Small Group Leadership 101

May 11, 2012 By Brett Eastman Leave a Comment

Brett Eastman interviews Caleb Anderson on Small Group Leadership 101. 10 Simple steps that will make a difference for you and your group.
1. You are not alone.
2. Don’t try to do it alone
3. Just Be You
4. Prepare Ahead of Time
5. Pray for Your Group Members
6. Be Patient when Asking Questions
7. Always Read the Transitions and Questions Out Loud
8. Break Into Smaller Groups if too Large
9. Let Others Lead
10. Enjoy the Journey

Watch the Full Interview

What's Next?

Love Week was pretty amazing!  Thank you to all of you who lead your groups to get out and serve!  It's not too late to get out and serve the 918.

So, what's Next?  That's the question we've always got to ask.  What is the next step in my life?  What is the next step for my family?  What is the next step in my walk with God?  What is the next step for our group? What is the next step for the church?

We should be in constant communication with God that we might know the next step.

So, what's your next step with your group?  What will you study next?  Where will you serve next?  Who will be the next leader to take over or send out?  What's the plan for this summer?

These are all questions you should be thinking about as a leader right now.

So, what's next?
We would like to hear from you.  CLICK HERE to fill out a Group Leader update form.

mt

North Garnett Group Times & Locations

We made the change and it worked!  Close to 200 of our people shifted into the 9:30 service making room in our 11:00 for more people to come discover God and His church. Thank you leaders for your leadership and flexibility as we make adjustments to our schedule.

Here is the latest Sunday AM group roster:

Matt T.

What to do when someone dominates the discussion?

You've probably had that person in your group.  You know the one.  They always have an answer and it takes them FOREVER to explain it along with several stories.  Or they just have a random thought that they feel the need to share with the entire group that has nothing to do with the topic.   There's also the person who tries to dominate by answering every question that group members ask, before you as a leader can respond.  Or they always talks over others in the group and even cuts them off.  So, what do you do?  How do you graciously deal with this brother or sister that can't seem to keep any control of their tongue?
    You could call them out in front of the entire group.  That would be effective!  Embarrass them in front of everyone, that would teach them a lesson!  But, then they would probably never come back again...  So, what's a better way?
One good piece of advice that I've heard is sit by the dominator.  When they set across from you, every time they make eye contact with you, they take that as their que.  When setting next to you that doesn't happen, and it enables you to make eye contact with the more quiet group members.  It also makes it possible for you, at the right moment, to be able to lean over and whisper, "help me get some more people involved in the conversation."
     My suggestion, if that doesn't work, is to politely talk with them one on one.  Pull them aside after a meeting, or maybe even take them to lunch (if they're the same gender) and help them understand the importance of letting everyone have an opportunity to talk.
    Now, if you read this and think, "Huh, I've never had a dominator in the group..."  Well, guess what?  It's probably YOU!

Matt T.

Think Multiplication:

By Bobby Reed
As God continues to bless our church family with many new families the best way to get them connected is to make room for them!
How can we make room?
1. Open up your group if it's not very large
2. Start new groups

How do we start new groups?
1. begin talking about multiplication to your group
2. identify a potential leader
3. ask this person to be your apprentice leader
4. develop the new leader

How do we develop the new leader?
1. You lead a group meeting, they watch, you meet up with your apprentice and talk about it.
2. You lead, they help, you meet up with your apprentice and talk about it.
3. They lead, you help,you meet up with your apprentice and talk about it.
4. They lead, you watch, you meet up with your apprentice and talk about it.
5. They start a new group when you both agree they are ready.

Are you still wondering how you can help your group think multiplication and unleash new leaders? Email your campus minister and we will help you through this.

Ready, Set, GO!!

Another group season is ready to take off!
Be sure you're connecting with all of those in your group, especially those who are new.  Make sure they know when and where you are meeting.

Keep inviting!  If your group is not full, keep inviting others to join you.  We have many in our FCC family that are just waiting to be asked.

Make sure your group info is correct on the website.  Make sure everyone is on your list that is supposed to be on your list.

PRAY!  Pray that God does great things this season as our groups study God's word and we each grow in our faith.  Pray for each of your group members by name.

I'm Dreaming!

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...  Isn't that how the song goes.  Not much of a chance this year for a white Christmas around here.  I saw on the news the other day that there is about a 5% chance on any given year that we would have a white Christmas.  So, just another dream that gets dashed to pieces.
     When we launched groups almost 4 years ago I had several dreams.  One dream was that we would one day have 100% of our morning worship attendance would be in groups.
Here are some numbers:
     We had 796 adult individuals in groups this past season. 
     We have 989 Adult members.  That means we're at 80% of our membership number in groups!
     Our average adult worship attendance is around 840 (including teenagers).  That means we're at almost 95% of our morning worship attendance is in groups!

Dreams are coming true!

     I'm not sharing these numbers to prove that I've earned my paycheck or to say, "aren't we a great church".  I share these numbers so that we can celebrate what God is doing in this place!  796 people in groups means 796 people are studying the word of God.  It means lives are being changed.  It means people are growing as disciples of Jesus.  It means people are joining together in prayer.  It means people are meeting needs within our family and in our community.  It means God is AWESOME!! 
     We also know that God is not done!  There are many others both in our FCC family as well as in our community that are disconnected from the body of Christ.  Ya they might show up on Sunday mornings and stare at the back of someones head for an hour as they set through a worship service, but they're not connected. Continue to raise up new leaders for new groups.  Continue to invite others to join your group.  Continue to study God's word and share God's word with your group.
     God never intended on us trying to make it through this life alone.

Thank You for leading the way!
Lets keep dreaming!