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Marriage Enrichment

Re|engage

Lesson 0: Introduction Leader's Guide

KEY CONCEPT

Meet your couples!

This is an exciting time where couples meet each other, workbooks are distributed, and expectations are set. Be free to organize this night in whatever manner works for your context. Below are a few best practices.

Note: Some churches distribute workbooks (or a PDF of the first lesson) before the group meets for the first time, in which case couples are asked to complete Lesson 1 before coming to group. If that’s you, then Lesson 0 and Lesson 1 both apply to your first week.

FIRST WEEK CHECKLIST

Best practices for the first week you meet your couples:

  • Before the meeting
    - Reach out to the couples at least via email or text. Give them your contact info and let them know where to meet you.

  • Warmly greet couples as they arrive!

  • Have each couple introduce themselves
    - Years married, kids, occupations, home church, reason for doing re|engage
    - Leaders go first
    - Also consider an icebreaker question

  • Hand out the workbooks and walk them through these items:
    - Review the Welcome page to hear the advice of couples who finished re|engage
    - The homework for next week (i.e., read lesson, answer questions, discuss answers with spouse, do Action Items)
    - Tell them that answers to some questions will be discussed in the group next week

  • Cover the Small Group Ground Rules.

  • Please bring a Bible each week (electronic is OK, paper is better).

  • Take prayer requests; never too early to start shepherding the group!

STANDARD WEEK CHECKLIST

Normal meeting cadence for Week 2 and beyond:

  • As couples enter the room, catch up on life but don’t let this time steal from lesson time
  • Open in prayer
  • Ask about take-aways from Large Group
  • Follow-up from last week with any open items
  • Solicit observations or epiphanies about the lesson, but don't teach the lesson
  • Cover the most important lesson questions, but don't go around the circle
  • Take prayer requests, pray, and dismiss

Best practice reminders:

  • Read the room; if a couple is obviously in a tough spot then shepherd them in that moment
  • Allow uncomfortable silences; resist the urge to jump in; early in the group you may need to model what it looks like to share, but as the group progresses they should feel comfortable answering first
  • No more than one conversation at a time

DID YOU KNOW?

There is an audio version of re|engage! If you have anyone in your group that is visually impaired or better processes the spoken word, point them to the audio lessons.