Small Group Leaders 2024
Retreat Dates:
Virtual Retreat (August 23-24, 2024) 6:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m PST
Virtual Retreat (Oct. 18-19, 2024) 6:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m PST
The Springs Retreat (Feb. 4-6, 2025) - $449 (two nights) register separately
Virtual Retreat (May 30-31, 2025) - 6:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m PST
Small Group Leaders Zoom Meetings
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4248290862?pwd=TkdzV25jWXpvNGYrd1JqMWNuUlhTUT09
Meeting ID 424 829 0862 password: newim
Tentative Dates for Small Group Leaders Training:
August 5 after 2 p.m. PST for training
or
August 8 any time - Heidi & Luann lead us in 60 min of Small Group Training; review responsibilities for the first retreat
Arrive at 6:45 a.m. (PT) for the Virtual Retreat, August 23 - for us to pray as we get started greeting our guests
Monday, Oct. 14, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. PST prior to second retreat - share how the groups are going; review responsibilities for second retreat.
AGENDA
1. Share how things are going - any questions or concerns from the first retreat until now? (15 min.)2. We will be talking about how we facilitate table conversations during the Springs (there are questions you can use on each table) (15 min)
*We'll be using a handout and actually engaging in listening prayer as leaders - this will give you the experience of listening prayer and you'll see how to lead your small group in this prayer exercise (45 min)3. We will talk briefly about how we'll do the blessing at the closing chapel. (5 min)
Monday, Dec. ??, 9-10:30 a.m. PST - share how the groups are going; review responsibilities for third retreat (Springs in February) - any adjustments? Plan how to regroup/re-energize after the holidays at our Jan. 11 mtg.
Saturday, Jan 11 - 8 - 9 a.m. Whole Group - Reset after the holidays
Monday, January ??, 2:00-3:30 p.m. PST - share how the groups are going; review the schedule and responsibilities for the third retreat (Springs Retreat, Feb. 4-6). Think about closing well.
Monday, April - share how the groups are going; review responsibilities for fourth retreat: May 30-31
NEWIM-FFG Small Group Mentor Training
Welcome to the NEWIM-Fuller Formation Groups Mentor training! We are so glad that you are responding to God’s call to lead and shepherd his people through this process. We hope that the succeeding programs provide you with what you need to lead with confidence. If you have questions at any point throughout these programs, please be sure to note them down and reach out to your Cohort Leader.
In these first videos, you will learn some of the context around the NEWIM-Fuller Formation Group experience. The videos should help you understand the why, what, and how behind FFG. Please watch the following videos and, if you’d like, respond to the reflection questions. Again, you may want to note down anything that jumps out to you along the way.
Intro & Theory of Formation Groups: https://youtu.be/722Ho2rZxW0 (12:08)
Philosophy of Formation Groups: https://youtu.be/ZcgA0GhWFSo (3:52)
Pedagogy of Formation Groups: https://youtu.be/u1jmjrZcY2Y (5:32)
Process of Formation Group Intro: https://youtu.be/jezqGQ_9TFg (1:48)
Process of Formation Groups: https://youtu.be/zoVnCTaXR3g (8:31)
Why do we engage in practices in community? https://youtu.be/yzhoCGo9MFo (1:00)
Reflection:
What excites you about NEWIM-Fuller Formation Groups?
What preliminary questions or concerns do you have after watching these videos?
How would you describe the environments that help a person flourish in their spiritual life? Briefly describe how these environments are or are not now present in your life.
