Home Group Leaders Manual
2022 - 2023
Introduction to Home Groups
Small groups were strategically important in the life of the Early Church. And in every church ever since… because Church is made up of people, and God’s way of sustaining people is through one another.
From its origin in Acts 2, the Church began in homes.
The new Christians in Jerusalem had fellowship together both in the public gatherings at the Temple, and in the private settings of the homes, where they had meals together with glad and generous hearts, and devoted themselves to the Apostle’s teaching, and the Fellowship, the Breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2.42-47).
In Acts 5.42 they are using their homes for the teaching and preaching the Good News about Jesus the Messiah.
In Acts 12.12, the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, is used to host a prayer meeting for the release of Peter from prison.
At Troas, Paul was teaching disciples after dinner in someone’s house when Eutychus fell asleep and toppled out of the window (Acts 20)!
Priscilla and Aquila made their home a base for the church in Ephesus and Rome (I Cor.16.19, Rom 16.3-5).
Philemon gave hospitality to a group of Christians in Colossae (Philemon v2).
In fact, for the first two hundred years, when the church spread rapidly throughout the Mediterranean world into Europe, Africa and Asia, it was entirely a home-based movement There were no special church buildings constructed for Christian worship until the end of the 2nd century!
And still today, home groups are seen as a crucial part of the life of the church and we at HT want to invest in these groups and see them flourish.
Howard Snyder says in his book ‘The problem of Wineskins’:
“A small group of 8-12 people meeting together informally in people’s homes is the most effective structure for the communication of the Gospel in modern society…(it) offers the best hope for renewal within the Church”
The Role of a Home Group Leader
“Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead
The Vision
For home groups to be places that reveal the person of Jesus and help people discover his calling for their lives; to be a community that is genuine, where people know they are loved and long to reveal that love to others; and to be places of equipping in all that the Bible has to teach.
The Aim
That anyone who feels HT is their spiritual home should know there is a home group for them
That people get connected quickly to the right home group
That home groups are places that people want to be part of
That lives are changed by the transforming power of the gospel
That groups will be willing to grow and multiply into more home groups
What are Key Responsibilities
of a Home Group leader?
Growing the Church
To gather as a group of 10-15 people once a week for fellowship, worship, teaching and prayer
To facilitate the planning and preparation of the teaching and worship each week, making sure it is focused on the Bible and has a practical application to our lives today
To help members to discover their spiritual gifts and ask for more of God’s gifts for his people
To identify and train new leaders through giving opportunities to serve and lead parts of the home group
To want to grow and welcome new people to the group and be willing to divide into two groups when needed
Pastoral Care
To take care of your own spiritual life: keeping close to Christ, living in obedience to God’s word and being filled with God’s Spirit
Attending leaders’ training evenings 3 times a year
To be pastorally responsible for the members of your group, helping each person to grow in their relationship with Jesus
To be praying for the members of your group during the week
To commit to prayer ministry training and being available to pray for people at the end of church services
Enabling Community
To demonstrate hospitality through the provision of food and social times. It is important that these groups are places that are enjoyable to be part of and that are full of laughter
To encourage members to serve in the life of the church
To be a regular attendee at church on a Sunday.
How do people join a Home Group?
We want everyone who calls HT their church to be able to find a Home Group that will help them flourish. How this is done at HT is:
Welcome
New members are asked to join one of our welcome events before they join a Home Group. These events include lunches and evening sessions which happen every 6 weeks or so and are advertised on Sundays and on our website. These times are an opportunity to get to know each other and hear about the vision and values of the churchAsk
When a new member has attended a welcome event, they are then asked if they would like to join and Home Group. If they are, then they will be allocated to a group that best suits them and the leaders of that group. We ask newcomers to complete a questionnaire which helps us allocate them to a suitable home groupInvite
If a home group leader meets someone at church who they think would benefit from joining their group, they can invite them to come along. However, if they were new to HT, they would need to attend a Welcome Event before joining the group. The home group leader should also let the adult team know if the person became a regular member of home group. Once joined, there needs to be no pressure for them to stay, but if they do, the home group leader should contact HT office confirming their involvement
How are Home Group Leaders Supported?
