Discussion

3 Things Every Group Should Do To Set Your Group Up For Future Success

As of tomorrow, we only have 2 more weeks until the winter break begins (November 18).

As you wind down your fall trimester, here are 3 things every group should do to set your group up for future success.

1. Next Trimester Plan

What is next for your group?

Do you need new leaders? Are you planning to multiply?

Multiplication/Leadership Plan:

As we talked about at Re:Group in September, if your group plans to multiply, it is vital to talk about it early and often. If you plan to multiply, you'll want to communicate those details to your group the last 2 weeks of group.

  • Who is going to lead?

  • What will the new groups look like?

  • When is the first date of your new group?

Discussion Plan:

What are the spiritual needs of your group? What would be most healthy for your group to discuss together in January?

Our Upcoming Teaching Series:

In January - March our church will be doing a teaching series on saturating our hearts, our church, and our community with the Gospel. We'll be doing an open baptism service on February 11th, and we'll be doing a 6 week series on prayer after that.

If you have questions about multiplication or need ideas of what to discuss with your group, reach out to your coach and review the materials below.

2. Growth Goals Review

Did you set growth goals 7 weeks ago? How are those going?

As you wrap up the trimester, make sure to checkin on everyone's progress.

We can always use another boost, accountability, encouragement, and prayer as we seek to grow in our walk with Christ.

Make sure to discuss this with your group this week in prayer time.

3. Holiday Plans

We have a rather long break between our fall and winter trimester. Almost 2 months. The Winter Trimester begins January 14. That can be a long time to be disconnected from community.

What can your group do to stay connected?

Add a date to your calendar this week for a social:

  • Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving Dinner

  • Football and chili hangout on a Sunday afternoon

  • A Christmas party (gingerbread house decorating, white elephant gift, etc.)

You may also consider setting up prayer partners for the break, that way everyone has at least one person checking in with them regularly until your next meeting.

How Can We Help You?

How is your group going? Are there any challenges or issues you or your group are struggling with? Reach out to your coach to setup a meeting. We'd love to help!

Additional Resources You May Find Helpful

When and How To Multiply Your Group

3 Ideas To Help Your Group Grow Relationally and Spiritually

7 Ways To Build Relationships During The Holiday Break

10 Christmas Social and Serving Ideas

Video Curriculum Streaming Options

Book Of The Bible Curriculum & Discussion Ideas

What You Need To Know About Leading During the Mountain Mover Series in March

This Sunday (3/5) we begin our 4-week Mountain Mover sermon series. In this series we'll take a look through the Gospels at the 4 times Jesus said, "You of little faith."

As we mentioned before this group trimester began, we would like every Community Group to discuss this sermon series together over the next 4 weeks. It is an important series for the life of our church as we stretch our faith and share vision for our Brighton Campus.

Here are a few details you should know about as you prepare to lead your Community Group through this series:

Mountain Mover Booklets

This Sunday (3/5), everyone will receive a Mountain Mover booklet with details about our Brighton Campus as well as sermon notes and sermon discussion questions. Make sure to remind your group to bring this booklet with them on Sundays and to group.

Prayer

This week we are beginning a 28-Day Prayer Challenge. Set aside time each day to pray for life change within yourself, others at Northridge, and the people of our city. There are prayer cards available in the church lobbies on Sunday and anyone can turn on daily prayer notifications on the Northridge app.

Prayer Night

On Sunday, March 12th, 5:30pm-7:30pm, we'll have an open house prayer night at our Brighton Campus. Invite your group members to join you, walk through the building, and pray for what God may do to build His kingdom in the days ahead!

Mountain Mover Website

As you or group members have questions about the Brighton Campus and all that is happening at our church during this series, this is the best place place to go. Before group this week, we'd encourage you to take a look at the website so you can be prepared to answer any questions in your group.

www.NorthridgeRochester.com/MountainMover

Influence

One of our staff values is "influence". We say it this way, "We will lead the way, not just point the way."

As Community Group Leaders, the best way to lead our group members is by first being lead by God.

Take some time to pray for what God may do in your heart during this series as we pray for God to stretch our faith and move mountains we never thought could move.

"He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” - Matthew 17:20

Upcoming Dates

Questions?

If you have any questions about groups or anything else at Northridge, reach out to your coach.

We'd love to support you in anyway that we can.

Additional Resources That May Be Helpful

Why Group Relationships Are Ineffective

Maximizing Prayer Time

Sharing Caring

When & How Should Your Group Multiply?

Northridge Group Leader Podcast

2 Opportunities For Your Group To Serve Our Community

This past Sunday we preached on being a church that cares beyond its walls.

But we don't just want to preach about it, we want to take action.

We want to move as a church toward those who are hurting, in need, struggling with poverty, addictions, and broken relationships with God and others.

Community Groups provide an incredible opportunity for us to learn about and move to meet those needs together.

In order to move our church toward caring beyond our walls, here are 2 things we are asking all groups to do.

1. Group Discussion about Hope International in Malawi The Week of November 6th.

In place of sermon discussion on the week of November 6th, our Beyond team put together a discussion guide and videos for your group to watch and discuss.

To make sure this discussion goes smoothly as a group, we suggest you test out playing these videos on a TV ahead of time.

