Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Small Group Facilitator Handbook Rev111314
Small Group Facilitator Handbook Rev111314
Leader Handbook
God is an eternal community (small group) of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and He
made us in His image (Genesis 1:26). This means you were designed to live life in
community with others.
The Connection of Vertical and Horizontal Relationships: the command to love God is
sewn together with the command to love others (Matthew 22:37-40). That means that
we will experience more of God, the more we experience community with others.
Our church, communities, and world need this: Christian witness is only as powerful
as the love demonstrated in community with one another. By this all men will know
that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35). Small
groups give us the opportunity to demonstrate this kind of love to the outside world as
we connect in community with one another, grow spiritually together, and serve our
church, community, and world together.
To develop an ongoing unified group of well-trained facilitators who will help create
and maintain a relational environment for discipleship to occur.
OCBF Small Groups: groups are organized by affinities (Mens groups, Womens
groups, Couples groups, Singles groups, and Mixed Couple and Singles groups). We
have on-campus groups that meet on Sundays and Wednesdays and off campus
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Grow: A Small Group where we grow together by applying Gods Word to our lives
(Education) by studying the curriculum and responding to Gods presence by praying,
singing, and praising together (Worship).
Serve: A Small Group that serves one another by shared leadership and serves together
through service projects on mission to our church, community, and world (Outreach).
Small group facilitator basic training (listening, asking good questions, group
roles)
Building a Caring Group: strategies for building a group that offers care and
support to group members; orientation to the churchs resources for care;
boundaries for care giving.
The Holy Spirit as the Agent of Growth: Gods role and my role in the growth of
group members
Scripture as the Fuel for Spiritual Growth: growing a groups Knowledge and
Application of Gods Word; strategies for more effective study, discussion, and
application of Scripture
Serving with Healthy Expectations: group attrition rates, group life cycles
Spiritual Gifts: helping group members identify their place of ministry and
encouraging them to plug in
Service projects: identifying 1service project per a semester for your group
Tools: Spiritual Gifts List; Service project list, Spiritual Disciplines Resource sheet
Signature ____________________________________________________________
Printed Name _________________________________________________________
Date _________________________________________________________________
The Godhead
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit; and
that these three are one God.
Salvation
We believe that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again spiritually, and that the new birth
of the believer comes only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We believe, also, that our
redemption has been accomplished by the grace of God, an unmerited gift, given in love by God and not
the result of any human works. We believe that the explicit message of our Lord Jesus Christ to those whom
He has saved is to make Christ known to the whole world and that this is the purpose of the church through
the individuals within it. We believe that local churches, such as Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, gather together
Eternal State
We believe that at death the spirits and souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation
pass immediately into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the glorified
body when Christ comes for His own, whereupon soul and body reunited shall be associated with Him
forever in glory. All those who rejected Jesus Christ will eternally be separated from God to endure His
eternal wrath forever.
Responsibility Of Believers
We believe that all believers should seek to walk by the Spirit, separating themselves from worldly practices
and witnessing by life and by word the truths of the Holy Scripture. We believe that all believers will be
judged at the judgment seat of Christ and rewarded based on their faithful obedience to Him in this life.
3. If your group is without the above mentioned positions, please indicate one group
member with the following qualities who will be able to take your place: a general
level of Biblical Knowledge, a life style that reflects Christ, Commitment and Follow
through to the group, a kind and caring disposition.
4. If there are no leadership options within your group the responsibility to lead will go to
your coach. Please note this option is only to be used under an extreme circumstance.
5. Lastly we ask that you review how the session went with your replacement upon
returning.
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One relational contact per month.- your coach will be in touch with you at
least once a month.
One individual, face to face meeting per year.-the purpose of this meeting is
do develop a deeper relationship, trouble shoot any possible issues within
the group, and think about strategic planning for the future of your small
group.
One fellowship per semester.- We desire that your coaching net-work will
also serve as a source of community among fellow facilitators. Each coach
will have 12 facilitators in their net-work, with whom you will be able to
come together for mutual growth, understanding and fun!
Please note: A coach is not in place because you are not doing your job
properly, a coach is in place to make sure that you remain connected and
thriving as you are pouring into your own group.
2. The Coordinator
Each broad category of groups is led by a small group coordinator. Stevie Simmons ext
5501 is our Mens and Couples coordinator. Christen Jacobs ext 5502 is our Womens and
Singles coordinator. Terrie Pittman ext 9115 is our Spiritual Growth and Administrative
coordinator.
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Although your coach should be your first contact for small group questions,
your coordinator is also available to assist you.
Your coordinator can also serve as a guide when you are dealing with
escalated issues that may cause harm to a group member or someone
associated with them.