1. Guided Life
One of the four elements around which the structure of NEWIM-Fuller Formation Groups is built is that of a “guided life.” Our pedagogy is built on the understanding that flourishing leaders have someone speaking into and helping them reflect on God at work in their life, whether that be a mentor, pastor, counselor, therapist, spiritual director, etc.
https://youtu.be/4Vua3-1_hWE (4:47)
Reflection:
1. At what times in your life have you been “guided” in this way, and what value did this relationship add?
2. Think about who in your life is currently “guiding” you in some way. How did that relationship or dynamic come about?
3. When have you been the person helping to guide another’s life, and what kind of impact did this make?
2. Regular Practice
Another of our core four elements is “regular practice.” We invite cohort participants into regular practice through our content. These are the elements and materials that we use to invite participants into the slow and steady work of transformation. Our content is born out of our philosophy of how people grow, and it is rooted in our process. This content is designed to encourage flourishing in our participants’ lives. We are seeking to help cultivate fully formed lives of healthy and rich engagement with God, with our community, and with the world.
https://youtu.be/Bg24QnEnqyU (5:08)
Reflection:
1. What do you want to make sure you remember from these videos about our program content as you begin to lead your small group?
2. Taking an inventory of your own life, what regular spiritual practices do you currently engage with, and how do you think are they shaping you?
3. Regular Retreats
A third core component of our NEWIM-Fuller Formation Groups is “regular retreats.” Regular retreats provide a time and space for leaders to get away from noise and distraction and to get re-connected to God. These are an essential element to living a life of flourishing, yet because we lead such busy lives, they are often one of the most neglected practices. For these reasons we will be engaging in a regular pattern of retreats over the course of the year. Watch these videos to understand more about why and how we do these retreats.
https://youtu.be/b3rLAgPdl7A (3:19)
https://youtu.be/ISvmSxRaYyk (1:01)
Reflection:
1. How have you seen your own need for retreat evolve over the course of your life?
2. Do you take regular retreats? Why or why not?
3. If you do, what impact do these retreats have on your relationships with God, your family, the world?
4. Regular Groups
The fourth core component of our program is “regular groups.” We all need a safe space. We need a community of people with whom we can be our authentic, vulnerable, and truthful self and where we can be both encouraged and challenged. Leaders in particular need a space where they do not need to be “on.” This is the type of small group that we hope to provide for our participants with NEWIM-Fuller Formation Groups.
https://youtu.be/zAsHCiYAFjU (4:53)
Reflection:
1. At what point(s) in your life have you had a regular group like this? How did it impact your life with Christ?
2. What role does community play in your journey of formation and mission?
3. Have you ever started a regular group? What stands in the way of creating such a group for you or those you know?
Roles Overview
As you know, there are two roles essential for our NEWIM-Fuller Formation Groups leadership: Cohort Leader and Mentor. Please take a look at the following video to make sure you are familiar with the particular responsibilities of each position.
https://youtu.be/x8kiolQZXFg (3:51)
Reflection:
1. How do you understand the difference between Cohort Leader and Mentor?
2. Do you resonate more with the description of either role? Why?
3. Do you have any questions about your particular responsibilities?
Mentor
As we have already noted in the portion of this training addressing the “guided life,” mentors play a significant role in our formation. They are people who, on some level, take responsibility for seeing us, listening to us, knowing us deeply, and encouraging our growth. As such, the Mentor role in NEWIM-Fuller Formation Groups is one of the most crucial for the experience of our participants. You will care and pray for your small group, both in-person and when you are apart.
You will also co-participate with the program, modeling learning, authenticity, openness, and commitment for those in your small group. We call it “participatory leadership.”
As you watch this video on the importance and responsibilities of the Mentors, feel free to take notes.
https://youtu.be/SrdxbIprxSs (12:52)
Reflection:
1. What attributes do you hope define your mentorship during this process? What are you excited about in regards to the Mentor role?
2. Is there anything that worries or troubles you about this description of the responsibilities of a Mentor?
SMALL GROUP MENTOR ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES
HOSPITALITY
One of the key roles you play is to provide a welcome space that invites freedom to rest, engage and enter silence, solitude and community. This also includes being aware of the calendar and process – helping people gather in a way that provides the time necessary to learn and grow.
PARTICIPATORY LEADERSHIP
Your primary role is to participate, demonstrating what it means to engage, share honestly, learn, question and practice active listening.
MODEL
Show them what good participation looks like, and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.
