What Do You Need To Do Before Group Next Week?

Hi Group Leaders,

Thank you for joining us at Re:Group last night!

The Fall Group Trimester has arrived. Groups kickoff this Sunday, September 15th, and meet for the next 10 weeks (until November 23rd).

As you make your plans for week 1 of group, here is a quick checklist to ensure a strong start to the groups year.

1. PLAN A GROUP MEAL

• The best way to start off the group trimester is by catching up over a meal.

• Food makes for an inviting and relaxed atmosphere and natural conversation. 

• Connect with your group this week to plan what's for dinner.

2. CALL/CONTACT YOUR GROUP MEMBERS

• Make sure to connect with your group about details for your first meeting: location, date, time, kids care.

• Nothing beats a phone call before the first week to reconnect with your attendees and new prospective group members.

• Maybe you could meet with new group members in the lobby on Sunday so they have a familiar face their first week in group.

3. BRING A PREASSIGNED VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE

• Download the Volunteer Schedule Template HERE.

• Instead of asking for people to sign up for shared group responsibilities on the first night, bring a preassigned schedule to your first meeting.

• Let people know they can connect with you as leaders if there is a schedule conflict or a role they are not comfortable serving in.

• This is a great way to share leadership by sharing responsibilities for snack, childcare, hosting, and even facilitation. 

4. DECIDE WHAT YOUR GROUP PLANS TO DISCUSS

• This Community Group trimester we'll be discussing the following sermon series:

  Mind Field (September 8 - October 13)

• Description: 

Are your thoughts out of control--just like your life? Do you long to break free from the spiral of destructive thinking? Do you battle with worry, anxiety, relational tension, depression, lust, self doubt, guilt or shame? Have you tried to think your way out of bad habits and unhealthy thought patterns, only to find yourself stuck with an out-of-control mind and off-track life? How do you achieve a mindset that leads toward peace? Join us as we explore how God's truth can become your battle plan to win the war in your mind!

• September 8 - Winning The Battle In Your Mind (Romans 12:2, Philippians 4:6-9)

• September 15 - Identity (Ephesians 2:1-10)

• September 22 - Peace In Your Relationships (Romans 12:17-18)

• September 29 - Navigating the Darkness - Depression (Psalm 13)

• October 6 - Sexual Thoughts - Lust (Matthew 5:27-30)

• October 13 - Guilt & Shame (Romans 7 & 8)

  Unsung Heroes (October 20 - November 24)

• Description: 

We all love a hero story! There is nothing more exciting than good fighting evil, especially when they are true stories. In this series we'll explore some of the lesser known heroes in the Bible and learn the big story of the Bible, as we look at heroes from each of the major time periods of scripture. As we do so, we'll not only better understand Scripture, but be inspired by how God might use us in His story.

• October 20 - The Hebrew Midwives: Shiphrah and Puah (Exodus 1:15-21)

• October 27 - Lady Warrior: Deborah (Judges 4)

• November 3 - A Loyal Friend: Jonathan (1 Samuel 20)

• November 10 - A Faithful Foreigner: Mordecai (Esther)

• November 17 - A Grieving Father: Jairus (Luke 8:41-56)

• November 24 - A Woman of Influence: Pricilla (Romans 16, Acts 18:24-26)

  Discovering Hope Group Experience

• On October 13th we'll hand out Discovering Hope Experience boxes to every Community Group.

• These boxes give your Community Group a one hour interactive immersive experience built for groups to better understand global poverty and how the church is stepping in.

• We would like all Community Groups to use these October 13th or 20th.

• More details will be coming.

• Watch a Video Preview HERE

• Interested in a video study or discussing a book of the Bible?  

• View Bible Study Curriculum options HERE

• View Video Curriculum options HERE

5. LOGIN & UPDATE YOUR GROUP INFORMATION ON MY.NORTHRIDGEROCHESTER.COM

• Make sure your meeting time, location, meeting type (in-person/online), group description, and roster are updated. You can even load a group picture.

• Access My.NorthridgeRochester.com.

• HERE is a short video tutorial on how to make updates to your group.

• If you need help with this, let your coach know.

6. FILL OUT THE GROUP LEADER APPLICATION 

• If you are new to Community Group Leadership and stepping into the role this year, please fill out the Group Leader application found at the link below.

• Apply HERE.

7. PRAY FOR YOUR GROUP

• All of our preparations will make little difference if God is not in it.

• Before you finish reading this email, stop and take a moment to ask God to work in the hearts of each person in your group this trimester.