Small group coordinators oversee and train your coaches to ensure that they
are being resourced and growing spiritually.
3. The Director
The Director of Small Groups is Rev. John Fortner. His main goal is to oversee the overall
growth and development of our small group program and to give oversight to our small
group leadership team . He creates the big picture strategy for our small groups ministry,
including selection and editing of curriculum, development of our training processes, and
establishing our small group policies and procedures. Rev. Fortner is very accessible
when you need him, and he can be contacted at ext 9122.
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Women
Couples
Mixed
Singles
Off Campus
Off Campus
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
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1. Introducing yourself goes beyond the name: You will want to tell them who you
are, how long you have been with the small group team, what other ministries you
may have served in, when you became a member of OCBF, where did you grow
up, what is your family like etc. You will want to find commonalities with them
and bring up some of these things about yourself naturally within the first
conversation.
2. Get to know your new group member: You may ask the same questions above to
your group member as they apply.
3. Explain to them the purpose and description of a facilitator: : a small group
facilitator will oversee a group of no more than 12 people. The facilitator is
responsible for encouraging relationships and connectivity within the small group
by modeling transparency within the group, creating and environment for
discussion where everyone is heard, and coordinating prayer and care for the
group members.
4. Spend some time dreaming together: Ask the group member why they are
passionate about being in a small group? What do they hope to get out of this?
You can share some of your aspirations as well.
5. Give them some expectations: They should expect to meet in order to discuss an
OCBF approved curriculum at least twice a month. Remind them that your hope
for the small group is that the group mutually caries the conversation and
responsibility to encourage each other, so that all members take ownership of the
group. Make sure they understand they will be invited to one small group
fellowship per semester, where all members will come together for prayer,
encouragement and fun.
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Pray for the building of relationships and spiritual growth of the group.
Dinner / dessert plans decided (Food is not necessary at each meeting however it helps to
have something prepared for the first meeting.)
Small Group covenants Make copies to handout. Everyone should sign the covenant and
then keep their own for their records.
Contact all members one week before the first meeting to welcome them to the group and
inform them of the location and time of your group.
Never let a newcomer sit and wait for the meeting to start alone
Provide a clean home/meeting space and turn off your phone if possible
Pop-Corn Prayer- You open the floor and people pray as they are led to do so with one
person designated to close
Groups/Cluster/Prayer Partners- You can break the larger group down to smaller group and
encourage them to share prayer and praise with each other.
Topical Prayer- You may agree as a group that you want to rally behind a specific topic and
pray together on the subject.
Written Prayers- Consider prayer the Psalms together and taking turns reading them.
Covenant: This is one of the most pivotal small group tools to set the tone for your group.
Review the covenant in detail having the members initial on each line to signify that they
understand.
Highlight what it means to make ones attendance at the group a priority. Which means that
you plan to be there baring any major extenuated circumstance. Remember that attendance
affects the cohesiveness of the entire group.
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Think outside of the box: What else does the group want to sign a commitment to? Maybe
your group will also covenant to be transparent, or to hold each other accountable? This is
the perfect time to flush out some of the group members expectations.
Curriculum: We are aware that you have a lot of ground to cover in your first group meeting. Do
not push the time schedule and let the meeting have a natural flow, but for the sake of establishing
a routine take some time to highlight the curriculum you have selected. If time does not permit
that you go deeper, assure the members that your normal routine will allow for more conversation
and more application of the Word.
3. Dessert Conversation:
The conversation between group members after the meeting can be just as important as
conversations during the general meeting time. Use this time to get to know what people are all
about. Talk about hobbies and families and thank your members for their commitment to the
group.
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Attendance: We will make the group meeting a priority by being in attendance at all meetings and arriving
on time. If we cannot be in attendance or will run late we will contact our group facilitator in advance of
the meeting.
Participation: Our group will value the full participation of every group member. This means that we will
come prepared to each meeting by studying the lesson prior to our time together. This also means that we
will listen attentively to each group member without interrupting them or carrying on separate
conversations.
Confidentiality: For authentic community to form, we must be able to trust each other in the group. This
means that issues discussed within the group will not be shared outside of the group.
Connectivity: Our group will value the building of relationships among group members. This means that
we will commit to pray for the other group members on a weekly basis, follow-up on needs that are shared
within the group, and seek to hold one another accountable to grow in our walk of discipleship.
