Hi Group Leaders,
Thanks for taking a minute to read this email and to stay-up-to date on what's happening in Community Groups at Northridge!
Spring Trimester
We are 2/3rds of the way through the Community Group year. Our Winter Trimester wraps up this week and our Spring Trimester begins April 3rd (for 8 weeks).
45-Day Reminder To Replace Yourself
At Re:Group on February 6th, we talked about the importance of Replacing Yourself as a Group Leader. (Miss Re:Group? Watch or Listen)
We gave everyone a toothbrush as a reminder that, just like a toothbrush needs to be replaced every 90 days, we also need to replace ourselves.
We set a goal as Group Leaders to invest in and develop a potential leader in our group before the Community Group year is over. It's been 45 days. We have 45 days to go.
Who in your group are you intentionally investing in to raise up into Group Leadership? What steps can you take in the next 45 days?
Do Community Group Relationships Really Make a Difference?
Have you ever asked that question?
Maybe you've been meeting with the same group of people for several years, and yet it's hard to see much progress in the growth of your group members, spiritually or relationally.
Maybe you'd say, "I like most of the people in my group, but I'm not really friends with them. My closest relationships are people from my school, work, old group, or friendships I have from another context."
If it's the weekend and you want to invite a friend or a couple over to hang out, the first people you'd like to invite are not the people in your group.
Maybe you wonder, "If I've known these people for 2 years and we are still not close, then what is the point of continuing to meet with these people every week? I'm busy enough, do I really need to keep meeting with this group? Do I really need to keep leading?"
If you've ever wrestled with these questions, you are not alone. So, why should we go through the trouble of continuing to meet with our group? Why give of your time to lead a group?
Do Community Group relationships really make a difference?
Over the next several weeks I'd like to explore this question together.
Today, I want to start with one thought.
If you focus on meetings over building relationships, your group won't work.
Group Leader Essential #2 is to Cultivate Relationships.
The goal of Community Group is not to hold good meetings. The goal of Community Groups is to create authentic Biblical community.
Does your group prioritize content over connection? (These don't need to be at odds with each other.)
Do your group members connect with each other outside of your weekly meetings?
In my experience from 13 years of leading and coaching groups, the best sign of a healthy group is when your group members get together outside of your weekly meetings.
If we want to foster relationships in our group that make a difference, it happens best when we do life with each other.
But how do we cultivate relationships? How do we create community?
HERE are 6 ideas I've shared in my article 2 Reasons Why Community Groups Don't Work.
As we approach our 2 week break and our upcoming Spring Trimester, I wanted to shared 3 ideas to cultivate relationships with your group members over the next few weeks:
1. Attend Night of Worship Together.
Sunday, March 27th (5:00pm or 6:30pm) at our Rochester Campus.
2. Attend an Equip Class Together.
The Book of Ephesians class is beginning the week of April 3rd at all 3 campuses. This is a great chance to connect with a group member as well as help each other grow together as you study and ask questions about one of the most foundational books in the Bible.
3. Grab Pancakes Together.
These next 2 weekends (March 19-27th) are known in the northeast as Maple Syrup Weekend. Check out a maple syrup farm, see how it's made, and eat some tasty pancakes with your group. HERE is a map of locations near you.
You might say, okay, you've given me ideas on how to form better relationships in my group, but you still haven't answered if those relationships really make a difference, or if it is worth my time to invest in these relationships instead of the good relationships I already have.
We'll explore that more in our next Group Leader post.
What do you think? Do Community Group relationships make a difference? Are they worth our time and investment? What would you say?
I'd love to hear your thoughts as I attempt to answer those questions. Email me HERE.
Thanks for leading this trimester! Enjoy the 2-week break as we prepare for the final 8 weeks of our Community Group year.
How Can We Help?
How are you doing? Is there anything we can help with? Reach out to your coach.
If you haven't had a chance to meet up with your coach yet this winter, we'd love to connect in-person or online.
Upcoming Community Group Dates
Spring Community Group Trimester: April 3 - May 28th (8 Weeks)
Red Wings Baseball Game (Group Leader Thank You): Friday, June 3, 7:05pm
Keep up-to-date with what happening in our group ministry on the Group Leader's Website, Facebook Group, and Podcast.
