Session 1 Essentials for CARE Groups Welcome to care group leadership: New Hope began its CARE Group Ministry in the summer of 2002. That year we invited the entire church to participate in a Connections event. Around one hundred people gathered on Sunday, June 30 th in order try this thing called community and do life together. By the end of the night eight new small groups had been formed. The highlight came when those newly formed groups were told it was time to select leaders. To launch the ministry we had no trained volunteers so we decided to let God pick leaders for us. New leaders were elected using the pray and point method. Each group was to pray and ask God to show them the two people most capable of leading the group. The room was silent as each person prayed then pointed. On the count of three everyone opened their eyes. It worked! Each group had two new leaders. None of the new recruits came planning to lead, but all sixteen were humbled by the experience and willing to try. Although we no longer use this practice to select group leaders, we have seen God use small groups to grow people in truly amazing ways. And together we have learned much about small group leadership. We believe in the power of small groups to change lives and our desire is to provide leaders the tools needed to serve others effectively. That s why this course was written. CARE Group Basics includes the biggest lessons and best practices we have learned over the past several years. And I believe with God s help, you too can experience the joy of leading a small group... Simply watch each lesson, reflect on what you hear, and be willing to respond. In Him Pastor John Davis
How to use this material Whether this is your first time or you ve been at this for awhile, we believe all leaders need practical tools to host a small group. CARE Group Basics is a six-week leadership track designed to equip leaders with the skills needed to facilitate a healthy CARE Group. Throughout this course participants will learn how to build relationships, plan consistent meetings, invite people to join the group, and serve those in need. Each session will include the following elements: Scripture Study Leadership Skills Discussion Questions Foundation for session content Building blocks for group leadership Reflection and Application of material As you go through the material be sure to find a quiet place where you can focus on the session. I would strongly encourage you to go through the material with another CARE Group Leader, your spouse, or a member of your CARE Group. This will allow you to interact to a greater degree with the information. The joy of leading is so much richer when it is shared with a few friends! Scripture study: (10 minutes) The longest recorded prayer of Jesus is recorded in John 17. This prayer takes hours before his betrayal, arrest, and eventual crucifixion. Jesus took a few moments to pray for himself, but the majority of his words focus on the disciples as well as the coming church. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name the name you gave me so that they may be one as we are one... My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:11; 15-21 (NIV84)
a. How would you describe the tone of this prayer? b. To be sanctified means to be set apart to do God s work. Where did Jesus send the disciples to be used by God? c. What specific requests did Jesus pray for the coming church (those who would believe)? How does it feel to know that Jesus was praying for you? d. Jesus prayed for oneness and unity in the church. What does his prayer tell us about the importance of relationships in the church? Leadership Skills: (30 minutes) Fifty days after Jesus resurrection, the Holy Spirit descended on the followers of Christ with power. The apostle Peter was inspired to preach, and thousands of people who had gathered in Jerusalem for the Jewish feast of Pentecost put their faith in the risen Christ. Those who remained in the city after the feast formed the very first church. The following passage from the book of Acts describes the life of these new believers. It describes how God used ordinary people to do extraordinary things as they lived their lives in community with one another. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47 (NIV) As you can see from the book of Acts, believers meeting together in homes literally changed the world. Since that time millions of people have gathered together in living rooms, offices, church buildings, or coffee shops to build relationships, grow in faith, and change the world. You can be a part of it too!
Essentials for CARE Groups 1. God designed the church for. Before followers of Jesus were referred to as Christians, their meetings were associated with the Greek word ekk-le-sia; a word defined as, a gathering of a group of people. The word ekk-le-sia was later translated into the English word for church, which brings to mind images of buildings, stained glass, and auditoriums filled with audio & visual equipment. However God never designed His church to be about a building or programs. Instead God designed the church to be about relationships. Early believers didn t go to church, they were the church. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens but fellow citizens with God s people and members of God s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-20 (NIV) 4 benefits of meeting together with in a small group. By meeting together people find a place to. By meeting together people find a place to. By meeting together people find a place to. By meeting together people find a place to. CARE Group Truth The end result of meeting together is life-change!
2. Small Groups help fulfill the and of the church. New Hope s ministry strategy is driven by the blueprint found in the book of Acts. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 5:42 (NIV) Temple = Weekend House to house = CARE Group What is a CARE Group? A CARE Group is 3 to 12 people meeting together with an identified leader in order to build relationships and become like Christ. The church met in two locations, but the mission was always the same; to teach and proclaim the good news that Jesus is the Christ. The MISSION of New Hope Church is New Hope Church exists to Christ and to make Him. The VISION of New Hope Church is To present Christ to our community in culturally relevant, compelling, and creative ways. And to equip those who choose Him with what they need to become fully devoted followers of Christ.
The PURPOSE of the CARE Group Ministry is CARE groups exist to develop of Christ by......creating a consistent group environment to CONNECT people in meaningful relationships, APPLY the Bible to daily life, REACH out to non-believers, and ENCOURAGE those in need. Why do we call our small groups CARE Groups? The word CARE provides an acronym to recall the 4 core practices of a small group (Connect / Apply / Reach / Encourage). These practices (fellowship / discipleship / evangelism / service) characterized the early church. 3. Balancing the four core practices will create a group and move people toward full devotion. Healthy Unhealthy
Balance does not mean giving equal time to each practice every time your group meets instead it means giving priority to each practice over the life of the group. 4. The role of the CARE Group leader is to. The Bible uses two words to describe the relationship between church leaders and church members. Those two words are shepherds and sheep. Below are several characteristics of an effective shepherd leader. A Shepherd has a with God. The third time he said to him, Simon son of John, do you love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him a third time, Do you love me? He said, Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you. Jesus said, Feed my sheep. John 21:17 A Shepherd about people. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not the shepherds take care of the flock? Ezekiel 34:2 A shepherd is a. Be shepherds of God s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:2, 3 (NIV) A shepherd trusts God to. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep. Matthew 10:9, 10 (NIV)
*CARE Group Leader Responsibility* The role of the CARE Group Leader is to create a for life-change to happen. Group Discussion: (15 minutes) a. What excites you about leading a CARE Group? What concerns do you have about leading a CARE Group? b. How does an understanding of the word ekk-le-sia change the way you view the church? c. What is the purpose of a CARE Group? How do CARE Groups help fulfill the mission of the church? d. What are the four core practices of a CARE Group? Why is balance so important to the health of a group? e. What are some differences between being a leader and being a shepherd leader? What is the primary responsibility of a CARE Group Leader?