ENGAGE
Enter the practices with openness, hopeful expectation and integrity of spirit.
FACILITATE
Your leadership role in the group is to ensure that the group engages the practices or exercises fully in the time allotted. Sometimes you must keep the group on track or remind them about the healthy practices (communal rule of life) that foster healthy, loving community. During small group discussion, resist veering into conversations unrelated to the discussion prompts.
INITIATE
Almost everyone in your group will fall off the table at some point – from business, crisis, laziness or annoyance. Your role is to pay attention and reach out. “Are you ok?”
PASTORAL CARE
The most important part of pastoral care is listening. Be present. Resist advice giving.
PRAYER
The most real need anyone has is the power and presence of God in Christ through his Spirit.
RARE INTERVENTIONS
There are rare times that someone in your group may need some specific help. Your role is triage. What is the help they need and how can I link them to it?
LOVE AND SERVE YOUR TEAM
Tips for Facilitating Small Groups
Small Group Troubleshooting Techniques - CLICK for Training with Ashly Nation, Fuller
Time Management is a challenge. Some people need to have 30 seconds of silence before they’ll jump in. Others are uncomfortable with silence and will fill the silence with words. Say something like, “Would you like to go next?…and hold the space for them — don’t let others jump in because they are uncomfortable with the silence.
Front-end communication -
This is very similar to what we try to do at the beginning of the meal times at the Springs. Say something like: This group is different than other groups - the topic of conversation will be set by the reflection questions we are given by Fuller. We have lots of opportunities to chit-chat with friends. In this group, we want to go deeper and talk about our spiritual lives. I’ll participate AND keep us on track.
At your first small group meeting, briefly go over the essential rules that everyone agreed to at the retreat and talk about how we are all learning how to respond in this small group, there’s grace and room to be a learner and it’s okay if you need to be reminded or if I interrupt you…we are all going to be fine-tuning our listening skills…me included.
Give everyone the amount of time they have to share. (Save 5 min. for opening, and 5 min. for closing. Divide the remaining by the number of participants. Probably around 15-20 min.) Try using the pattern of each person taking 15 min to:
Reflect on the practices for the month (5 min.)
Engage with the group in articulating where they see God’s invitation or God speaking to them (3 min.)
Sharing prayer request (5 min.)
Having one person (leader or someone else) pray for that person (2 min.).
Think about going first and being vulnerable, or choosing the person in your group that you think will best model reflection for the group to go first…you want to set the tone and model the kind of reflection and sharing that’s expected in the group. Vulnerability breeds vulnerability.
Explain that your role is to participate AND to interrupt (let people know you aren’t comfortable being assertive but you will be) in order to keep the group focused on the topic of conversation and to protect the time for everyone.
Reflect aloud with the group what you are learning. Ask them to reflect on what they are learning:
*How do you feel about this situation/insight/topic/lesson?
*How has it affected you so far?
*Now that we've heard each other, what reactions are you having?
(There could be lots of emotion -- if so, go around a second time: Let us know whatever else is on your mind.)
Use a Timer - actually set a timer so that everyone gets a 2-minute warning when their time of sharing is done. It’s okay to rotate who will be the timer, so if you as the leader want to delegate watching the time to someone else in the group that’s great. (If the timer’s alarm is audible, the group can hear when it goes off and the speaker will be reminded to wrap up without you needing to interrupt them.)
Ask A Question, if you sense someone in the group has said something that may be giving advice or possible even hurtful, interrupt/redirect by asking a question. Instead of assuming you know what was intended, or accusing someone of trying to fix the person, use language like: I’m wondering if you are going to give some advice? Or, “Is this (whatever didn’t sound right to you) what you meant”? or “Was it your intent to … ?” Probe what you thought you heard for clearer understanding.
