Summer Info

For those that couldn't attend the Year End Celebration, we missed you! We had a great time encouraging each other and praising God for His goodness and faithfulness to work in our Journey Groups. One piece of information you missed is the summer info page. It has all the important Journey Group dates and a few important reminders as we head into the summer season. You can view and print it here.

April's Leadership Development Notes

For those that weren't able to attend the Leadership Development night on April 3, I wanted to post the notes with a little explanation. Reid Brown began the time by looking to Scripture. We wanted to ask, "What is our Biblical motivation for pushing the idea of multiplication?" When we consider passages like Luke 22:27, John 15:13, and Philippians 2:3-4 a common message rings loudly - it's not about me! One of the common hesitations about multiplying a group is a reluctance to give up the group you enjoy so much. God's Word reminds us that following Jesus and serving His Kingdom is not about us; it's about others. As we strive to follow Christ's example of leaving our comfort behind and putting the needs of others first, I believe we will be compelled to multiply our small groups so that more people can have authentic community and grow in their relationship with Jesus. Based on these and other Scriptures, we are starting from the belief that every small group should multiply if it is following a healthy path.

We spent the remainder of the time discussing two practical aspects of group multiplication: 1) understanding the general life-cycle of a group and 2) understanding basic methods of actually launching a new group out of your group. Here are the notes we used - How-To of Group Multiplication

The life-cycle portion is pretty self explanatory, but remember that reality is rarely as tidy as it looks on paper. Your group may jump stages in the cycle or take steps backwards at times. Knowing what stage your group is in will help you lead effectively toward multiplication.

The methods of multiplication portion needs a little more explanation. Three basic methods of multiplying a group were discussed. The first two are similar in that only one person from the original group leaves to begin a new group. The third method involves sending half of the original group out to launch the new group. The original and new groups then add new members. The end result of all three plans is the same - one group becomes two. There are variations and hybrids of these three plans so feel free to adjust them to make a plan that will work best for your group.

Hopefully, you have been inspired to pursue multiplication in your group and have a few tools in your hands to help make that happen. Feel free to share any thoughts or questions you may have we me - davei@cccomaha.org

Dave Irwin

Great Curriculum advice

One of the most commonly asked questions is, "what should we study next?" That question hits at the most practical level of leading a small group. When I came across this article from Alan Danielson, I knew it could be a big help to a lot of leaders. Whether you need this info for tomorrow or next year, it's worth reading... Groups that start out around a common interest or life-stage sometimes get hung up on curriculum. Their groups form around ideas like parenting, finances, marriage or blended families and they go through a curriculum that is specifically designed for their common interest. What happens after they’ve finished with that particular curriculum is almost always the same: they ask, “What do we do next?”

Before I answer that question I want to make a pretty obvious statement: curriculum does not make groups, people do. With that in mind, don’t sweat over finding the next great parenting curriculum, hoping that it will bond your group closer together. Don’t waste time trying to find another powerful marriage curriculum, believing that it will make people stick with your group. Stop stressing out over the fact that you can’t find a blended family curriculum, fearing that your group won’t survive without it. The bottom line is this: curriculum does not make groups, people do. So don’t major on curriculum. Major on people!

Instead, of fretting over which curriculum to use next, group leaders should master the following skills:

• Identify. Look for your group’s relational strengths and maximize them. Look for your group’s relational weaknesses and compensate for them.
• Personalize. Pick any Biblically-based curriculum and tailor the discussion questions to fit your group’s unique context.
  • Example 1: “Abraham took a great step of faith when God called him. What faith step is God calling you to make as a parent?”
  • Example 2: “Jesus had the power to heal the leper. How does that make you feel about the healing that he can bring to your marriage?”
• Relax. Don’t worry about the curriculum being the “exact fit” for your group. Recognize the fact that people will automatically contextualize and personalize any curriculum. Everyone filters what they learn through the experiences they’ve had or are currently having. Thus, nearly any curriculum can be relevant to their current circumstances.
• Listen and pray. As people share about how the curriculum applies to their lives, listen for their needs, feelings, and desires. Then make those things a matter of prayer. Groups that pray for and with one another grow the deepest relational bonds. This bond goes far beyond those formed over brownies and movie nights. And it certainly goes beyond the connection formed over curriculum.

