three big changes happening at mars hill in 2018
I once heard someone say, "there's nothing permanent except change." I totally agree... and would add that “every change earns the favor of some and the disfavor of others.” Join me as I share "3 BIG Changes Happening at Mars Hill" in 2018.
Prayer Group Sunday Launch Flow
This conference call covers the logistics and flow of our prayer group launch.
day 31 - prayer Group conference call - session 1
Prayer Groups have one, simple purpose: to bring people together.
We believe God created us to live in relationship with others and only then can we live the full life He intends for us.
Sharing life through community is part of our design, but meaningful relationships aren’t always easy to find.
That’s why Prayer Groups exist—to make these life-changing relationships relevant and accessible to you.
Day 31 - Prayer group leader training - session 2
Leading a prayer group isn’t about being perfect; it’s about serving others by giving them a place to connect.
Hosting a group is simple—choose a topic that interests you and select a time and location to meet with others to share it.
We give you essential tools to make your prayer group successful through Leadership Training.
We believe people’s lives are changed one semester at a time by moving one step toward Christ, and as a small group leader you get to play an important role in that process.
small group facilitation tips
When we're facilitating in our small group, our main goal is to create discussion. We want to challenge people to think about the topic at hand, and to create a safe environment for people to share their thoughts—to help everyone feel valued about the input they've offered.
How to ask good questions
One of the most useful ministry skills you can develop is the knack for asking good questions. Hayley Miller talks for a few minutes about how to do that in a Small Group context.
small group training resources | Life.church
Give your small group leaders new ideas and fresh content to revitalize their groups. Check out Life.Church's list of three small group resources and deepen the spiritual development in your small group.
solving small group challenges
There are a few common problems every small group ministry faces. At Life.Church, some creative solutions have helped us learn to conquer these obstacles.
One familiar predicament is how much staff should be devoted specifically to small groups. We always lean on the side of a smaller staff. We’re able to do this by empowering key volunteer leaders. When you’re considering staff additions, it’s important to look beyond just the number of small groups at your church. Building a solid volunteer leadership structure enables you to grow your small group ministry without adding staff members.
Another common difficulty is getting people to join a small group. We’ve found that it’s easier to create momentum when you have a clear vision and direction. If you’re only working to create new small groups, your efforts will likely fizzle. Rather than focusing on spawning more and more groups, it’s often better to create awareness of existing small groups that are open to new members.
By encouraging people to join a small group first instead of lead one right off the bat, you’ll be able to introduce them to effective volunteer leadership. Some will even be empowered to start their own small groups because of the way leadership was modeled to them. This strategy allows you to leverage the strength of your leaders and ministry.
The next challenge is how to generate that awareness. At Life.Church, we devote two primary seasons to intentionally promoting small groups and recruiting leaders. During these seasons, we focus on leveraging the message series with video promotion, resources, and lobby elements to create awareness for small group opportunities. Using any built-in momentum is vital to inspiring your attenders to be in God-centered community.
Don’t be discouraged by small group difficulties. By finding an efficient mix of staff and volunteer leaders, creating awareness, and following momentum, you can build a dynamic small group ministry that helps lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.
Leading the way with small groups
“Church” is much more than a weekly experience. Being the "capital “C” Church includes serving, giving, and engaging with God and others. A healthy, thriving, small group ministry is a necessary component to Christian community, but can be difficult to build effectively.
At Life.Church, we encourage attenders to grow, laugh, and serve together in LifeGroups. And at the heart of each group is the key to success—a leader.
Without our leaders, we couldn’t do what we do. And without a support system, they couldn’t do what they do. That’s why we focus so much on investing in our LifeGroups leaders.
Here are a few tips for producing effective leaders:
Good leaders are the backbone of your small group ministry. Recognizing, inspiring, and outfitting the right people will help you accomplish more than you ever thought possible in the lives of others and the mission of your church.
Small Groups: Sample Leader Onboarding Conversations
Great leaders help make the small groups in your church amazing! As you recruit new leaders, put them on sure footing with a great onboarding conversation.
In these videos, you'll see examples of how to welcome a new leader to the team and what topics to cover in that initial conversation.
Use these videos as a reference for how you structure your onboarding conversations with new small group leaders.