By signing below I commit to uphold the group values reflected in this Group Covenant
Signature ___________________________________________________________
Date_________________________________________________________________
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One key way of addressing attrition is to take regular attendance at each small group
meeting. This helps to communicate that attendance is important (it is one of the
group values in the small group covenant), but more importantly it reminds you as the
facilitator to follow up with group members who are beginning to regularly miss your
meetings.
o When you need to follow-up with a group member you should make certain the
conversation is about care and connection, not primarily about attendance. You
are checking in to see if they need anything, catch them up on what is going on in
the group, and inviting them to the next meeting.
o The goal in every group is to keep a group member connected, however if a group
member has missed more than half of the scheduled group meetings in a semester
(most groups meet about 8 times in a semester, so 4 meetings are a good rule of
thumb) then they can be removed from your roster. Please make one final contact
with your group member to let them know that they are always welcome to sign up
for another group in the next semester of small groups.
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Every group leader is expected to submit a group roster to the small group leadership
team 2 times during a semester.
o The first roster is due at the end of the first month of the small group semester
(September for the fall semester; February for the spring semester). This gives us a
snapshot of our total group numbers at the beginning of a small group semester.
o The second roster is due in the final month of the small group semester (December
for the fall semester; May for the spring semester). This roster should also be
submitted with a small group profile that communicates any changes in the group
structure (meeting time, group description, age demographics) and the openness of
the group to receive new members during our small group registration period.
The rosters and group profiles will be emailed regularly as attachments to all group
facilitators (see examples below), but they can also be accessed on our small groups
website under our leader/host resources at http://www.ocbfchurch.org/smallgroups
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phone:
emails:
Below list the members who continued through the end of the Spring Semester:
Member Name
home_phone
cell_phone
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6. What kind of group are you? (Indicate Type: men, women, couples, singles, mixed couples and singles)
_____________________________________________________________________________
7. Select an age range that best represents the majority of your group by placing an X next to the
correct category:
__ Our group is under 25
__ Our group includes those in our 20s and 30s
__ Our group includes those in our 30s and 40s
__ Our group includes those in our 40s and 50s
__ Our group includes those in our 50s and 60s
__Our group is over 65
8. How would you describe your group? (Type out 2-3 lines that describe/summarizes the kind of group
you are. This can include specific info about your group like widowed, divorced, single parents etc.)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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Summer (June-Aug.): Groups are encouraged to take a curriculum vacation and focus
on fellowship, service, and attendance at VBS and mens and womens conferences.
o For groups and individuals that want to continue some form of curriculum/Bible
study, RightNow Media would still be available as a resource. Groups can use
our OCBF small groups channel to identify approved small group studies:
https://www.rightnow.org/Media/Channel/0/5586 .
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Groups often go through a honeymoon phase when they first start meeting where
conflict is low and everyone is discovering their place or the role they will play in the
group. It does not take long, however, for conflict and disappointed expectations to
appear. Conflict is a part of every system, team, ministry, or group that exists in this
fallen world, east of Eden, and each of us (no surprise here!) contribute our sinful,
broken selves to that conflict.
Conflict can occur for different reasons: disagreements within the group, interpersonal
offenses or grievances (unkind words, conflicting personalities), and unchecked or
unconfessed sin in the life of a group member. Any one of these may require you to
confront the person or situation and move them and the group toward reconciliation.
We are instructed by Scripture to be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). The preservation of unity within the life of a group will
require the ability to be a peacemaker (Matthew 5:9, Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God) with the conviction to seek the peace of the rule
of Gods kingdom in every situation that involves conflict.
Confrontation that is handled in a peaceful, Biblical way provides an opportunity to
glorify God and grow closer to Him (and to one another) by seeking genuine
reconciliation. This models Christs own mission to reconcile us to Goda mission
that he invites us to participate in: Now all these things are from God, who reconciled
us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians
5:18).
To be peacemakers we must understand the Biblical practices of conflict resolution
that comprise peacemaking, and empowered by the Spirit, apply these practices and
habits within our groups.
Since God can use all things for his glory, even circumstances that involve
confrontation, brokenness, and sin can be an opportunity to see Him at work.
Since my group and my church should point people to God, I will not sit by and
remain silent when there is conflict that will affect our witness or disturb the unity
of the Spirit. With Gods help I will help to resolve the conflict.
2. Get the log out of your eye (Matthew 7:5): taking responsibility for our own
contribution to the conflict.
I will look closely at my own role and response to the conflict at hand. Ask here,
Is this a real issue that needs confronting, or is it just a pet peeve that irritates
me?
3. Gently restore (Galatians 6:1): serving the other party or parties in the conflict in
love to help them take responsibility for their part in the conflict.
Affirm and validate the person and the relationship. Addressing this conflict or
sin is because you love the person and are committed to friendship with them.
