Small Group Leader Training
WHY SMALL GROUPS
Small Groups have one, simple purpose—to bring people together. We believe God created us to live in community with others and only then can we experience the full life He intends for us.
At theCrossroads, we help people to Know God, Find Freedom, Discover their Purpose, and Make a Difference. Small Groups are the Find Freedom component of this vision. God wants every one of us to experience freedom while on this earth; the system He uses to accomplish that freedom is people.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
JAMES 5:16
We go to God for forgiveness, but we have to go to people for freedom.
It’s God’s design!
We believe life change happens in the context of
Meaningful relationships can be hard to find, and Small Groups exist to make life-changing relationships relevant and accessible to you.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
ECCLESIASTES 4:9-12
THE MODEL
At theCrossroads, we believe our church must grow larger and smaller at the same time. We grow larger to reach as many people as possible with the life-giving message of Jesus. We gather in Small Groups to build community and care for people.
theCrossroads is a church of Small Groups, not a church with Small Groups.
We base our Small Group model on the early church as described in the Bible in the book of Acts. In Acts, you can read about the tremendous growth of the first church in Jerusalem, where small group meetings in
homes helped lay the foundation.
Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. - ACTS 5:42
On the Small Groups team, our rally cry is this:
What we mean by this is, Small Groups offer people:
1. A Place to
Connect
Yes, whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him.
1 CORINTHIANS 9:22 TLB
We were not made to do life alone. God created us for community, and Small Groups provide a place to connect with others, share life, and grow in faith together.
2. A Place to
Protect
We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
1 JOHN 3:16 NLT
It is through life together that our problems become smaller, and God uses others to bring support and encouragement to our lives. Small Groups become a place where others don’t just know your name, but
care about what is happening in your life and want to support you in your spiritual journey.
3. A Place to
Grow
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
PROVERBS 27:17
We believe every person is created with God-given potential to make a difference in the world. Small Groups are a place you can grow with others to become more like Jesus and reach the potential God has put inside you.
WHAT A SMALL GROUP LOOKS LIKE
Your Life is Your Group
At theCrossroads, we use a free market approach to Small Groups. This means we want people to gather together based on the things they enjoy and are important to them. Essentially, the things you are already doing in your life are the things that can make up your Small Group!
Free market leaders form their group around their gifts or interests. From sports groups to lunch groups, mom groups to student groups, Bible study groups to creative arts groups, our groups are as varied as
we are.
Group Structure
Groups meet throughout the year in three semesters. - Spring 12 Weeks, Summer 6 Weeks, Fall 12 Weeks
Groups meet weekly during each semester.
Groups meet in a variety of places like homes, parks, restaurants, coffee shops and office buildings.
New groups start every semester making it easy to build community and enjoy different types of groups.
No matter what your group meets about, each meeting should be made up of four things:
1. Casual Fellowship
A laid back time for group members to talk and get to know each other.
2. Activity or Discussion
This will vary based on what kind of group you’re leading. It could be an activity like Frisbee or outreach or a discussion about a book or Sunday message.
3. Prayer
Ask for prayer requests from group members and pray at the beginning and/or the end of each group meeting.
4. Spiritual Component
This is what differentiates your Small Group from your neighborhood supper club. Whether it’s through activities or discussion, always find a way to include the Word of God. This can be as simple as sharing
something God is teaching you with the group or talking about a verse you read that week.
Small Groups are not a place for:
• Business
• Offerings
• Unapproved materials or speakers
• Controversial topics
YOUR ROLE AS A SMALL GROUP LEADER
God has a part for all of us to play in the church, and Small Group Leaders come alongside the pastors and ministry at theCrossroads to help care for people.
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard ofChrist.
EPHESIANS 4:11-13 NLT
The primary role of a Small Group Leader is to help group members take steps in their walk with God.
Remember: Connect, Protect, Grow!
Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;
PROVERBS 27:23
People in your group will be at different places in their spiritual lives and each person will have different next steps to take. Here is a guide of some next steps you can help people take:
• Start attending Sunday services
• Start reading the Bible regularly
• Start praying regularly
• Be water baptized
• Complete theCrossroads Growth Track
• Join the Dream Team
• Start tithing
• Start attending First Wednesday services
• Attend an Organizational or District event or conference
• Invite a friend or neighbor to church or a Small Group
• Attend a Small Group Leader Training to become a Small Group
Leader
How to be a successful Small Group Leader:
1.