Almost any curriculum can be the right curriculum for your group, you just have to make it so. Save the time you’re spending looking for the right curriculum and instead focus on turning something into the right curriculum. Who knows, when you utilize the skills listed above, the Holy Spirit might even teach your “finance” small group something profound from a study about The Song of Solomon. Okay, so that’s a bit of a stretch, but you get my point.

Upcoming Leadership Development

Multiplication is a key part of a healthy Journey Group. When a group is active and growing in all areas, it will result in new groups being started. The tricky part is this doesn't happen in the same way at the same point for every group. Our leadership development discussion on April 3 (6:00-7:30 PM in EC 188 at the Old Mill Campus) will center on the topic of group multiplication. Specifically, why we should care about multiplication, knowing where your group is in its life cycle, and different methods of multiplying your group.

This is a critiacl topic for Journey Groups, so I hope to see you there! Feel free to give me a call (402-938-1562) or drop me an email (davei@cccomaha.org) with any thoughts or questions.

Dave Irwin

More practical help with dynamics

I came across a blog post today and thought it fit nicely with the topic of our last Leadership Development (group dynamics). If you're having difficulty getting some people to contribute to the discussion, Allen White has a few tips for you - Getting People To Talk

March Leadership Development

Hey, friends...in case you missed the last Leadership Development, here are the basics. The topic was leading in difficult dynamics. We brainstormed a list of challenging group dynamics, covered a few basic principles (here are the notes - Dynamics worksheet - with notes), then spent the rest of the time discussing specific dynamics around tables and sharing our best thoughts with each other. Here are a few practical take aways that surfaced:

• For the over-talker - focus their energy by asking them to help others engage in the discussion (give them something to do other than share their thoughts)
• For sporadic attendance - ask people to own part of the agenda or provide something particular for the group so that they have a stronger reason to show up
• For child care - rotate a different adult with the kids every 15 minutes so that no one misses too much of the group time and the kids are always supervised

These are just a few of the great ideas that surfaced from the table discussions. If you're facing a difficult dynamic in your group, I encourage you to talk with your coach or other leaders and get their ideas and input. There are solutions out there!

Dave

p.s. - you can always call (402-938-1562) or email me (davei@cccomaha.org) too!

March Leadership Development

As leaders, we all run into those tricky situations and moments when we're not exactly sure how to lead the group. Those dynamics can derail a small group meeting and make the best of us doubt our leadership ability. But it doesn't have to be that way! I hope you can join me on Sunday, March 6, from 6:00 - 7:30 PM in EC 188 at the Old Mill campus for Leadership Development to discuss how we can lead in these dynamics so that our groups thrive and our leadership stays strong.

Curriculum resource

Here's a curriculum resource you may want to check out. It's a 7 session DVD based curriculum from Ray Vander Laan. I really appreciated his earlier material in That The World May Know, and this seems to be of the same high quality and depth. Check out Walking with God in the Desert here.

Notes from Bill Donahue

In case you missed the last Leadership Development night on 1/30, let me give you the basic idea. Bill Donahue spoke to us on the topic of developing apprentice leaders in our Journey Groups. Our Journey Groups are the most fertile ground for new leaders. This matters because of what we value - people connecting in community so that they grow in their relationships with God and others. Because we value this so strongly, we will be driven to develop new leaders so that more and more people can connect in a Journey Group. Here are the notes I took during Bill's talk. Also, if you haven't picked up your copy of Bill Donahue's book Leading Life Changing Small Groups, stop by the Journey Group booth in the atrium some Sunday and grab one (1 per group). He focuses on this topic in section 3 of the book. It's great stuff!

Unrelated Items

Here are a couple big items from the Journey Group world...

1. I have learned of an opportunity to show love and support to a family in need. The situation is a young mother leaving an unhealthy home with 4 kids (all under the age of 6!). They are living with family so the basics are covered, but they won't have much of a Christmas this year. I'm wondering if one or more of our Journey Groups would/could adopt this family for Christmas. If your group wants to help out, drop me an email or give me a call.
2. Make sure that Saturday, January 8, is highlighted on your calendar for the Mid-year Journey Group Huddle. This will be a key time to come together as a whole team to remember the great importance of what we do as leaders, to be encouraged, and to hone our skills so that we can serve and lead at full impact. Keep an eye out for the e-vite coming soon!