We are praying for and with you this week! 

What thoughts or questions do you have?

Email us or share your ideas on the Northridge Leaders Facebook Group.

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

Do This At Your Group This Week

Hi Group Leaders,

This week we begin the final Community Groups trimester of the year.

As we get ready for the last 6 weeks of the group, here are few details you should know to help you finish strong.

Upcoming Sermon Series

Who is This Jesus? (On Location Israel Series)

Most Americans have heard the name of Jesus. Maybe they’ve even heard a few things He said or did. But who is Jesus really? What was He like? Where did He live? What did He really care about? We’ll explore these questions and more while on location in Israel, where Jesus walked and spent His days on earth.

• 4/16 - Jesus invitation for Nicodemus to believe (John 3)

• 4/23 - Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11)

• 4/30 - Jesus cleansing of the temple (John 2:13-17

• 5/6 - Jesus Transfiguration (Matthew 16-17)

Seven Subtle Sins of Society

What if there were things in our life that we had no idea were destroying us? Like a frog in a kettle who doesn’t know he’s about to be boiled, Christians in the 21st century often fail to notice the pieces of our society that are causing havoc to our souls. In this series, we want to expose accepted, overlooked, and subtle sins of society, so we can avoid their pitfalls and instead follow the path that leads to life. 

• 5/13 - Comfort (Matthew 16:21-26)

• 5/20 - Gossip (James 3)

- Spring Trimester Ends -

• 5/27 - Control (James 4:13-17)

• 6/4 - Comparison (Luke 18:9-14)

• 6/11 - Complacency (Amos 6:1-7)

• 6/18 - Consumerism (Haggai 1:2-8)

• 6/25 - Gluttony (Philippians 3:18-20)

This Weeks Group Discussion

This week Drew is teaching on the story of Nicodemus from John 3. We see Nicodemus considering faith in Jesus, but not sure if he believes.

This is a great week to ask the people in your group where they are at in their faith journey. If you have people on the front end of faith or considering Christianity, this could be a good opportunity to encourage them to cross the line of faith, and potentially pray to receive Christ right in your prayer time.

If that may be too intimidating, perhaps you could setup a time after your group meeting to grab coffee or a meal with them and talk with them about placing their faith in Christ.

Inconsistent Attendance

I see this every year, after a long Rochester winter, group attendance tends to drop off in the spring. It may be the Sunday holidays, kids sports schedules, or it could be that when the days are longer and warmer, people would rather be outside doing something else.

While you can't make people show up, one of the ways to push against the trend of drifting at the end of the groups year, is to set Growth Goals together as a group.

It doesn't take long when we are disconnected from Christian Community to make decisions we regret or grow distant in our relationship with Christ.

Take some time in group this week to set goals together.

Upcoming Dates

• April 16th - May 27th Spring Community Group Trimester (6 weeks)

• Friday, June 2nd, 7:05pm Group Leader Red Wings Game

Questions?

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

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

Additional Resources That May Be Helpful

How To Find and Keep New People

How Do You Get People To Show Up To Group?

Only Half Of My Group Showed Up Last Night

Why Group Relationships Are Ineffective

5 Reasons We Need Group Relationships In Addition To Our Existing Relationships

When & How Should Your Group Multiply?

Northridge Group Leader Podcast

6 Ideas To Make The Most of The Spring Group Trimester...While Social Distancing

Are you ready for this?

Our last trimester of the Community Group year is about to begin (April 12 - May 23). At the beginning of the groups year, none of us could have predicted it would end like this.

While Community Group members often begin to check-out near the end of the group year, this season feels different. Actually, it doesn't just feel different, this season of social distancing restrictions is different. It is hard to predict the future, so as we look for the best ways to care for and connect with our groups under COVID-19 restrictions, we are taking it one week at a time, one day at a time.

As we prepare for the next 6 weeks of group, here are:

6 Ideas To Make The Most of The Spring Group Trimester

1. Continue to meet...online.

Many of you have already been connecting with your group online with a variety of video platforms and have worked through some of the kinks. If you still have questions about how meet with your group online, contact your coach, or check out our "How To Lead An Online Group" page. We want to help every group figure this out!

2. Meet for a shorter amount of time.

A typical in-person community group meeting usually lasts for 90 minutes to 2 hours. That is long for an online group meeting. The sweet spot for an online group is somewhere between 45-60 minutes.

3. Continue to discuss the sermon.

You may be wondering, what should my group meeting look like online? We would suggest your group continues to use the same format of an in-person meeting. Spend 10-15 minutes catching up, spend about 30 minutes discussing the sermon, and then wrap up by sharing prayer requests and having someone pray.

