A Faithful Foreigner (Mordecai)
We have 2 more weeks until our Fall Community Group Trimester ends (November 23).
Start thinking now what it will look like to connect before groups begin again in the new year (January 12).
Will your group do a Friendsgiving Diner, Christmas Party, Serving Project, Men's or Women's night? Something else?
Put a date on the calendar before the Fall Trimester ends, otherwise connecting during break will get lost in the holiday shuffle.
A Loyal Friend (Jonathan)
This message is all about deepening our friendships. What is one step your group can take to connect in deeper ways with your group?
A social gathering
Assigning prayer and accountability partners
Sharing stories (Show and Tell, Story Cards, etc.)
Being vulnerable about struggles in prayer time.
The goal of Community Groups is not just to discuss the Bible, but to provide an environment where we can be known, loved, and cared for.
Thanks for helping guide the group conversations and create opportunities for people to deepen their relationships in Christ.
Lady Warriors (Deborah & Jael)
We have 4 weeks left of the Community Groups trimester.
This would be a good time to get some socials on the calendar during our holiday break.
This sermon would be a great opportunity to encourage and invite people to serve within the church and use their gifts to impact God’s kingdom.
In the application time, ask people where they are serving at Northridge. If they are not serving, ask them where they might want to serve within the church (Guest Services, Tech, Music, Security, Student Ministry, Kids, Cafe, Building Cleaning/Maintenance, Counseling).
Fearing God (Shiphrah & Puah)
Are you sharing facilitation in your group?
One of the best things you can do for your group is have other’s facilitate discussion. This empowers others to lead and ensures the group is not to reliant on any one person. Group Leaders should only facilitate a few weeks each trimester.
Share a link to the discussion question below.
6 Discussion Tips:
1. Get comfortable with silence
Be ok with silence. Don’t be the first to answer your own questions. It usually takes time for people to process the question and think of an answer.
2. Ask followup questions
After someone answers a question, use follow up questions to draw out more thoughts from them or someone else.
Use statements like “Tell me more”, “What do you mean?”, “Anything else?”, “Someone else?”.
3. Give affirmation whenever you can
You may not always agree with someone's answer, but the more you are able to affirm their thoughts, the more likely everyone will be to keep sharing.
Use phrases like “Great question!”, “Thanks for sharing!”, “I love that”, “Very helpful”.
4. Try to involve everyone
The more people you can involve in the discussion the better.
Use phrases like “Anyone who hasn’t shared yet?”, “How about someone on this side of the room?”, “Guys, any thoughts from you?”.
5. Begin and end on time
Know ahead of time when to begin and end discussion. Plan how long you want to discuss each question. It is better to leave people wanting more with a short discussion than to drag on too long.
6. Don’t focus on getting through all of the material
The goal of discussion is to help everyone apply their faith, not answer all of the questions. It is ok to only ask a few questions. Make sure to focus on application questions.
Overcoming Guilt and Shame
Talking about guilt and shame can very heavy and difficult to discuss.
One of our Group Leader Essentials is modeling authenticity. The more vulnerable we can be, the more open our group members will be.
Our prayer is that group discussion and prayer times would give many in our church a safe place to share their hurts, guilt, and shame. But many will not feel safe enough to share anything below surface struggles.
Offer to be available to talk with group members privately if they would like to discuss their situation in a safer environment. Discussing deep guilt and pain in front of more than one person may be too difficult.
If someone shares a difficult situation with you that needs more guidance, please reach out to your Community Group Coach or Campus Pastor.
Resource on leading your group to share authentically:
How open should we expect our group members to actually be with each other?
Where is the line between sharing openly and sharing too much?
What barriers keep us from being real?
How do we create an atmosphere where people feel safe enough to share what is really going on?
In this talk Jason DeGraaff and Brad Files address these questions and share how as group leaders we can live out Group Leader Essential #4 - Modeling Authenticity.
Navigating the Darkness of Depression
As you facilitate discussion this week, focus more on getting everyone sharing than getting through the questions.
If someone is struggling, take time to listen to them, and restrain from giving much advice. Let them feel heard.
If you encounter someone considering self-harm, please call:
The national crisis hotline is: 988
The local crisis hotline: 585-275-8686
