Group Launch Guide

Goals for First Meeting

• Build trust.
• Set expectations.
• Exchange information: give instructions and receive participant information.

Facilitate as a Team

• If more than one leader is launching the group (co-leader, coach, ministry leader, etc.) plan out who will facilitate different parts of the agenda, as to lead as a team. This will allow all leaders to share and start to connect with the participants.
• For example, one co-leader could open in prayer, facilitate participants getting to know each other, the coach could share about expectations and the guidelines, and the other co-leader could share the assignment for next week, explain the prayer cards and close in prayer.

Group Agenda

Prepare for group

• Place Participant Information sheets and Prayer Cards on each chair.
• Write the leaders’ contact information on the board.
  

Welcome everyone as they arrive

• If they don’t have a name tag, give them a name tag.
• Ask all the group members to complete the Participant Information sheets.
  

Open with prayer

Introduction of coach and leaders

• Each person share “My name is _____, and I have a new life in Christ, and am recovering from __, __, _____.”
• Explain what “a new life in Christ” means: my identity is in Christ not in my struggle. Jesus’ life death and resurrection has given me a new life: of being a forgiven, pure and accepted child of God through Christ. We will share more about this as time goes on.
• Explain role of a coach as part of the team.
  

Share the purpose of this meeting:

• Start to get to know each other.
• Share expectations.
• Exchange contact information and give instructions for next week.
  

Coach or Co-leaders share recovery story (5 minutes maximum)

• If a coach is launching, coach shares first week, then co-leaders the second and third meeting. Write it out in bullet points if you will be tempted to ramble or go longer than 5 minutes.
  • What brought me to recovery
    • Struggles (keep to 3)
    • Effect on my relationship with God, people in my life, circumstances
  • What was significant during recovery
    • What was helpful: steps, the process of being in the group, what God taught you about himself and you?
    • What was challenging?
  • Life after recovery
    • How has your relationship with God and with people changed?
      

Expectations of life change

• We are changed by God. Rather than the curriculum being the key, freedom, peace and joy in life come from God alone by relying upon him daily to live by his instruction for life.
  • “…for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13
• Focus on recovery for this season.
  • Let the next 9-10 months be a season of focus and make space for God to work in your life.
  • Give God 30 minutes a day to focus on recovery for your lessons. View this one day, one week at a time.
  • With time and relationships, make space in your heart and calendar:
    • Don’t look to begin new dating relationships during this season of recovery.
    • Limit study to this curriculum to allow time for homework and reflection.
  • Be honest about where you are with God and in recovery. God works in our reality and honesty with him and others.
    • Encourage them: choose to be as honest as you can be beginning tonight. Don’t hold back on what you are truly struggling with. It will be harder to be honest later as time goes on.
  • There is hope with God! He loves you and is committed to you.

Expectations from re:generation Leadership

• Leaders are not licensed counselors but people who have been and are being transformed by Jesus. We will counsel with God’s Word because he alone has the wisdom we need to know him and to change.
• The leaders will:
  • Pray for you.
  • Authentically live out our recovery with you.
  • Seek to create an environment that is safe and builds trust with one another.
  • Respect your time by beginning and ending on time (8:30 pm).
• Leaders are part of a larger team supported by the coach and ministry leadership. We will not gossip, but there are no secrets in re:generation If needed, we will seek counsel and pray to love you and walk alongside you.

Expectations from each individual

• Consistent group attendance
  • Important for you and because it affects the group when you’re absent. Your attendance encourages the rest of the group so come even when you don’t want to come for yourself.
  • You are building trust with others and they are building trust with you.
  • Consistent attendance is needed to remain in the group.
  • Contact your leader if you will not be attending.
• Attending large group worship, testimony/teaching time.
• Homework completed before the meeting
  • Daily curriculum includes 5 days of homework, one day of review, and one day of rest.
  • The time during the week with God is the most important time. The daily curriculum is a tool to help you work on your recovery every day and allow God to work in your life.
  • Completing each book is required to progress to the next book or step.
• Participating in the group
  • The purpose of the group time is to share what is happening in your life from the past week: what God is showing you through the homework, what you are struggling with, or any victories.
  • Active sharing of what you are learning, questions, etc. will help both you and others in the group to grow and learn.
• Keeping the Group Discussion Guidelines
  • Guidelines will help the group to build trust, share about ourselves, and learn to listen and not fix one another.
  • Refer to the Group Discussion Guidelines page and read aloud the paragraph and guidelines:
    • ABC (About Self, Be Brief, Keep it Clean)
    • GAG (Guard Against Gossip)
  • Focus on the purpose and heart of these rather than following rules. Explain that as time goes on and the group builds trust, these will change.

Participant introductions

Ask each person to briefly share 3 things:

• Name
• Top 3 struggles
• What they hope to get out of the next 9-10 months in re:generation Take attendance on the roster as people share. Note any information about each participant (family, struggle, etc.) on the roster you want to remember.

Give instructions for this week’s homework

• Homework this week is to complete Step 1, Week 1. This includes five days of homework, one day of review and reflection, and one day of rest (Sabbath).
• Next week, be ready to discuss questions on Week1, Day 6, which is a summary of what you learned from the homework on Days 1-5.

Exchange Prayer Cards

• Explain prayer cards to the group. Each week write out a prayer request along with your contact information (email or phone number).
• Encourage them to email or call the other group member during the week to let them know that they are praying for them.
• Ask them to turn to the person next to them and exchange their card this week. (Next week, as people start to know one another's names, they can be put in the middle of the circle and picked up.)

Collect Participant Information sheets

Close in prayer

After the Group

• Debrief with co-leaders and coach about how the evening went.
• Decide which leader will share their story the following week for 5 minutes.
• Review Participant Information sheets together.
  • See who in the group might not be a believer and take note on the roster, and begin praying for these people. Steps 1-3 will be sharing the gospel with the participants and a chance to talk with them further. Leave the welcome cards in the folder.
  • Over the next few weeks, make contact with those who aren’t sure of their relationship with Christ – by phone, after group, etc. This is a great opportunity to connect more personally and be able to encourage them and answer questions.
• Email and call any of the participants who did not show up tonight to let them know they were missed and what to prepare for next week.
• Praise God for his grace and work already happening in the participants’ lives that brought them to this place!