Freedom to Interrupt - Be Assertive - it is your role to interrupt in order to clarify, change course, make a correction, hold space, decide to pause and pray. Say something like, “I’m so sorry to interrupt. We really want to hear more (AFFIRM), but in order to have time for everyone to share, let me ask (REDIRECT) you a question”…(help them back on track) / or “Let me pray for you now…” Or, “I’m hearing xx is important to you, and that you really care about xx which is so wonderful, (affirming) I’m wondering what else do we need to know about you that is important…” (redirecting)_ Watch the YouTube videos linked below to see how the facilitator recommends Affirming before Redirecting and using a smile and body language (if in-person) as you are being directive. All of the women are sharing according to who they are and their cultural context—they are coming from a good place. Feel free to express that, and your discomfort with interrupting. “I’m so sorry, I really hate to have to interrupt. I can sense that there’s more that you’d like to share, but to protect our time, I’d love for us to pray now…”
Use our Small Group Leaders group to brainstorm how to handle tricky situations or tricky people.
One-on-one - This is really rare but is an option. Talk with the cohort leader first, and then perhaps you’ll need to have a one-on-one with a particular person, so you can reflect to them how their sharing isn’t conforming to the communal Rule of Life the group has developed.
Vote about extending the time - It’s okay if everyone in the group is unanimous to extend the small group time to 1 hour and 45 min. If your group seems to run out of time, take a vote to extend the next meeting to 1 hour and 45 min. Valuing people’s time is really important, but if the group is experiencing real value in being able to share and pray together, an extra 15 minutes may be wonderful.
Follow-up Questions: Sometimes people feel that they are supposed to ask a follow-up question to someone’s reflection…so they make up a question that ends up taking the person down a bunny trail. We want follow-up questions to people’s reflections (their response to the spiritual practice) to be invitations to elaborate on what God may be saying to them. Say something like, “So how did the Lord speak to you through that?” Or, “I’m wondering if you were aware of how God was guiding you…” Or, “Is there an invitation from the Lord in this?” “What are you discerning is your next step?”
YouTube Training Videos:
NOTE: These are not from Fuller. They are basic tips for facilitating.
Affirm and Redirect
See how to handle typical, yet sometimes challenging situations (at 3:54 she begins giving tips: off-topic questions, one person talking too much, no one talking) Her approach is “Affirm. Redirect.” She gives some good examples of the body movements that underscore your words. (The woman presenting is Catholic) 8 min. CLICK HERE
2023 Cohort Small Group Leaders - Training #2
Heidi lead us in a conversation about facilitating small groups just before Retreat 1. We had a chance to practice handling difficult scenarios and go over small group leaders’ responsibilities during the retreat. CLICK HERE to watch the video.
Please review the information for Retreat 1 (below) before our Small Group Leaders Meeting in August. We’ll be reminding you to review the remaining material before Retreats 2-4 later in the year.
Quarterly Retreats
Retreat 1
First Day
Retreat 1 is about creating a “community of practice.” This is the place where we commit together to ongoing practices of engaging with God, in order to cultivate patterns of flourishing. This video will give you an overview of Retreat 1, as well as tell you the bookend practices which small groups will do together: https://youtu.be/xb7razZv0Hs (3:40).
Retreat 1 involves a Retreat of Silence and a Communal Reading of Scripture, as well as a chance to forge a communal Rule of Life together. Your Cohort Leader will lead the group through these elements.
On the afternoon of day 1, small groups will have the opportunity to come together and answer the simple questions: “what are you bringing into this retreat with you and how can we pray?” In this way, we hope to foster authenticity and care and begin to build rapport and trust with one another. This is a significant chance for you as a Mentor to cultivate a space of safety early on for their small group members which can then exist over the whole course of the program.
https://youtu.be/4CPbferOTOk (3:55).
1. If you have participated in a formation group, what do you remember about this time? What was it like for you?
Retreat 1
Second Day
There is very little blessing and encouragement that occurs naturally or spontaneously in our culture. In fact, our brains have a negativity bias: we are biologically wired to keep an eye out for danger and expect the worst. As followers of Christ, we choose a counter-cultural and counter-intuitive way, seeking to intentionally encourage, care well for, and keep an eye out for the best in one another.
