New Leader Orientation Create Groups

CREATE GROUPS NEW LEADER ORIENTATION TABLE OF CONTENTS

A SUCCESSFUL GROUP

Ingredients for a Successful Meeting ...... 7

Four Myths About Leading a Group ...... 7

Responsibilities for Leaders ...... 8

Areas for Volunteers to Serve

Within Groups ...... 8

BASICS

Five Levels of Communication

for Create Groups...... 11

Create Groups Culture ...... 11

EQUIPPING OTHERS

Multiplying Your Group ...... 15

Equipping Others to Lead in Your Group ....15

Small Group Leaders Who Gather

Followers vs. Small Group Leaders

Who Develop Leaders ...... 15

Prayer Guidelines for Create Groups...... 17 A Successful Group INGREDIENTS FOR A 9. There seemed to be a plan for the meeting. SUCCESSFUL MEETING • Fellowship. • Worship. Exodus 18:13–26 • Word. 1. The Leader prayed for the meeting. • Prayer and Ministry. • Pray for those you invited. Pray for their health, 10. Many people were involved in the meeting. their marriage, their children, everything! • Pray outside the meeting. 11. There was a clearly stated purpose for • Pray for those who always have excuses. the meeting. • Pray on the way to the meeting. • Cast vision for the meeting. • Pray during the meeting. • Cast vision for multiplication. • Have others share the vision of the group. 2. The Leader ministered to those who came to the meeting. 12. People left the meeting anticipating the • Minister to those who are at the meeting and next meeting. others will come. • Don’t rebuke people for low attendance. FOUR MYTHS ABOUT 3. The Leader had invited new people. LEADING A GROUP • Appoint greeters. 1. I have to be a gifted teacher to lead a group. • Introduce people publicly and privately. TRUTH: Create Groups are more than just teaching • Everyone’s favorite subject is themselves. and Bible study. Use your gifts and let others use theirs. If you are not a gifted teacher, let others 4. The Leader was not afraid to have fun. teach who are gifted in this area. If you love to • Jesus came to give us abundant life. pray, then pray. If you love to encourage, • Be a facilitator of the Holy Spirit. encourage others in the group. Your unique personality, passions and gifts will make you 5. The meeting started and ended on time. successful. • Honor people’s schedules and time. 2. I must have extensive knowledge of the Bible • Make sure you give people an opportunity to to lead a group. leave when they need to. TRUTH: Take a team approach when dealing with complex issues in Scripture. Others in the group 6. People felt warmly welcomed. may know the answer if you do not. It is okay to • Keep a watchful eye for people who wander to admit that you cannot locate a specific verse or the corners of the rooms and stand alone. passage. Tell the group that you will find the • Make sure you have funny or interesting answer before the next meeting. Assign others to icebreakers. It is hard to recover from a bad help you in the search. All of us are on a wonderful start. lifetime journey of discovering the truths in Scripture and, as Leaders, we should be diligent to 7. People encountered God. study, memorize and meditate upon Scripture. • God always shows up to a prepared and However, advanced degrees in Bible History are expectant atmosphere. not needed to lead a group. • Be prepared and expectant. 3. I have to be a great counselor to lead a • Anticipate God’s participation in the meeting. group. TRUTH: You will not be expected to solve every 8. People received ministry. person’s problems as a Leader. We have a team of • First-time visitors usually come to a meeting pastors who have been trained to meet with with a ministry need. people and minister grace and healing to almost • Don’t let your schedule inhibit you from any situation that arises in your group. We only the most important part of the meeting— expect you to pray, encourage and support the ministering to the people! members of your group. If you are faced with a • Minister in an orderly way. difficult counseling issue, contact us and allow the staff at Create to help. • Train the members of your group to minister to others.

