Semester Based Small Groups

Andy Haskins - Director of Church Development, NERegion Chris Hill - Leader Keystone Conference Coaching Network
Next to the weekend service, the small groups of the church are the most important system in the church, because Christianity is meant to be lived day to day and hour to hour. One hour per week is not enough to make fully developed followers of Christ.

Our culture today already runs on a semester based calendar. We are used to a school year beginning at the end of August or the beginning of September, taking a break for the Christmas and New Years holidays, and then a new semester begins after the start of the new year, which ends in May or June. The third semester is sometimes optional and is usually referred to as Summer School.

Semester based small groups provide some advantages: 1. 2. They give clear beginning and ending dates. They only require a short term commitment which is easier for people to make. 3. It provides a space of time between semesters, allowing time for promotion and sign-ups. 4. It is easier to get people to sign up for a group when every one is beginning together. 5. They offer more options (greater diversity) since new topics can be offered each semester. 6. 7. It matches the calendar for our present educational system. It allows for a cycle of stress and release (built in breaks).

Introduction To The Four Fs of Semester Based Small Groups:

Step # 1 - FOCUS - During this step the who and what questions are answered. We identify who the people are that will serve as our facilitators and what the group topic will be. Step # 2FORM - This step answers the where, when, and what questions. Where will these individual groups meet? When (what day and time) will they meet? What information will we list about each particular small group in the catalogue? Step # 3 - FILL - The emphasis is on promoting each individual group as well as getting people signed up. Strive to offer one-step signups because the more steps we ask people to take in the signup process, the less people we will have that will participate. We promote because people say no to what is unclear or confusing. Step # 4 - FACILITATE - In this step we help each group to launch and have a successful kickoff. The goal being that each group will have a minimum of 8 people and for no group to have more than 15. If we have more than 15, we offer two groups for that topic instead of one, with the current apprentice becoming the second group facilitator. If a group has less than 8, we work to combine them with another smaller sized group to make a larger group to fit our parameters.

What a Semester Based Small Group Calendar Looks Like:

(Following the school year, beginning in the fall)
In order to kick off a new semester in October, we begin to prepare in July.

July -

We begin to focus our groups by identifying who the people are that will be our facilitators and what the group topic or curriculum will be. A Focus Month.

August -

We determine where each individual group will meet, what day and time they meet, and what information will be listed about each small group in the catalogue. A Form Month.

September -

We promote each group and encourage people to sign up for a group. A Fill Month.

October -

A new semester begins as we help each group to launch and have a successful kickoff, multiplying or adding together as needed. A Facilitate Month.

November -

The cycle of preparation starts again as we begin to focus our groups by identifying who the people are that will be our facilitators and what the topic of discussion will be. A Focus Month.

December -

Our small groups are in a semester break that begins in mid to late November. During this break we determine where each individual group will meet, what day and time will they meet, and what information will be listed about each small group as we prepare for our next semester. A Form Month.
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January -

We promote the beginning of a new semester for each group and encourage people to sign up. A Fill Month

February -

We help each group to launch and have a successful kickoff of their group as we begin our new semester, multiplying or adding groups together as needed. A Facilitate Month

March -

We begin all over again to focus our groups by identifying who the people are that will be our facilitators and what the topic or curriculum will be, as we prepare for the summer semester. (Summer semester typically runs only 6 to 8 weeks and may have different starting dates). A Focus Month.

April -

During April our groups begin a semester break in mid to late April (the timing is usually based on the Easter break). A Form Month.

May -

In preparation for the summer semester, we promote each group and encourage people to sign up for a summer group. We ask our facilitators to take one semester off. This is also a good time to try out a new facilitator or to train new apprentices. A Fill Month.

June -

We help each group tokickoff as we begin our new semester, multiplying or adding groups together as needed. During this semester we offer a reduced number of groups or a variation of different kinds of groups (activity groups). A Facilitate Month
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12 Ways To Maximize Semester Based Small Groups

1. Maximize your small groups by . . . Targeting all who would attend your church over a 6 month period, not just those on the weekend. Make an effort to invite anyone who has attended in the past 6 months to be a part of a small group. This allows you to reactivate families or individuals who have not yet been assimilated into the life of the church. 2. Maximize your small groups by . . . Striving to have 8 to 15 people in every group. The larger the group the easier the group will be to facilitate. The smaller the group, the more difficult to lead and the more skill and experience required from the facilitator. 3. Maximize your small groups by . . . Structuring your group for friendship rather than intimacy. Our purpose being to help people to get to know each other. Intimacy usually happens outside of a small group setting. This helps the group to welcome new people and assimilate them into the life of the church and keeps the group from becoming ingrown. 4. Maximize your small groups by . . . Structuring your group to meet for a season . The ideal length for a small group is 8 to 12 weeks. This keeps people wanting more and prevents burnout. 5. Maximize your small groups by . . . Concentrating your promotion and sign-up time to a 4 to 6 week period . This will help to increase both the level of excitement as well as participation.

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Maximize your small groups by . . . Not competing with other alternatives such as Sunday School or a mens or womans fellowship group. If small groups are essential, then begin to do all discipleship through small groups.

7.

Maximize your small groups by . . . Making them easy to sign up for and by having a set ending date. One step sign-ups and short term commitments will help to maximize participation in small groups.

8.

Maximize your small groups by . . . Planning ahead and preparing months in advance (Focus. Form, Fill, and Facilitate).

9.

Maximize your small groups by . . . Having all the leadership/staff of the church fully support and participate in a small group.

10.

Maximize your small groups by . . . Using a system where all facilitators are trained by serving at least one semester as an apprentice under the supervision and guidance of another experienced leader before becoming a facilitator.

11.

Maximize your small groups by . . . Organizing your groups to grow and reproduce rather than structure them for control . Learn to decentralize control by trusting God and your leaders.

12.

Maximize your small groups by . . . Concentrating on developing more facilitators than groups. You will never have more groups than the number of trained facilitators that have been developed.