Welcome to Small Group Leadership

In this lesson you will learn the definition of a dynamic group and the importance of effective small group facilitation.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Define a dynamic small group and effective group leadership.
2. Reflect on the biblical basis of small group leadership.
3. Identify your goals as a small group leader.

In this lesson you will learn the importance of slowing down to connect with God and other people.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain why it is important for small group leaders to slow down and spend time with God.
2. Identify ways to slow your pace so that genuine connections are made and people feel that they matter.
3. Identify areas of your life where you need to slow down and plug in to God’s power.

In this lesson you will learn active listening skills that will help you understand what people are actually saying and feeling.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify active listening skills that will allow you to understand what people are actually saying.
2. Reflect on the biblical principle of listening before you speak.
3. Identify ways that you can improve your active listening skills.

In this lesson you will learn that vulnerability and transparency can be strengths of a small group leader.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain why being transparent about your own hurts can help others become more open to share their own.
2. Reflect on what Scripture says about being real with God and others about your brokenness.
3. Identify ways that you can model transparency as a group leader.

In this lesson you will identify a model for understanding different personality types and how to harness the strengths of each within the group dynamic.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify the four quadrants of the Merrill-Reid personality model: the driver, the expressive, the amiable, and the analytical.
2. Explain the strengths and liabilities of each personality type.
3. Identify strategies for engaging with each of the four personality types in your group.

In this lesson you will learn how to promote more fruitful discussion and connection in your group by focusing on your common purpose rather than the content of the study.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain why establishing a purpose for your small group is more important than the subject of study.
2. Reflect on the scriptural basis of being like-minded.
3. Identify effective ways to spot the group’s purpose and lead group discussion to promote strong connection.

In this lesson you will appreciate the importance of humility and trust in small group leadership.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify ways of encouraging conversation among your small-group members.
2. Enable members to develop a code of conduct as a way of building trust within the group.
3. Reflect on ways that you can model humility and trust as a group leader.

In this lesson you will learn the importance of leading your group to focus on the application of what is being studied and discussed.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Structure your group discussion around the questions “What?,” “So what?,” and “Now what?”
2. Focus your group on applying what they have learned.
3. Reflect on ways that you can facilitate the “Now what?” discussion.

In this lesson you will learn how to deepen the connection within your group through prayer and service.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain how praying for one another can help your group connect on a deeper level.
2. Accelerate your group’s connection through serving others together.
3. Identify ways to incorporate prayer and service into your small group.

In this lesson you will learn the three “P”s of engaging group facilitation: people dynamics, process dynamics, and play.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify the three “P”s of engaging facilitation: people dynamics, process dynamics, and play.
2. Implement specific ways to maximize your group facilitation in all three areas.
3. Reflect on areas to strengthen your group facilitation skills.

This activity offers a brief introduction to the lesson and informs you of the lesson’s objectives.

Viewing this activity is required for course completion.

This activity provides the main teaching content for the lesson. You may choose to watch the video, listen to the audio, or read the transcript. Closed captioning is also provided for any video segments. In each case the content is the same.

This activity is required for course completion.

This quiz activity checks your understanding of the concepts learned so far. It is not a timed activity, and the quiz can be attempted as many times as needed.

Earning a quiz score of 70% or better is required for course completion.

This activity allows you to spend time in Scripture and connect it to the topic of each lesson. Spend some time carefully reading the Scripture passage provided in the activity, utilizing the simple three-step method of Receive, Reflect, and Respond.

• Receive simply involves reading the text and asking, “What does the text say?”
• Reflect challenges you to ask, “What does the text mean?”
• Respond invites you to apply the meaning of the text to your life.

Instructions for reflection

1. Get and use a hard copy journal or an e-note-taking tool such as Notion, OneNote, or Apple Notes. You can also complete these activities in the course workbook, which can be downloaded in lesson one.
2. Spend time reflecting on the questions provided in the activity. Make it a time of prayer by sharing your thoughts and reflections with God.
3. Write down your answers, thoughts, and other revelatory ideas in your journal that God reveals during your time of prayerful reflection.

For reflective journaling activities such as this one, find a quiet place in which you will not be disturbed by other people, noises, or other distractions. Silence e-devices and quiet your mind by reading Bible passages or praying before attempting the activity.

This discussion activity is designed to help you articulate what you have learned in each lesson. It may also help you collect ideas from other course participants about their understanding of group leadership skills. Since this course is asynchronous (i.e., other learners complete the course at different times), you may not see many discussion submissions or receive replies to your posts. Therefore, consider your submissions to this discussion forum as a way to share your insights about what you have learned to inspire or challenge others in their learning journey, and to enable others to do the same for you.

While other learners may not see or respond to your comments in the short term, encouraging others and engaging with others enhances your learning experience.

This activity is required for course completion.

These application activities are designed to help you consider how to put your learning to use in your own context. When you finish this course you will have an action plan that will help you deepen and improve your group leadership skills!

Complete these activities digitally in the downloadable workbook, or write them in your own journal. Find the link to download the digital workbook in lesson one.

This activity sums up the concepts learned in each lesson and looks ahead to what comes next.

This activity appears in the course wrap-up section at the end of the course. It allows you to review what you have learned in the course and identify actions you will commit to in order to implement the course concepts.