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Session 4: Determining Your Group’s Purpose
It’s important to determine your group’s purpose. Determining your purpose is done by answering three questions:
- What kind of group do we want to be?
- What kind of curriculum will we use?
- What kind of balance will we have between content (facts
and knowledge) and process (thoughts and feelings)?
What kind of group do we want to be?
Examples:
- Recovery group
- Parenting group
- Bible study
- General growth group
- Other
What kind of curriculum will we use?
Examples:
- Bible study
- Books
- Curriculum provided by your church
- Group-generated questions
- Video/DVD curriculum
- Other
Regardless of the curriculum you choose, go beyond content questions and ask process questions that get at people’s feelings and emotions. Choose course materials that fit your purpose, structure, maturity level, and interests. Determine if the questions in the course materials will foster good discussion in the group
What kind of balance will we have between content (facts and knowledge) and process (thoughts and feelings)?
To help determine the proper balance, answer the following questions:
- What will our typical agenda be?
- How much time will be spent on the teaching/lesson, talking and sharing, and prayer?
Example for a 60-minute meeting:
- 10 minutes of sharing
- 40 minutes of interaction with the curriculum
- 10 minutes of prayer
Example for a 90-minute meeting:
- 15 minutes of sharing
- 60 minutes of interaction with the curriculum
- 15 minutes of prayer
“Segment Two: Closing Thoughts”
What we’ve covered . . .
- Connecting
- The five habits
- Ground rules
- Purpose
The purpose of small groups:
- To show grace and process truth over time
- To experience God and others