Some of you have asked, "Where are the sermon discussion questions?" 

Our Northridge website has been updated with pertinent info in this COVID season, so the way you may normally navigate to find the questions has changed a bit. You can always find the sermon discussion questions in the same place right here on our Group Leaders website. They are posted each Sunday morning at 8:00am.

4. Update Your Group Description.

As people look for a group on the online Group Finder, please make sure to update your Group description on Group Vitals to let people know you are meeting online instead of in-person.

How do you update your description? Watch THIS short video. 

5. Include your kids.

Say what? How is that supposed to work? 

While Community Group meetings are designed for adults to experience Biblical Community, those with kids at home also develop relationships with the other kids in group. 

With groups unable to meet together in-person, your kids may actually be missing group more than you!

Here is one way some groups have helped their kids connect with each other during this season:

Instead of having the men and women meet all-together in one online meeting, they have separate men's and women's nights. At the beginning of those meetings, you can take the first 5-15 minutes for the kids to connect, be silly, see each other's faces, and talk, and then have either the man or the woman in the house watch the kids while the other connects in their meeting.

6. Change it up.

While we are encouraging groups to function as normal with a typical community group schedule of connecting, sermon discussion, and prayer; taking a week or two to change it up will keep your group from growing weary or stale. 

This may be especially true if you met for all 3 weeks of the trimester break.

Here are several ways we have seen groups try something new to connect during this season:

• Playing games together online with the website: https://jackbox.tv/.

• Doing a Netflix Watch Party: www.netflixparty.com/.

• Delivering/Hiding Easter eggs in different family's yards (w/ their approval).

• Doing separate video chats with the men and women to dive a little deeper.

• Sharing short video messages together with apps like the Marco Polo app. 

What would you add to the list? What has your group tried? Email me and share your ideas. I'd love to pass them along to other groups!

We are praying for you as we begin a new group trimester! Please let us know if you have any questions or there is anything you need!

Thanks for helping people still experience Biblical Community in these unique times!

Leading Your Community Group Through Gaining Ground

This Sunday, March 24th, we are kicking off both a new Community Group trimester and a new sermon series, "Gaining Ground." 

We've asked all of Community Groups to participate in discussing this sermon series together in their groups. This is a significant series for our us as we look ahead to where God is leading us as a church.

Here are a few details to help you be prepared for a new trimester and discussing this series:

Preparing To Lead Your Group Through Gaining Ground

• Pickup and use the Gaining Ground Booklet (Preview HERE)

All sermon notes and group discussion questions are included in this booklet as well as other content related to our Gaining Ground generosity initiative.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Week 1 and Week 2 Discussion Questions were printed in the wrong order. Please use the discussion questions on page 32 for Week 1 and the discussion questions on page 28 for week 2.

• Pray Daily

Both ask God, "What would you have me to do?" and be praying that God may use this series to help each person in your group refocus their lives on their part to play in making more and better followers of Jesus.

• Worship Together at Night of Worship (3/24) and the Salt Road Rally (4/7)

Set your calendars and invite your group members to sit with you for our Night of Worship services this Sunday 3/24 at 4:30pm or 6:30pm and to join you for our Salt Road Rally in Webster on April 7th at 5pm.

• Plan A Party For Week 4 (April 14th-20th)

The final week of the series ends with a celebration Sunday as we make commitments together as a church toward our Gaining Ground generosity initiative. Instead of doing sermon discussion for the final week, we are encouraging all groups to throw a party together to celebrate what God is doing in the life of our church and in the lives of our group members. 

Preparing to Lead Your Group Through the Spring Trimester

• Review the Beginning of Trimester Agreement (Download HERE)

The beginning of each new trimester provides a great opportunity to remind your group of why we meet (To Apply the Bible, Build Relationships, & Care for Each Other) and review how we can make the most of our group experience.

• Share your Group Volunteer Schedule (Download Template HERE)

Bring a preassigned volunteer schedule week 1, give people a chance to review it, and revise as necessary. The healthiest community groups share all of responsibilities of leading group each week.

• Set Growth Goals (See examples HERE)

One of the best ways to encourage spiritual growth is to commit together with your group members 1 specific area you need to grow, and then encouraging each other throughout the trimester to follow through.

Questions?

Contact your Group Coach or search this website. We'd love to be a resource to you!

Jason DeGraaff

Community Groups Pastor

Life Is Better Connected