We are working on additional options for video playback.

2. Find a Beyond Partner to Serve With As A Group

There are numerous ways for your group to get involved in serving our Community.

Here are 2 opportunities for your group to serve together shared with us from our partners:

Trunk Or Treat

  • Saturday, October 29th

  • 10:00-11:30am

  • Northridge Rochester Campus

Northridge Church is hosting our annual Trunk or Treat to help strengthen the families of our Beyond Partners David's Refuge & RISE Community School 106! The premise is simple... A bunch of us band together, deck out our trunks with creative themes, and are ready with candy and fun interactive activities for kids! Families will move from car to car, collecting candy and playing games at each stop. Costumes are encouraged!

Compass Care Monthly Mailing Teams

Here are the days and times are available for groups to come in or pick-up mailings:

  • In-person groups: A 3-4 hour block between the hours of 9AM-9PM

    • Monday, October 24th through Thursday, November 3rd (except Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays)

    • Thursday, November 17th through Thursday, December 8th (except Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays)

  • Pick-up: M-F from 9am-5pm

    • Friday, October 21st through Tuesday, November 1st

    • Thursday, November 17th through Thursday, December 8th

CompassCare is educating the community on the equal value of all human life, from the womb to the tomb, and what it means to be human under God. The Production Team is a critical component to delivering these resources through monthly mailings. Groups interested in participating in prepping mailings can contact Dan Prouty at (585) 559-0241 and dan.prouty@compasscare.info.

If you have further questions about opportunities to serve with our Beyond Partners, check out the link below or contact Michelle Gerringer mgerringer@NorthridgeRochester.com. 

Why & How to Share Facilitation

One of the most intimidating roles in a Community Group is facilitating discussion. Because of that group leaders often fail to share facilitation fearing it is too difficult or important of a role for other group members. 

5 Ways Failing to Share Facilitation Limits Your Group

  1. Facilitation is seen as something only group leaders can do

  2. Fewer people get in the game and develop facilitation skills

  3. People who are great question askers are stuck on the sidelines

  4. People are too intimidated to consider group leadership because they don't think they could lead good discussions

  5. Groups are unable to multiply for lack of new leaders

The goal of group discussion is not teaching but application. Anyone can ask questions about how to apply the Bible to our lives. 

So, how do you share facilitation with your group members? 

3 Ideas for Sharing Facilitation

  1. Schedule a different person to facilitate discussion each week.

    • Hand out the schedule the first week of group and let people know you'd like everyone or almost everyone to facilitate discussion in group.

    • Let them know that all they need to do is read questions off a piece of paper.

    • Communicate with them that if they are not comfortable leading discussion to have a conversation with you after group.

  2. Send Group Facilitation Guide

    • We have put together a short 1 page Facilitation Guide to email to your leaders the week before they facilitate discussion. This guide includes everything they need to know to lead discussion their first time. 

    • Here is a suggested email to send group members before they facilitate.

  3. Followup After Meeting

    • After group, follow up with the person who facilitated discussion to celebrate and affirm them. Most of us are anxious about doing something new, especially talking in front of others. So do all that you can to encourage and thank them.

    • If you have any suggestions, limit them to one or two at the most.

    • They mostly just need your affirmation that they can do it and they did a good job.

If you have further questions about how to share facilitation in your group, let your group coach know. The more people we can get into the game the better.

10 Ways to Squash Group Discussion

When facilitating in your group, here are 10 surefire ways to stifle the discussion and keep group members from sharing:
 

  1. Teach.  This is your chance to dispense everything you've learned about the topic.  Study up, stand up, and do all of the talking.  Wear black-rimmed glasses and do a lot of pointing for effect.
  2. Correct.  When one of your group members answers a question with the wrong response (or at least not the response you were looking for), be sure to correct them and coldly dismiss their contribution.  Be sure to inform them of the correct answer.   
  3. Intimidate.  Use every opportunity to infuse terms like transubstantiation, sactification, or substitutionary atonementinto your discussion.  Incorporating names like Bonheoffer, Stott, Lucado, and Luther are equally impressive.  
  4. Overload.  Be sure to come prepared with at least 40 discussion questions, which will nicely limit responses to 10 seconds or less per question.
  5. Control.  Don't permit any conversation that deviates even the slightest bit from your agenda for the group discussion.  Stick to the script and establish strict boundaries.
  6. Read.  Keep your eyes focused on your Bible and your discussion questions.  Avoid eye contact with group members at all costs.
  7. Factualize.  Be sure to focus only on facts.  Opinions, thoughts, and personal application have no value when discussing issues of faith. 
  8. Steamroll.  When you ask a question and no one responds within 2 seconds, answer the question yourself, then move on immediately to the next question.  You must keep the discussion moving.
  9. Monopolize.  As the leader you know that everyone wants to know what you have to say.  About everything.  Do most, if not all, of the talking.  Be sure to comment after anyone speaks, even when it comes to icebreaker responses.
  10. Grimace.  Groups should be a serious environment.  Since we are studying God's word, there isn't time for frivolity or fun.  Friendships, common ground, and laughter are intended to be shared outside the group. 
 
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Northridge Church Office | 2052 Saint Paul St. Rochester, NY 14621 | (585) 338-7810