We want to make sure that Leaders are well supported in this vital ministry, to avoid overload and burnout, and to allow God to refresh you and re-energize your ministry.
Pastorally
We want the Home Group leaders (and other mature members of the group) to be offering the first level of pastoral care and nurture for church members, but we are well aware that pastoral situations may arise that are very complex. You can contact the adult team who are available to support you when you feel out of your depth!
Practically
We provide training evenings for those new to leading which gives practical ways to run a Home Group. We also ask all leaders to attend training nights 3 times a year. These times are important for us as leaders to continue to grow in our leadership ability as we learn from one another.
We offer teaching material for Home Groups on the HT website via the Home Group page that you can download and use in your group. We don’t want to be too prescriptive with what your home group studies each week, though we appreciate that it is often helpful to have some direction in this area.
Prayerfully
You will be supported by members of your home group and by the church leadership team. We will be praying for wisdom, love and strength from God’s Spirit so that you can serve those entrusted to your care.
What you are & are not Responsible for
You are responsible:
To love one another (Jn 13:34)
To be devoted to one another in love (Rom 12:10)
To live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
To serve one another humbly in love (Galatians 5:13)
To bear with each others and forgive one another (Colossians 3:13)
You are not responsible:
To make people happy
To fix people’s problems
For the way a person in your Home Group responds or behaves
Your ultimate goal in caring for your Home Group is to bring them to Christ-likeness (Romans 8:29). It is not to heal them. Healing may be part of their journey to Christ-likeness and you may have distinct healing gifts, but that is not your main aim.
You are not responsible for seeing anyone in your Home Group for extended pastoral care if you feel that the nature of their problem or condition exceeds your capabilities.
Boundaries
In electing to meet people outside normal Home Group time in order to give them pastoral support, you need to be vigilant about your boundaries and aim to set healthy boundaries for yourself. If someone is becoming overly needy or dependent on you, that is almost certainly a sign that you should refer them to the Adult Team.
Galatians 6:1-5 counsels that our role as Christians is to ‘carry each other’s burdens’ but that ‘each one should carry their own load’. That is, we are to come alongside someone in their suffering and support them emotionally. We can do this by listening to, encouraging, and praying with, people who are in pain or experiencing hardship. However, each person that we support in this way is ultimately responsible for carrying his or her own load.
When we take responsibility for another’s problems, we do it at the expense of their self-respect, self-esteem and own sense of responsibility.
It is wise to monitor your sense of boundaries and to discuss this area from time to time with the Adult Team. Please contact us at any time if you feel overwhelmed in providing pastoral support, particularly in relation to needy individuals.
Ingredients That Make a Great Home Group
A Warm Welcome
We need to remember that some of our members are taking the proverbial "leap of faith" simply by attending the meeting. Our initial response to their arrival is important. Put their fears to rest by answering the door with a smile. Introduce yourself right away and help them feel welcome. Then take the time to introduce them to others in the small group. Even these simple tactics let newcomers know we are engaged with them and want to get to know them.
Food
All Home Group meetings should offer a snack and drink, or even dinner. There is natural bonding that occurs over food. The casual conversation that occurs breaks down fears for the newcomer. It also enhances relationships that are currently in place, allowing members to talk about general life stuff. Whether or not there are new members, a simple snack and drink can allow for great discussion and opportunities to get to know one another.
Start Strong
Once people have had the opportunity to mingle, mobilize the group and begin the discussion time. Start with something that will connect group members to the main idea of the teaching—like a simple icebreaker question or activity. This component is essential and can be fun.
If not a game, throw out a question that will spark discussion related to the teaching. And always strive for icebreaker questions that encourage members to share personal experiences. Here are some ideas:
Tell the story behind your worst physical scar.
If you could go back to any age, which would you choose and why?
If you could be any Disney character, which would you choose and why?
These questions may seem silly, but they connect members to the topic and to one another. These questions can also help you know where your members are spiritually and personally.