2. Consider
3.
4. Have
5. Respect people’s
6.
7.
The Importance of Prayer
Prayer is a foundation of our church, and it is important for your Small Group.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 CHRONICLES 7:14
How to pray for your group:
• Pray for any requests group members share.
• Ask for the presence of the Holy Spirit in your group.
• Pray that God will open people’s hearts to hear His truth.
• Pray for authentic community to develop.
- Pray for wisdom and strength to lead your group well.
Confidence as a Small Group Leader
If you only do what you feel comfortable doing, you don’t need God. God’s best is often found outside your comfort zone.
When you serve God and people by leading a Small Group, He will equip you and give you the strength and wisdom to lead well.
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
PHILIPPIANS 4:13 NLT
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
2 TIMOTHY 1:7 NLT
When you feel uncertain about leading a group, use Scripture to overcome the lies of the enemy:
1. When you feel like you don’t have the time, remember God has
created you for this, and His timing is perfect.
If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.
ECCLESIASTES 11:4 TLB
2. When you feel unqualified, remember God has equipped you.
It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of His new covenant.
2 CORINTHIANS 3:5-6 NLT
3. When you feel like your past disqualifies you, remember God uses imperfect people.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-4
When you feel like you don’t know how to help someone in your group, remember ESPN:
E: Encourage
S: Share Scripture
P: Pray
N: Next Steps
Leadership Support
As a Small Group Leader, you are never alone in creating community. We have pastors, ministry, and the Small Groups Team who are all working alongside you to invest in great Small Groups at theCrossroads.
Your Coach
As a Small Group Leader, you have a Coach paired with you to help as you need support throughout the semester. Your Coach’s number one priority is to pray for you daily. Reach out to your Coach if you have a need, prayer request, or concern.
How to create good group dynamics:
• Set expectations.
A key to helping people feel comfortable in your group is to let them know what to expect. Take time to share how the group will flow from week to week. This can include things like explaining the times you will begin and end the group, how discussion or group activities will happen, and how group members can share prayer requests or best engage in the group.
• Follow the 70-30 rule.
Give the members of your group room to speak up instead of doing all the talking yourself. About 70% of talking should come from members and 30% from the leader.
• Keep discussion positive.
If conversation takes a negative or destructive turn, guide it back to a healthy place. If someone needs to talk about a sensitive or complex issue, you can follow up with them after the group or call your Coach to help you respond well.
• Keep the conversation relevant to everyone.
Remember people in your group will be at different places in their spiritual journey. Be thoughtful when you talk about spiritual concepts or church terms that might be unfamiliar to new Christians or new church-goers.
• Respect boundaries.
Men should minister to men and women should minister to women. A couple may minister to a single person. We want to maintain integrity and purity in our Small Groups. These boundaries will help protect the leaders and group members from entering into an uncomfortable or inappropriate situation.
Stay Connected
Throughout the semester, respond to your Coach and the Small Groups team about group attendance, potential new Small Group Leaders, and how members are taking next steps.
Requirements for leading a small group
Small Group Leaders are part of the Dream Team and every person who serves on the Dream Team has completed Steps 1, 2, and 3 of the Growth Track and are members of theCrossroads.
Additionally, Small Group Leaders have completed Small Group Leader Training.
Any Small Group that will include unsupervised minors (anyone under 18 years of age), the leader must have an approved background check.
HOW TO START YOUR SMALL GROUP
1. Ask God for direction about what group to lead and who to invite.
2. Once you decide on a topic or activity for your group, choose a place and time to meet.
3. Register your group with the Small Group Team Leaders.
4. Invite people you know or meet to come check out your group.
5. Pray for God to do great things through your Small Group.
Preparing for your group meetings:
• Send a message to group members reminding them about the first
meeting.
• Arrive early to set up a welcoming environment.
• Consider having nametags available to help everyone learn names
for the first few weeks.
Conversation
Here are a couple conversation starters to help get people talking as your group gets to know each other:
• How did you learn about our group?
• What are your hobbies?
• What are you looking forward to this year?
• What brought you here?
• What are you hoping to get out of this Small Group?