9: Elements of a Healthy Community Group

09/01/23 • 19 min

In this episode, Kurt Garceau and Jake Rosekopf talk about 7 elements of a Healthy Community Group and practical ways to ensure they are being accomplished in your group. For more practical ways to improve group health, see the note at the bottom.

EPISODE NOTES:
1. CONSISTENCY

Consistency of the scheduled gathering
Consistency of attendance of members
Consistency of fellowship, prayer, worship, and Bible study.

2. AUTHENTICITY

Definition: "The quality of being genuine or real."
Everyone is open and honest about their spiritual journey.
Starts with the leader. Leaders don't have to be perfect, just in process.

3. GROWTH

Bible knowledge is turning into life application.
Testimonies of real-life change and godly decision-making are being shared.
Fruits of the Spirit are evident. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Love for God and others is obvious.

4. FRIENDSHIP

Fellowship, laughter, and stories happen organically.
People come together around shared interests outside of the gatherings.
(Listen to Episode #5: Life Together Beyond Gatherings)

5. NEEDS MET

Group members support, pray for, and encourage each other.
Prayer as a first response, not a last resort.
Other ideas: meals, hospital visits, cards, flowers, texts, phone calls.

6. SERVING TOGETHER

Groups can and should serve together on Sundays, in local and global outreach opportunities.
Local outreach opportunities available here : https://voxchurch.org/outreach
Global outreach opportunities available here: https://voxchurch.org/global

7. INVITING

There is excitement about welcoming new people to the group.
When new people join they feel welcomed and included.

*Note: To discover which elements your group needs improvement, go to your account on https://voxchurch.org and click into your Community Group under "My Groups." From there, click on "Group Assessment" under the links and take the assessment. This will help you, your CG Coach and your Campus CG Director identify areas where growth is needed and offer practical ways to improve in those areas.

Check out our Vox Groups Leader Resource on RightNow Media for more practical tools to lead healthy, vibrant, growing Community Groups. https://app.rightnowmedia.org/.../interact.../863245/details

If you don't have access to RightNow Media join today: https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/VoxChurch
Keep connected with other CGLs & Coaches by joining our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NHVCGLsCoaches

EPISODE NOTES:
1. CONSISTENCY

Consistency of the scheduled gathering
Consistency of attendance of members
Consistency of fellowship, prayer, worship, and Bible study.

2. AUTHENTICITY

Definition: "The quality of being genuine or real."
Everyone is open and honest about their spiritual journey.
Starts with the leader. Leaders don't have to be perfect, just in process.

3. GROWTH

Bible knowledge is turning into life application.
Testimonies of real-life change and godly decision-making are being shared.
Fruits of the Spirit are evident. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Love for God and others is obvious.

4. FRIENDSHIP

Fellowship, laughter, and stories happen organically.
People come together around shared interests outside of the gatherings.
(Listen to Episode #5: Life Together Beyond Gatherings)

5. NEEDS MET

Group members support, pray for, and encourage each other.
Prayer as a first response, not a last resort.
Other ideas: meals, hospital visits, cards, flowers, texts, phone calls.

6. SERVING TOGETHER

Groups can and should serve together on Sundays, in local and global outreach opportunities.
Local outreach opportunities available here : https://voxchurch.org/outreach
Global outreach opportunities available here: https://voxchurch.org/global

7. INVITING

There is excitement about welcoming new people to the group.
When new people join they feel welcomed and included.

If you don't have access to RightNow Media join today: https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/VoxChurch
Keep connected with other CGLs & Coaches by joining our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NHVCGLsCoaches

Previous Episode

8: Getting Ready for Fall

In this episode, Kurt Garceau and Jake Rosekopf talk about 4 practical steps to get ready for leading your Community Group in the fall.

EPISODE NOTES:

Typical Fall Timeline:

End of August – Fall Campaign Curriculum Released & Group Links

Groups Links are an opportunity for people to sign-up for Community Groups at each campus.