On the final day of Retreat 1 you will have the opportunity to get back into small groups for an hour and answer the question: “what are you going back into, and how can we pray with you about that?” This begins the commissioning and re-entry process post-retreat.
We will then close with an exercise of blessing, a critical element to the entire process.
We will divide into two large breakout groups (2 small groups in one room; 3 small groups in the other). The Cohort Leader will invite the entire everyone to share one sentence of appreciation about each of their small group members. The Mentors then pray a short blessing over the individuals in their small group.
https://youtu.be/N9zopod7Cxo (6:11)
Reflection:
1. How and when have you experienced corporate encouragement, blessing, or affirmation? What impact did that experience have on you?
2. Are you comfortable leading others in a practice with which they are visible uncomfortable? How might you model confidence and calm about this practice?
Retreat 2
Welcome to your Retreat 2 training! Retreat 2 is a pivotal moment for cohort participants: it is often a time of renewed trepidation and resistance and simultaneously the time when relationships and trust solidifies. In the following videos, we will talk about the why, what, and how of Retreat 2. As ever, please jot down any questions or concerns that arise for you as we go, and don’t hesitate to reach out to your Cohort Leader! https://youtu.be/fNezuRTP68I (2:24)
The theme of Retreat 2 is listening. At this retreat we practice listening to Scripture, to the Holy Spirit, to one another, and to our lives and our sense of calling. https://youtu.be/Rz43RWEEZf0 (2:20)
The session on the first evening of Retreat 2 sets up the theological understanding which will help participants begin to listen to their lives as a whole. While we tend to be able to see and listen to the negative experiences of our lives, we often are unable to recognize the positive things! The talk for the evening, followed by the lectio divina on Psalm 139, are intended to help re-balance and re-frame our self-understanding and our God-understanding so that we can move toward holistic listening.
On the morning of the first full day of Retreat 2, we will participate in a Communal Reading of Scripture on Luke 5-8 and a lectio divina on Luke 8:22-25. Through these Scriptures, we invite cohort members to know Jesus with them, even and especially when everything seems on the verge of falling apart.
Having together recognized Jesus’ presence with us “in the boat,” we will then go out on our own Retreats of Silence. For this time, we provide a worksheet to invite people to listen to their lives from both a positive and a negative frame. You as a Mentor will participate in these practices with your small group and also be available to pray with them in person partway through the Retreat of Silence.
Reflection:
1. Take ten minutes of silence and then listen to Luke 8:22-25 at least twice. Listen for what the Holy Spirit might want to impress upon you through these Scriptures. Where in your life, work, relationships, etc. do you need to know Jesus in the boat with you?
Listening Prayer
As leaders, we want to lovingly and gently guide people into the practice of listening prayer. While this practice is very familiar for some Christian traditions, for others it can be an intimidating one. And because the practice requires some risk, we engage it in our small groups, where we have already established an environment of trust. Because this is a vulnerable space, we have provided some clear structure, and we invite you to follow these instructions closely.
https://youtu.be/VP256nGuPR8 (5:34)
Reflection:
1. Is listening prayer a familiar practice for you? How have your experiences with listening prayer been?
2. What impediments come up for you when you try to listen to God? How might recognizing these impediments impact the way you lead your cohort into the practice?
3. Is there anything that worries you about leading this particular practice?
Inductive Bible Study/ Manuscript Study / Dialogue Journaling
After the time of listening prayer, we jump into an inductive Bible study together. This is an intentional move, because Scripture usually feels like a familiar homebase for participants who might feel out of their depth during the listening portions. The inductive Bible study will be on the story of the bleeding woman and of Jairus and his daughter.
Retreat 2 then comes to a close with a time of testimony of how God spoke and then blessing. For this particular practice of blessing, the Mentors will move around the circle, praying quietly and personally for their small group members.
