Prayer

Icebreaker

Who has been one of the most influential people in your life? Why?

Study

Complete the Group Check-I #1 on pages 63-64 of the Regroup guide.

Administration

• Go around and have each person share their answers to the following:

Question #1:

o If you want to continue on with the group, what is something you hope to see continue to happen in our group?

o If you will not be continuing with the group, what is something you are going to miss about the group?

Question #2

o If you are continuing with the group, what is something you want to contribute to help the group continue to get better (e.g. “I’m want to pray more for the group”)?