Small Group First Week’s Guide
Total time: 1hr 20min
Read this Small Group Recap (3 min)
We're going to spend some time discussing the structure for small groups and what we can expect. We will also have time to get to know each other a little better and share some of our story in life and with God.
Before we do that, let's look together at the Small Group "commitment or covenant.”
We want to become and continue to be a community marked by invitation and hospitality. We want our lives and homes to be open, and our dinner tables filled with laughter—glimpses of the Kingdom of God. We believe that it is through ordinary moments of community (like this) that strangers become a sort of spiritual family. We want to be a family rooted in Jesus, filled with love and affection, committed to one another.
To that end, during this 8-week small group term, we all are invited to say “yes” to this Small Group through a sort of “covenant.” This means that, by the Spirit and in God’s grace, we will all do our best to:
Attend each week of the term, proactively calling or texting the leader if you’re unable to make it for a gathering
Serve the group by helping with pot-luck meals, staying to help clean, etc.
Participate in the guided practice / discussion with honesty and charity
Be a person of safety, listening first, speaking second, offering encouragement or challenge only with discernment and permission
If you feel like you are unable to commit to this group in this way for this Small Group term, no judgment or shame! Please let us (the leader) know before you leave tonight.
Practice for Tonight (60 min)
(Leader: Choose one IceBreaker question to get to know one another better.)
Let’s take a few minutes and go around in a circle sharing your answer to the following question:
If you could only have one sense (sight, taste, hearing, touch, smell) for the rest of your life, which one would you choose and why?
What was the happiest memory you’ve ever had?
Would you rather live in the ocean or in deep outer space?
Next, we’ll go around the room again, giving each of us 3-5 minutes to briefly share our life stories.
Share about your childhood and upbringing
Share about important changes or moments that impacted your life. Education, career, family, romance
Share about your journey of faith and in relationship with Jesus
We encourage you to share only what feels safe and appropriate. Remember, as we listen to one another, let’s honor one another, offer trust, don’t try to fix, and hold one another’s stories in appropriate confidence.
(Leader: Consider using a timer just so the person sharing has a rough idea of how to pace their story.)
Read this Practice for the Week (2 min)
Throughout this week be led by the Spirit, and pray for one member or a family in your group. Set aside a few minutes each day (or a few times through the week) to pray for them. Some time in your week, reach out to them to check in and see how they are doing. This could be a text, in-person, or a phone call.
Plan out details for this Term (15 min)
(Leader: This part is optional, but highly encouraged to help share the responsibility for the group. See Chart in pdf version of First Week’s Guide)
Before everyone leaves, let’s spend some time discussing how we can divide up some of the responsibility for the group during this term.
Each week we meet there are opportunities to (1) host the group in your home, (2) take point on meal coordination, and (3) facilitate the guided discussion/practice for the evening.
The church encourages us to share as much of the Small Group leadership as possible. If you are interested or open to signing up for one or multiple of these roles, please do that before you leave tonight. We will also send this out (via text/email/Google sheets/etc. - leader’s choice), in case you don’t yet know your schedule.
A couple of tips:
Meal Coordinator tends to be the role that requires the most forethought. The guides are usually written in a way that you can just read through it like a script, and you understand what hosting in your home would require
Feel free to sign up for multiple roles through the term, AND for multiple roles in one night.
Sometimes it can be convenient to host and coordinate the meal on the same night.
Note for groups with Kids: If your group has kids that are not ready to participate in the discussion/practice, we encourage you to consider sharing the cost of childcare at your meeting
Close your time in prayer
You may wish to share requests or just spend time praying for your group's beginning—giving praise and gratitude for what is now and to come.
