Live Connected Resources
1. Next Steps
The first 4-6 weeks of a new group start with going through the Next Steps guide from that week's message. If your group hasn't formed a consistent core and is still open for new people to connect, stay in Next Steps beyond the 6 week time period.
2. Starting Point
After a season doing Next Steps and you have a consistent core group, then you will transition your group to Starting Point. This 7-week series reinforces the Gospel and encourages your group members to begin sharing their stories.
3. Soul Revolution
After Starting Point, your group will spend 6 weeks working through 6 chapters in the book Soul Revolution. This will give your group the chance to try out homework and start getting deeper into spiritual content. This book serves as a great way to introduce your Life Group to all four areas that will be explored in Outcomes (Love God, Love People, Be the Body, Build Character).
4. Trust Christ Outcome
After Soul Revolution your group will be ready to jump into the first Life Group Outcome "Trust Christ." This will be your group's introduction to the rest of the outcomes. After a season, your group will be visited by a Grow Pastor who will introduce your group to the next section, "Be Transformed."
5. Share Your Story
The last thing you will do before moving into Be Transformed is to give each Group member the space to share their story. Use one of these storytelling exercises to get to know one another in a deeper more transparent way. These stories help a group of friends become closer.
Groups are encouraged to plan a day away or an overnight retreat where they can share stories and have fun together.
Be Transformed Resources
Life Group Leader Guides
These guides will help you to ask engaging questions to your group during discussions. Most of these guides are geared toward the Study part of each outcome (although there are listening guides for several outcomes with listen or watch sections).
Get Curious - Questions to Guide Discussions
The best way for people to learn is to discover answers. The quickest way to kill a discussion is to ask a "yes or no" question. This resource will help you ask questions that will keep the conversation going.
Life Group Leader Playbook
This document includes everything you need to start your Life Group.
COVID-19 Group Resources
We recognize that we are in unprecedented times and that many groups need additional resources. Use these 5 categories to support the people in your group during this season.
FUN:
- game night: here's a list of games
- scavenger hunt in your homes
- trivia night: here's a trivia generator
- cooking the same meal together via zoom
- movie night: Netflix Party instructions or watch via zoom using screen share
- virtual happy hour
- dance party (bonus points for a dance off): here's a Spotify playlist of songs
- karaoke: lyrics site
- craft party: with kids or for adults
- attend a virtual concert: here are some ideas
- plan an idea of your own & tell us how it went!
STUDY:
- Trusting God in Difficult Times - Meditations by Tim Keller
- Use the Observation, Interpretation, Application study method (from the Study God Outcome) to work through a piece of scripture together. Great scriptures to use: Psalms 23 & Mark 4:35-41(Jesus calms the storm). Could use this study method together on Zoom with any chapters/ verses in the Bible. Just be together & exploring scripture.
- Bible Project videos on a book of the Bible or a Biblical theme
- Pick an Outcome and work through it in group together.
SERVE:
- Volunteer at Gateway: https://assimilation.gateway.apps.blackpulp.com/intake/6/
HEAL:
- There is so much loss in this season. Some losses are little and some are big. Ignoring them isn't emotionally or spiritually healthy. Many of us don't know what "lament" is and have never practiced it. In this resource, you can explore Biblical Lament.
- Online Restore Resources
LISTEN:
- www.youtube.com/gatewaychurchaustin
- Worship and Prayer Resources
- Better for it - series by Andy Stanley on dealing with Crisis
- Jennie Allen’s “Made for This” podcast
Tools for Life Groups
Group Alliance:
This is a great activity for groups to do together once they have become friends and are moving to transparent community. This is a discussion that allows the leader to share things they’d like the group to commit to that will help individuals group as well as help the group be a healthy and mature environment where people can grow. LG Alliance
Emails to send each week to your group:
We have complied example emails that you can send out to your group each week that will let them know what is coming up that week and make sure they feel informed and welcomed. You can use these as a resource to communicate with your group each week (CLICK BELOW).
Comprehensive Life Group Drafted Emails
Reflect, Celebrate, Anticipate Exercise:
Use this exercise after working through Next Steps, Starting Point, and Soul Rev. It allows individuals to think about what God has done in them and how they’ve grown as well as give the group the opportunity to celebrate each other’s growth. Reflect, Celebrate, Anticipate
Icebreaker Exercises:
For a fun way to warm up the group and begin to get to know others, try starting group meetings with 1 or 2 icebreaker games. There are many great icebreaker game ideas online: click here for a great example, or just google search “icebreaker games for small groups” for other ideas.
Contact Info Sheet:
One simple way to help your group move from being strangers to acquaintances is to have everyone exchange contact information right from the beginning. You can use this form, or just pass around a pen and a pad of paper. Have one person collect the info and then email it out to the group, or have everyone in the group write a copy of their own.
Running Partner Guidelines:
Another key milestone of the Create Transparent Community stage is for Running Partner relationships to begin forming in the group. See these Running Partner Guidelines for more information on Running Partners and for a list of guidelines and questions for Running Partners to use during their meeting time together.