As we go, we always encourage cohort members to share with friends, family, and community beyond the cohort what God spoke when they listened. For ultimately, all of these practices are designed to cultivate hopeful expectation that everywhere we go, God is present.
Reflection:
1. What effect does sharing something God has said to you to a trusted and supportive community have?
2. Who do you know who lives with this kind of hopeful expectation? How have they cultivated this posture? What effect does it have in their life? If you’re not sure, reach out to them and find out!
Retreat 3 w/ the Springs Retreat
Welcome to your training for Retreat 3! By now, your small group will likely have gelled and begun to “trust the process.” Retreat 3 is about confession and forgiveness, and has more freedom than previous retreats for contextualization and customization.
The beginning of Retreat 3 involves re-establishing rapport and in-person connection for the cohort. Women can begin greeting each other on Wednesday from noon - 12:45. We’ll also have a connection time later on Wednesday afternoon. Cohort Leader introduces the themes of confession and forgiveness during our first time together, while also reassuring the participants that no-one will be forced to confess anything. The Cohort Leader will lead a Bible study on a Scripture about forgiveness, facilitate a conversation with the cohort, and take some time to pray together.
The second time together during Retreat 3 begins with a Communal Reading of Scripture on forgiveness, followed by a Retreat of Silence and Solitude—there’s a guide and an article on forgiveness for everyone to read during the retreat. Forgiveness can be a challenging topic, so as a Mentor, continue in prayer for those entrusted to your care. Listen to the needs of your small group and be there to pray with them.
Reflection:
1. Take the next 15-20 minutes to read 1 John all the way through. Take note of anywhere that John speaks about confession and forgiveness. What is the Holy Spirit speaking to you through this passage? Where is God inviting you into more of his mercy and forgiveness?
Communal Lament
Your Cohort Leader will also lead everyone in a Liturgy of Confession during Wednesday night’s chapel. You as a Mentor will be invited to participate in this practice alongside your small group and the rest of the cohort before taking communion.
Closing
As we have closed previous retreats, we will end Retreat 3 with a form of blessing. Given the heft of what we tackle in this retreat, this particular exercise in “building one another up” is very important. This version is an affirmation written in each of your small group member’s journal (and others as time allows). We will get together on Thursday night (8:15-9:00 p.m.) to write our blessings. Within the small groups on Friday morning (9:30-11 a.m.), each individual will then have a chance to write their affirmation of each other member of the small group. You’ll read aloud your blessings and then send one another out with prayer.
https://youtu.be/3Q-YKSqJ3a8 (5:13)
Reflection:
1. Is your community comfortable with giving and receiving affirmation? How or when does your community typically show or speak appreciation for one another’s unique gifts?
2. Does giving and receiving written affirmation have any impact in your relationship with God? With others? With yourself?
Retreat 4
This fourth and final retreat is about reflection and action. We aim to provide an opportunity to reflect on all of the work we have accomplished thus far and to make a plan for maintaining these rhythms of flourishing moving forward.
For this final retreat we will again provide a reflection sheet for participants to engage with during their Retreat of Silence. This, and the plans the participants create, will then be the guides for facilitating a conversation with your small group.
In Retreat 4, the Cohort Leader will talk about what is required for a life of flourishing and reaffirm the structures we have been using, naming those critical elements: regular practices, regular retreats, guided life, and regular group.
Congratulations! You have completed all portions of the Mentor training for Fuller Formation Groups. We hope you have been able to connect and talk through any questions or concerns with your Cohort Leader throughout this process.
We also hope that this process has been not only helpful in equipping you to lead, but also in your own journey of formation into the image of Christ. And thank you! We are grateful for your saying “yes” to the invitation to lead others in this process of transformation.
Resources for the Lessons
Calling Question
Tim Keller on Calling
Mark Labberton’s book, Call
Asbury Seminary - How to discern your Call
Core Clarity
Video introduction - what to do to prepare for your coaching call (6 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXnt_qzSN8s&ab_channel=LindaRoberts