semester based small groups

7/30/2019 Semester Based Small Groups

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Semester Based Small GroupsAndy Haskins - Director of Church Development, NERegionChris Hill - Leader Keystone Conference Coaching Network

Next to the weekend service, the small groups of the church are themost important system in the church, because Christianity is meant to be livedday to day and hour to hour. One hour per week is not enough

to make fully developed followers of Christ.

Our culture today already runs on a semester based calendar. We

are used to a school year beginning at the end of August or the beginning

of September, taking a break for the Christmas and New Years holidays,

and then a new semester begins after the start of the new year, which

ends in May or June. The third semester is sometimes optional and is

usually referred to as Summer School.

Semester based small groups provide some advantages:

1. They give clear beginning and ending dates.

2. They only require a short term commitment which is easier for people

to make.

3. It provides a space of time between semesters, allowing time for

promotion and sign-ups.

4. It is easier to get people to sign up for a group when every one is

beginning together.

5. They offer more options (greater diversity) since new topics can be

offered each semester.

6. It matches the calendar for our present educational system.

7. It allows for a cycle of stress and release (built in breaks).

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Introduction To The Four Fs of Semester Based Small Groups:

Step # 1 - FOCUS - During this step the who and what

questions are answered. We identify who the people are that

will serve as our facilitators and what the group topic will be.

Step # 2- FORM - This step answers the where, when, and what

questions. Where will these individual groups meet? When

(what day and time) will they meet? What information will we

list about each particular small group in the catalogue?

Step # 3 - FILL - The emphasis is on promoting each individual group aswell as getting people signed up. Strive to offer one-step sign-

ups because the more steps we ask people to take in the sign-

up process, the less people we will have that will participate.

We promote because people say no to what is unclear or

confusing.

Step # 4 - FACILITATE - In this step we help each group to launch and

have a successful kickoff. The goal being that each group will

have a minimum of 8 people and for no group to have more

than 15. If we have more than 15, we offer two groups for that

topic instead of one, with the current apprentice becoming the

second group facilitator. If a group has less than 8, we work to

combine them with another smaller sized group to make a

larger group to fit our parameters.

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What a Semester Based Small Group Calendar Looks Like:(Following the school year, beginning in the fall)

In order to kick off a new semesterin October, we begin to prepare in July.

July - We begin to focus our groups by identifying who the

people are that will be our facilitators and whatthe group

topic or curriculum will be. A Focus Month.

August - We determine where each individual group will meet,

what day and time they meet, and what information will

be listed about each small group in the catalogue.

A Form Month.

September - We promote each group and encourage people to sign up

for a group. A Fill Month.

October - A new semester begins as we help each group to launch

and have a successful kickoff, multiplying or adding

together as needed. A Facilitate Month.

November - The cycle of preparation starts again as we begin to

focus our groups by identifying who the people are that

will be our facilitators and what the topic of discussion

will be. A Focus Month.

December - Our small groups are in a semester break that begins

in mid to late November. During this break we

determine where each individual group will meet, what

day and time will they meet, and what information will be

listed about each small group as we prepare for our next

semester. A Form Month.

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January - We promote the beginning of a new semester for each

group and encourage people to sign up.

A Fill Month

February - We help each group to launch and have a successful

kickoff of their group as we begin our new semester,

multiplying or adding groups together as needed.

A Facilitate Month

March - We begin all over again to focus our groups by

identifying who the people are that will be our facilitators

and whatthe topic or curriculum will be, as we preparefor the summer semester. (Summer semester typically

runs only 6 to 8 weeks and may have different starting

dates). A Focus Month.

April - During April our groups begin a semester break in mid to

late April (the timing is usually based on the Easter

break). A Form Month.

May - In preparation for the summer semester, we promote

each group and encourage people to sign up for a

summer group. We ask our facilitators to take one

semester off. This is also a good time to try out a new

facilitator or to train new apprentices. A Fill Month.

June - We help each group tokickoff as we begin our new

semester, multiplying or adding groups together as

needed. During this semester we offer a reduced number

of groups or a variation of different kinds of groups

(activity groups). A Facilitate Month

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12 Ways To Maximize Semester Based Small Groups

1. Maximize your small groups by . . . Targeting all who would attend

your church over a 6 month period, not just those on the weekend.

Make an effort to invite anyone who has attended in the past 6

months to be a part of a small group. This allows you to reactivate

families or individuals who have not yet been assimilated into the life

of the church.

2. Maximize your small groups by . . . Striving to have 8 to 15 people

in every group. The larger the group the easier the group will be tofacilitate. The smaller the group, the more difficult to lead and the

more skill and experience required from the facilitator.

3. Maximize your small groups by . . . Structuring your group for

friendship rather than intimacy. Our purpose being to help people to

get to know each other. Intimacy usually happens outside of a small

group setting. This helps the group to welcome new people and

assimilate them into the life of the church and keeps the group from

becoming ingrown.

4. Maximize your small groups by . . . Structuring your group to meet

for a season . The ideal length for a small group is 8 to 12 weeks.

This keeps people wanting more and prevents burnout.

5. Maximize your small groups by . . . Concentrating your promotion

and sign-up time to a 4 to 6 week period . This will help to increase

both the level of excitement as well as participation.

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6. Maximize your small groups by . . . Not competing with other

alternatives such as Sunday School or a mens or womans

fellowship group. If small groups are essential, then begin to do all

discipleship through small groups.

7. Maximize your small groups by . . . Making them easy to sign up

for and by having a set ending date. One step sign-ups and short

term commitments will help to maximize participation in small groups.

8. Maximize your small groups by . . . Planning ahead and preparing

months in advance (Focus. Form, Fill, and Facilitate).

9. Maximize your small groups by . . . Having allthe leadership/staffof the church fully support and participate in a small group.

10. Maximize your small groups by . . . Using a system where all

facilitators are trained by serving at least one semester as an

apprentice under the supervision and guidance of another

experienced leader before becoming a facilitator.

11. Maximize your small groups by . . . Organizing your groups to

grow and reproduce rather than structure them for control . Learn to

decentralize control by trusting God and your leaders.

12. Maximize your small groups by . . . Concentrating on developing

more facilitators than groups. You will never have more groups than

the number of trained facilitators that have been developed.

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semester based small groups

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