Early September – Groups Rally

The Groups Rally is an opportunity to build excitement around Community Groups, to prep for the Fall Campaign, to offer more specific equipping, and to give out leader resources)

Late September – Fall Campaign Begins

Practical steps to ensure that you are ready to lead an amazing group this fall:

1. PRAY

Start praying now! Prayer aligns your heart and the mission with God’s heart and His mission. Ephesians 3:14 &20

2. PLAN

Proverbs 16:3 reminds us “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

What needs planned?

Start date.
Meeting location.
Day of the week.
Time of the gathering.
Type of group. (Co-Ed, Men’s Women’s, Singles, Young Adults, Children Welcome, Marriage, Parenting, Online)

3. PREPARE

Every year, along with the sermon series, Vox will provide some sort of box or folder where the curriculum will be provided for each Community Group Leader for their gatherings.
As a CG Leader, you will need to pick up your box or folder, 1 per Community Group, look through it, and prepare to lead your group.

4. PROMOTE

Communicate with your campus Community Group Director the info of your group so that they can get your info on a sign-up sheet.
Plan to participate in Group Links, and/or recruit by word of mouth.
Communication is KEY! Communicate the time, the meeting address, the day of the week, what to bring, everything....and do it more than once!

If you don't have access to RightNow Media join today: https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/VoxChurch
Keep connected with other CGLs & Coaches by joining our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NHVCGLsCoaches

Next Episode

10: What's Next??? Groups 2024

In this episode, Kurt Garceau and Kisha Sheppherd talk about What's Next for Groups in 2024. Listen to why we have decided to switch to a seasonal model of Community Groups. For details and FAQs see the episode notes below:
EPISODE NOTES:

WHAT’S CHANGING: Historically we had an ongoing model of groups but starting in 2024 we are shifting to a seasonal model of groups. Instead of just having groups ongoing and just leaving it up to the leader to communicate start and end dates, we are providing clarification on what we believe are natural rhythms of group life.

WHY THE CHANGE: To encourage healthy group rhythms, and to allow space to intentionally carve out time in the calendar to equip and shepherd Community Group Leaders.

WHAT’S THE PLAN: TIMELINE FOR 2024 – 52 WEEKS

GROUPS WILL BE IN SESSION FOR 10 WEEKS 3 TIMES A YEAR – 30 WEEKS IN TOTAL

Winter Kick-Off – 10 Weeks - 1/28/24 through 3/31/24
Spring Kick–Off 10 Weeks - 4/28/24 through 6/30/24
Fall Kick–Off – 10 Weeks 9/22/24 through 11/24/24.

GROUP LEADER EQUIPPING WILL BE 9 WEEKS or (3) 3-WEEK SESSIONS

Before each Group kick-off, we want to pull all our leaders together for 3 weeks sort of like Mini Session Community Group for Group Leaders. These are local training courses with your Pastoral Staff & Group Directors and Coaches that will happen 3 times a year.
First Equipping Session Starts the week of January 7th through January 22nd
Second Equipping Session Starts the week of April 7th and through April 22nd
Third Equipping Session is a little weird because of the summer: There will be 2 weeks at the end of August and 1 Week in September.

GROUP RALLY –– 1 Week

September 8th, 2024 will be our GROUPS RALLY, this is an annual event where we get to gather ALL our leaders in one place to celebrate all that God has done.

GROUPS WILL BE ON A SABBATH BREAK – 12 WEEKS OR (2) 6-WEEK SESSIONS

SUMMER SABBATH BREAK – 7/7/24 - 8/11/24
HOLIDAY SABBATH BREAK – 12/1/24 - 1/6/25

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - FAQs

Question: What happens if I want my group to continue and not stop meeting during Group Leader Equipping sessions? Answer: We encourage you to pause and really focus on engaging during this week as a leader. There will be videos to watch and chapters to read to prepare for the session, and it's really a time for you to receive and be shepherded by the Lord and other leaders around you. Suggestion: Maybe this is a time to identify a Future Group Leader or Co-Leader who can Facilitate the Group meetings during this time.

Question: If we are moving to a seasonal model, will content be provided for every session like in the Fall Series?