Use I language instead of you language: When I heard you raise your voice
at your wife I was concerned about the two of you? not Why are you so
demeaning toward your wife in our group?
Work together to come to a solution. This means that you must genuinely listen
to both parties in the conflict, dont assume you know everything about what is
going on in the situation.
Depending on the issue (is it something that happened in the group or outside?)
the issue may be addressed privately.
Once the conflict has been dealt with we will choose to forgive and restore the
relationship. This means that we will not continue to talk about the incident nor
we will share the details with others.
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Group member who is disruptive to the life of the group: draining resources, using the
group as his/her personal business network
Group member that clearly and consistently violates Scripture so that their conduct
would bring shame on the name of Jesus Christ
Please note that the church does have a Reconciliation Ministry that has trained faciliators
to help with a conflict that cannot be resolved and/or brought to reconciliation by the two
parties in conflict. The OCBF Reconciliation ministry particularly deals with conflict
where there is unresolved or unconfessed sin in the life of an OCBF member. See their
FAQ for specific questions about this service at
http://www.ocbfchurch.org/reconciliationfaq
Reconciliation Ministry
Phone number 214-672-9100, x9173; website: http://www.ocbfchurch.org/reconciliation
Services Provided: Sometimes conflict is a result of sin as shown in James 4:1-3. When
parties are unable to resolve their conflict, the Reconciliation Ministry is available to guide
them through God's Word and help unlock communication to reach a biblical resolution.
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Self Boundaries
How is your relationship with your group members? Do you say yes when you want to
say no? Do you take on tasks that are unreasonable or unhealthy? Do you wear
yourself out trying to please others and give in to what they want without taking yourself
and your family into consideration? Do you expect others to regularly meet your wants
even if it inconveniences them? If your answers to any of these questions are yes then
this may be a sign that you have unclear boundaries in your life.
A person with healthy boundaries takes responsibility for their own life, and allows others
to live responsibly in theirs. The goal of boundaries is to still make sacrifices for people
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Adopt a Silver Star: The seniors in our church have a need for light house work,
grocery help and rides for doctor appointments. Make arrangements with Rev.
Darrell Thomas ext. 9120 to see if there is someone your group can bless on a
consistent basis.
Adopt a Single Parent: Do you have a single parent in your network who can use
some support? Consider providing groceries as a group, run errands, provide
babysitting services, if applicable.
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Serve a Ministry: Is there a particular ministry in the church your group would like
to bless? Consider making breakfast for the usher team as a group and serving them
one Sunday, or catering a lunch for the Christian Education department, or
purchasing Starbucks Coffee to be given out to the parking lot attendants?
School Days: Local schools are often in need of additional class room material:
consider purchasing some of the needed items and donating them to a specific
school or class room. Its possible that your local schools can use volunteers in
various other ways like beautifying the grounds by purchasing and planting flowers
or doing trash pickup in the school area etc.
Send a Letter: Your group may consider writing letters of encouragement and
prayer to those who are often not thanked. You can consider writing notes to
teachers and school administrators, local government agents, cashiers at Wal-Mart,
etc.
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Definition: a Small Group Apprentice is group member who has demonstrated potential for
small group leadership and is receiving hands on skill development from a trained small group
leader through shared leadership, modeling, and feedback.
Importance of Apprentice Development: Apprenticing is our primary model for small group
leadership development. This means that we need you, as the eyes and ears on the ground in
groups, to help us identify new leaders to grow our small groups ministry. Why?
1. Small group members make the best small group facilitators.
2. Apprenticing confirms gifts and talents in others.
3. An apprentice can help bear some of the burden for the facilitator.
Apprenticing Steps:
1. Intercede: Pray that God will raise up leaders in your group. Ask Him to help you discern
and affirm the gifts that you see in your group members and to help you to identify a
specific group member to serve as an apprentice.
2. Identify: Ask yourself a simple question: Who would I want to lead this group if I was
absent? Key characteristics to look for in a potential apprentice: a desire to grow as a
Christian and a desire and giftedness to connect with fellow group members.
3. Invite: Talk to the group member outside of your group time about his/her interest in
leading a group in the future and serving as your apprentice.
If the answer is no, then affirm the group member and thank them for his/her role in
the group. Cycle back through the steps of interceding and identifying.
4. Invest: Begin to share leadership with your apprentice (facilitating, prayer times,
organizing, etc.) and connect him/her with your small group coach and small group
coordinator.
Your role is to give your apprentice opportunities to serve, provide them with
feedback, and share your way of leading groups. You are not responsible for
training them, just sharing and modeling what you have learned along the way.
As your apprentice develops we will interview them and invite them into our
facilitator training process.
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