LifeGroup Leader Guide

LifeGroup Strategy

STARTING A LIFEGROUP

STEP 1 – GATHER A LEADERSHIP TEAM

Begin every new group with Stage 1 Leaders (Teacher and Director).
Read through the Adult LifeGroup Leader Guide.
Pray through the leadership expectations and ask God to provide you with a Core Group.
Request a Teacher/Director Covenant from your Division Minister.
Schedule a time to meet with your Division Minister.

STEP 2 – GATHER A CORE GROUP

Provide your Division Minister with a list of potential group visitors.
Ask your Division Minister to provide a list of current church guests.
Begin the contact process and reach out to all prospects, inviting them to join your Core Group.
Seek four to six individuals to commit to the Core Group meeting and new group launch.

STEP 3 – START MEETING WITH A CORE GROUP

Host a Core Group meeting on or off campus.
Core Group meetings serve as a time for prayer, outreach and community-building.
Core Group meetings should continue for three to four weeks to ensure viability of the potential group.
Begin identifying potential Stage 2 leaders as you meet, but do not rush to fill these positions.
Choose a name, launch date and room for your group with the guidance of your Division Minister.

STEP 4 – LAUNCH GROUP (WEEK OF GROUP LAUNCH)

Make sure to communicate to your Core Group and group prospects the date, time and room number of the new group.
Make plans to have food in your classroom the first week (your Division Minister will most likely help with this).
Be present on launch day, greet all guests, encourage guests to fill out visitor forms, and celebrate what God has done.

STEP 5 – CONTINUING GROUP LEADERSHIP

Meet regularly with your Division Minister as your group grows.
Follow up with guests and members on a weekly basis.
Pray for God’s continued blessing and growth of your group.

Note: Sometimes a Division Minister may ask leaders to start a “paper group.” A “paper group” is derived from regular guests/prospects who have not yet joined a LifeGroup and from those who have stopped attending and may be open to a new group.

REACH Strategy

REACH CARDS

Each group will be given REACH cards, and group members will be asked to write down the names of three to five people they know who are not yet believers, and then work toward sharing the story of Christ with them.

WHAT IS SUCCESS IN THE STRATEGY?

Success is defined as actively working to move people through the process of evangelism.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF EVANGELISM?

We have defined the process of evangelism as three steps to help move someone toward hearing the story of Christ and having his or her life changed by the Gospel. This process serves as a guide to help you understand how you can move someone from being a name on a REACH card to allowing God to use you to share the story of Christ with that person. Remember, it is always God’s desire that we actively share our faith (2 Timothy 4:5), and this helps us work toward fulfilling that mission.

PERSONAL LEVEL

Keep your REACH card in your Bible and pray every day for the names on it.
Show your card to your Division Minister or accountability partner and discuss ways you plan to help someone move through the process.
Do a personal study of the Gospel story (read the Gospels) so that you can have a greater appreciation for the story of Jesus and how He has transformed your life.
Pray daily for opportunities to share the story of Christ with anyone you meet (Colossians 4:4).

GROUP LEVEL

Incorporate time in group meetings to share general prayer requests and devote another time specifically to the REACH cards each week (Prayer Coordinator).
Use the REACH cards as a point of application at least once a month in your teaching time (Teacher).
Have individuals share their testimony at least every other week. This could include how they were introduced to Christ (Member Coordinator).
Plan specific group socials at least every other month, providing a venue for people to invite everyone on their REACH card (Social Coordinator).
Plan service projects or coordinate ways the group can serve neighborhoods, communities or those on their REACH cards (Missions Liaison).
Identify ways and highlight examples of group members who are actively moving people through the process, and share testimonies of success at least once each month (Director).
Create a schedule of testimonies from group members and share stories of people moving through the REACH process.
Create a list of all the names on the REACH card to use as a prayer guide and an invite list to your LifeGroup (Prospect Coordinator).

Multiply

Multiplication is not just a strategy; it is part of God’s grand plan for advancing His kingdom. In Genesis 1:28, God’s first command was “Be fruitful and multiply.” If you study Jesus’ life closely, you will see that His mission to reach the world included creating disciples who could carry on His same mission after He returned to the Father. Jesus’ heartbeat was for multiplication. He took ordinary people and transformed them into disciple-makers who would change the world.

Defining multiplication is important. When we mention multiplication, people often think of discipleship – deeper Bible studies, growth-level curriculum or more programs. While it is crucial to grow and anchor new believers, that is just one part of the whole multiplication process.

Multiplication is all about reproduction; if that is not happening, we are missing the mark. When we multiply what God has done in our lives from person to person, one generation to the next, we will see a movement of life change as new people are reached and impacted by the Gospel. Without multiplication, there is no movement, and stagnation forms.

The command to multiply is both individual and corporate (churchwide or ministry-wide). For LifeGroups to grow and multiply, members must become disciple-makers and, when partnered with the Holy Spirit, multiply their faith and leadership into the lives of others. Our aim is for each LifeGroup leader to regularly pray for and develop new apprentice leaders, expanding the ability of the LifeGroup to minister effectively. Additionally, LifeGroups should set an objective toward group multiplication, creating even more opportunities for reaching new people for Christ.

Multiplication is ultimately about fulfilling Christ’s calling for all of us to become disciple-makers and to use the gifts God has given each of us to advance His kingdom.

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