7 4. I do not have enough time to lead a group. 10. Attend the quarterly Leadership 501 training TRUTH: If you have enough time to attend a sessions. group, you have enough time to lead. We will NOTE: Please realize this list can be overwhelming help you plan each meeting and delegate to one individual, but can be easily handled by responsibilities in order to maximize your time. a team of people. It is critical early in the life of your group to establish a team mindset and to empower people in your group to minister. RESPONSIBILITIES FOR LEADERS 1. Develop an apprentice to ultimately multiply AREAS FOR VOLUNTEERS TO your group. SERVE GROUPS 2. Oversee the care and communication of your WITHIN CREATE small group members. Call first-time visitors to the church each week. • Call group members periodically Submit weekly attendance reports for the group. • Counseling – Know when to refer them to the pastoral staff. Serve as the Children’s Coordinator for the group. • Follow-up with group members who go Oversee the snack sign-up each week. missing Greet and welcome guests at the front door each • Follow-up with visitors who attend the group week. 3. Oversee the weekly group meetings. Lead worship when needed. Four components that can be included in each meeting: Call people who have missed the meeting. • Fellowship. Help clean the meeting area after each meeting. • Worship. Serve refreshments each week. • Bible Study/Discussion. • Prayer/Ministry.

4. Arrange for a Host Home. • This should be periodically rotated to various homes that are convenient to the group. • All changes to location, meeting date or time should be communicated in advance to those in your group.

5. Submit weekly attendance reports via email.

8 Basics FIVE LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION How can a Leader create an atmosphere of transparency? FOR CREATE GROUPS • Do not fall into the perfectionism trap. 1. Surface Communication Leadership does not require perfection. This only creates an artificial environment. • Weather, sports, current events, church • Be honest when you need prayer. activities. • Delegate tasks to others in the group. • This is the safest kind of communication. • Give permission for group members to reveal 2. Factual Communication their struggles. You may need to remind the • Reports observable facts or ideas. group each week that permission is granted. • Example: What I did at work this week or • Affirm those who share their struggles. where we went on vacation. • Lead the group to commit to confidentiality. 3. Thought-Provoking Communication • Do not give or allow others to give “pat” answers to problems. People want to help, but • A person reveals what he or she thinks or do not always know how. Find a way to get the believes about something. Holy Spirit involved in every problem. • An opinion, an interpretation of Scripture or a judgment of someone’s actions. CREATE GROUPS CULTURE 4. Emotive Communication • A person reveals how he or she feels about something. Create Groups Leaders will build a culture in which the following principles are held in the 5. Transparent Communication highest regard: • People share their deepest fears, dreams or thoughts. 1. Every person is important. • This might happen when someone shares a • Every person is uniquely gifted. Leaders must personal struggle or sin with the group. make every effort to know the members of their group individually, and equip each member to • For most people, this is the most difficult level minister effectively. of communication. • We believe that everyone should receive There are two doorways to Transparent ministry when needed. Communication: • Allow visitors to introduce themselves by A. Transparency “telling their story.” • People must take off their masks and let others see who they are. 2. Create Groups are priority. • Most of us only allow people to see what we • The majority of our time, talents and resources want them to see. will be given each day to building new groups • Transparency requires honesty and your and equipping the Leaders of groups. group must have an environment that • We believe events are the catalyst for gathering encourages honest communication. people, but discipleship can best happen • Groups without transparency are boring— through the committed relationships found in like a garden that is never tilled. community. B. Vulnerability 3. Effective leadership is based on a healthy • Vulnerability is simply allowing others to relationship with God and people. speak into their lives. • We desire our Leaders to minister from a • Many times people want to divulge issues in position of rest. their lives, but are not willing to allow • We desire our Leaders to minister from a deep anyone reservoir of the Holy Spirit that is found only in to help them. a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. • Vulnerability requires trust. • We believe that God designed each of us for • The Leader must lead the way. The group relationships, and leadership in the church is will not become transparent and vulnerable based upon success in relationships at home, at until the Leader does. work and in the community.

11 4. Group Leaders should focus on leadership development. • The primary responsibilities of Leaders are to mentor, train and release other Leaders.

