Leader Resources

For new leaders: How to Launch a Connect Small Group

Follow the “Managing My Group” PDF to make any changes to members or meeting day and time in the group database.
Email & call new group members to make sure they know about the first meeting date & time.
Arrange childcare and space for kids if needed with the parents in your group. Please contact your Area Pastor if you have any questions.
The curriculum will be available online by mid-day on the Saturday the message is preached here. There is no cost associated with the curriculum
A prayer guide will be provided each week to guide your group as you pray for how God can use Hope through the Unleashed initiative in the lives of those in:

Tips to host your group

Create a welcoming environment. Be sure your meeting place is neat and clean and has enough seats for everyone who will attend.
Have snacks. Your group can rotate who will provide them but having something to eat helps people to relax and open up to each other more easily.
Allow time for connection and social time. This is when relationships are formed so don’t skip this! Allow at least 20-30 minutes (either before or at the end) for people to talk and catch up with each other.
For this four week series, allow 20-30 minutes for your group to pray for our church. This is a key part of this all-play and should not be skipped if at all possible.
Pets can be an issue for some people so let them know beforehand if you have pets and be prepared to put your pet in a separate space if it becomes distracting.

Tips for leading group discussion

Establish a safe environment.
Remind members that anything shared in the group is confidential and is not to be shared outside of the group. (even with spouses)
Encourage members to speak the truth in love and not to immediately try to give advice.
Model transparency. The more you are willing to share, the easier it will be for others to do the same.

Pray for your group and for the Spirit to be active in your time together.
Have group decide how you would like to pray for/with each other.
Have index cards that members write their prayer requests on. Have one person email them to the group or have members trade cards and commit to praying for the other person that week.
Break members into prayer partners (week by week or for the duration of the study).
Ensure that each member with personal prayer request is followed up with during the week – either by you or someone in the group.
Utilize the prayer guide provided each week to pray for those who will be impacted through unleashed.

If someone asks a question, toss it out to the group. You do not have to have all the answers. If you become the answer person, the group will look to you instead of searching God’s word for themselves.
Be comfortable with silence. Sometimes it will take 30-60 seconds for someone to speak up. That is OK. Do not rush to fill the void. They will talk.
Keep questions open ended as much as possible.
If someone gives an answer that isn’t correct, say, “That is an interesting thought. What do you guys think?” Usually the group will give the “right” answer.
Redirect discussion when it gets off topic. If the group gets on a rabbit trail, you can say something like, “Great thoughts. So, what did you think about …” and go back to the study.
***The Holy Spirit may have plans that trump our strategy. Be sensitive to His leading and if someone comes with an issue that clearly needs to be addressed by the group, you have the freedom to put the study aside and listen to and pray for that person. This should be the exception however. If a person dominates discussion, you may need to address it with them outside of the group.
If someone needs more help than the group can provide, talk to one of the large group facilitators. We can help you get them connected to resources in the church that will help them to recover and grow.

Delegate. We grow when we are engaged and serving. Social events, prayer requests, leading discussion, praying aloud, reading verses, bringing a snack are all things you can encourage others to try.

Encourage community. Discuss ways for members to connect outside of study time. If ideas aren’t flowing, here are some ideas to ask about:

Put everyone’s contact info on a Google doc and share with group.
Create a private Facebook page for the group.
Commit to one outing outside of study time that the group will participate in together. (you can ask volunteers to plan this)
Participate in a service project as a group. Great way to build community!