the    sides

A not-so-random question for us….If the bulls-eye of our LIFE Groups is to have a life-changing experience with Jesus, how do you get all the leaders on the same page as to HOW to do that and WHAT that looks like?

Hmmm. Intrigued yet? Don’t worry - I am NOT going to go CONTROL FREAK on us. There is no way on the planet to wrap up “what is an encounter with Christ” so that every life group has the same exact experience. That’s not only ridiculous but it devalues every one of us as a unique, gifted representation of God.

I do think there is a place to make sure we are all “shooting at the same target” as well as learn some skills and practices that will help us. And I love the idea of having leaders having some extended time learning from each other.

The need for these skills is pretty apparent for most of us. Most of us have got a Life Group that is too big to be effective but how do you birth a new group with out destroying the vulnerability that you’ve worked so hard to achieve? How do you know if the intern is ready? How do you decide which person goes in which group?

The Short Term Solution:

10-week “Turbo” Life Groups
September 25^th – November 27^th (Sep 20) Sunday Nights, 6-8 PM
December 4^th – February 19^th (Nov 30)
February 26^th – May 14^th (February 21)

We want every level of leadership in our LIFE Group structure to take 10 weeks to recharge AND reinvest. It’s not “training” as much as it is as opportunity to rub elbows with other leaders to hear what is working, what isn’t. To hear their stories of triumph as well as failures.

It’s ten weeks to solidify a foundation of skills and to ask questions that you’ve never had an opportunity to ask before. It will give us not only a common vocabulary about Life Groups, but reinforce that we are shooting at the right target.

What does the 10 weeks look like?

Week 1: Why are we here?
Week 2: Inner Disciplines, I
Week 3: Inner Disciplines II
Week 4: Community (LIFE Group) Disciplines
Week 5: Leading a Group
Week 6: Leading a Meeting
Week 7: Interns
Week 8: Holy Moments
Week 9: Birthing a Group
Week 10: Coaching

Now What?
Pick 1 of the 3 times the Turbo Group is offered. (This is for both husband and wife, by the way.) Let me know by the date in parentheses which one you are going to attend. We are going to provide childcare for this and we need to know how many workers to hire.

How can I do that AND lead a Life Group?
Let me throw a couple of options at you. My first response is – don’t. Let the Life Group Leader couple pick one 10-week rotation and allow the Intern to lead during that time. Then rotate – let the Intern go through the 10-week group while the Life Group Leader leads.

Another option is to tell your Life Group that you and your Intern are going on a 10-week sabbatical. If they want to meet together – great, but you are not going to lead that encounter for the 10 weeks.

A last option is for you to lead your Life Group on one night and go to the Turbo Group on the other. (I’m not recommending this option – just saying that it exists.)

Who’s this for?
This is for all Coaches, Life Group Leaders, Interns, and potential Interns.

UPDATE:
The December-February group is almost completely full.