5. Authentic community is possible. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of His coming back again is drawing near. Hebrews 10:24–25 (NLT) • We believe that people in our culture should share their lives with others. • We believe our time should be prioritized to include significant relationships with other families and friends.

6. Create Groups are the net for the harvest. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples. John 13:35 (NLT) • We believe that small groups are God’s best design for assimilating and discipling new believers into the local church. • The unchurched are simply looking for authentic believers who truly live for the Jesus they claim to know. • If we will intentionally prepare new small groups, God will send us the lost.

12 Equipping Others MULTIPLYING YOUR GROUP SMALL GROUP LEADERS WHO 1. Cast the Vision of Multiplication GATHER FOLLOWERS VS. SMALL Why Birth? GROUP LEADERS WHO DEVELOP • It’s biblical. Be fruitful and multiply. LEADERS Genesis 35:11 1. Leaders who gather followers need to be • Shortage of groups. needed; Leaders who develop Leaders want • New tasks are needed. to be succeeded. • Support group needs. • Our impact can stretch further than this • New converts/growth. generation if we give away what we have to the next generation of Leaders. 2. Identify and Develop Apprentice Leaders • We don’t want a following; we want a legacy— And the things you have heard me say in the Jesus. presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 2. Leaders who gather followers focus on 2 Timothy 2:2 people’s weaknesses; Leaders who develop • Jesus modeled it. Leaders focus on their strengths. • Do we spend too much time trying to get EQUIPPING OTHERS TO LEAD people to do well at things they are not gifted IN YOUR GROUP to do in the first place? • We should spend our time identifying their gifts Three questions every Leader should ask and sharpening their God-given talents. themselves: • If you put the right people in the right place at • Am I doing enough to ensure the success of my the right time, they will most likely succeed and Apprentices? serve long-term. • Have I invested my time wisely? 3. Leaders who gather followers focus on the • What is keeping me from what is most bottom 20 percent; Leaders who develop important? Leaders focus on the top 20 percent. 1. Ask your Apprentices questions about key • Focus on those with the most potential, not issues and value their responses. They will those causing the most problems. think corporately if asked corporate • Hurt people hurt people. Help people get well questions. (Mark 8:27–30) so they can lead. Establish this goal early in your group. 2. Allow your Apprentices to ask you questions. • Put an end to perpetual counseling. People Refuse to be defensive or insecure. must ultimately wrestle with God. (Mark 8:31–33) 4. Leaders who gather followers spend their 3. Ask them about their personal faith, their time; Leaders who develop Leaders invest finances and their families. They can only be their time. as successful for you as they are being in • Your daytimer will tell the story. It is your these areas. portfolio of time investment.

4. Give your Apprentices real responsibilities 5. Leaders who gather followers ask for little and critique the results. Allow them to make commitment; Leaders who develop Leaders mistakes and learn. Give them responsibilities ask for great commitment. that are important to you because you will • Raise the bar. then pay closer attention to the results. • Be clear about your standards. 5. Give your Apprentices consistent personal • Check regularly on their progress. time. Be accessible. Allow them to periodically have access to your personal domain. Create Groups should not be the subject of every meeting.

6. Prophetically proclaim success over their ministry. Encouragement is the most powerful motivator known to mankind.

15 1. Pray for the weekly services:

• For worship to be anointed and powerful.

• For people to be healed during worship and ministry.

• For the release of the prophetic, corporately and in individuals.

• For people to be saved.

• For the message to be anointed and strength for

Pastor Ryan.

• For the nursery workers to make an eternal impact on the children in their care.

• For the children’s ministry to be powerful and effective.

• Pray against any attempts of the enemy to keep people from the services.

PRAYER GUIDELINES • Pray against any distractions in the services. FOR CREATE GROUPS • For marriages to be healed and families restored during the services.

• For people to use their gifts for the service of the body.

2. Pray for more Leaders, Apprentices and Host Homes.

3. Pray for divine opportunities to share our testimony and to lead others to Jesus Christ.

4. Pray for continued financial blessings for the families of our church. Pray that the people of our church would be favored, blessed and promoted.

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