Preparing for Your First Home Group Meetings
Dear friends,
We are delighted you have shown interest in Home Groups. We hope Home Groups will become an integral part of the pastoral care program.
We will follow Steve Mason’s format and we are indebted to The Reverend Dr. David Rolfe for his generous coaching and materials.
- The host is always a person other than the leader; the leader in training is a third key player in the group.
- An identified vacant chair is ready for the newcomer God is calling to join. When a new person joins, pleasure at their company is real and obvious. (Prayer answered!)
- Starter questions are provided; they are to encourage people to share a few comments about how the text has touched them personally. N.B. this is NOT Bible study. Instead, the starter questions gently ask, "How does this passage affect you?’
- People may take weeks, even months, to accept emotionally that there are no right answers. A willingness to share what the passage means for us personally helps make group ministry happen.
- Leaders, theologians and others are encouraged to resist the urge to teach! There is already one good teacher present- the Holy Spirit. You are invited to leave the Spirit ample elbowroom and trust the process. The goal is to keep things simple, so that even the most untutored and newest church comer may feel at home.
- Every time there is a guest or newcomer, invite each person to share briefly a short vignette of their journey. The leader goes first to demonstrate. *
*(It is important to keep in mind that these are not counselling sessions. As recommended by Steve Mason, when a person wants to ‘have a word’ after the meeting, thank them for asking and work out another time. If need be, tell the person that we cannot break the group honour system of an hour and a half maximum for meetings.)
- Initially, when a group is getting used to the format, the leader directs each question around the circle, explaining that this is to give each person a chance to speak or ‘pass’. This practice shows the less talkative members that their contribution is wanted and valued. Later, leaders may allow a free-for-all in the discussion, while keeping each question in sequence. Be careful to keep the more talkative reigned in from time to time.
- Tell the group about:
Confidentiality: everything said in the meeting stays in the meeting;
Intimacy: members may share as much or as little as they wish;
Accountability: when someone requests a prayer, add this to your own daily prayers at home - or do what follows from the content of the meeting to continue your ‘being there’ for the member.
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