The Lift
While everything has been fun and easy-going during the food and icebreakers, remember the necessity of lifting up one another in prayer. Beginning and ending the small-group time with prayer invites God's presence and truth to be evident.
David's words in Psalm 5:3 perfectly state what we desire for our small groups: "In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly." When we show the value of prayer within our group, we allow members to know they are valued not only by us but also by God.
Connect the Dots
You want to know your members have "connected the dots" and are able to apply the teaching. Use application questions to do this. For instance, if your teaching is on forgiveness, ask members questions like:
When have you struggled with forgiveness?
How has not forgiving someone affected you?
How can you apply what you've learned about forgiveness today to a current situation?
You can also use scales to help group members evaluate themselves. Here is an example:
After group members rate themselves, have them elaborate on why they rated themselves as they did and then talk about any improvements or changes they'd like to make.
Application questions allow members to apply the information learned to their current life situations. Hearing their answers allows you to know how to communicate God's truth to them and how to pray for them.
Hold On Loosely
Another key to helping your home group be effective is flexibility and vulnerability. To reach and touch others, we must be willing to be flexible and vulnerable.
You may have produced some amazing teaching for the evening, but it is important to put the needs of your group ahead of your needs to do what you’ve planned. If you find some members of the group opening up in a way that you think is important, for them and the group, then you don’t need to rush them so to carry on with your program, instead encourage it.
As leaders we need to be flexible with the schedule, and even share your own vulnerability about your own struggles. This might not come naturally to you, going off script can feel scary, but done at the right time you could make major strides in helping members of the group open up. It shows people that you care about their needs and want to help them through this season in their life.
Save The Date
For many of those in Home Groups, their leader is a key person in keeping them informed with what is going on at the church. Therefore, having a time at the end of each meeting to go over future events is a good way of keeping people plugged into the wider activities of the church.
As there are many things going on in the church you don’t want to overload people with notices. However, there will be some events, such as ‘Family Gatherings’, ‘Prayer Gatherings’’ or ‘Equipped for Life’ evenings that would benefit from being communicated to the whole group. These events often depend on the group leader communicating them early enough for people to plan for, speaking positively about them and most importantly, going themselves.
There will also be some activities that will only be appropriate to certain individuals in your group. You may identify those who would benefit from Prayer Ministry Training or New Home Group Leaders Training. If so, please advise someone in the Adult Team who will be able to move this forward
Final Thought
If you become a home group leader, this outline will help you design your group to be the most effective and influential it can be. Then, take into account your group members and their needs as you plan the specifics for your meeting. But don't forget to remain flexible. Prepare ahead of time and remain open for the Spirit's direction.
How to Prepare Well
I know a few leaders who can somehow do little to no preparation for a talk or Bible Study and can manage to blag it with apparent surprising success. It’s easy to think they are the extra spiritual ones, gifted with the words of God and this must be something I should seek after. But don’t be fooled. You may be able to blag an evening, it might even be a success, but in the long run you will only attract those who are lazy, too easily satisfied and will go on to be half-hearted leaders themselves.
How we prepare for our groups show people how much we value them and the role we’ve been given.
The Bible is filled with verses like Proverbs 21:5: "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."
The best small-group leaders prepare and plan for small-group meetings. The prepared leader has more confidence and a better chance of successfully leading the small group.
Share the load
It is important to share out some of the responsibilities of your Home Group. This may include:
the host (Runs the evening)
the person who leads worship (Doesn’t have to be music)
or the person who creates the snack/food schedule (Get everyone involved)
the person who leads the Bible Study
Jesus had a core team of three from among the Twelve, and he often assigned responsibilities to them and shared more intimate details about his ministry with them.
If it is important for Jesus, then we should follow his lead.
Remember, a key home group purpose is involvement. Delegating tasks will not only share the load but will also help identify potential new leaders.
Prepare the Message
I think leaders should talk no more than 30% of the time. This means that 70% of the time is left open for other home group members to speak. Your main role is facilitating discussion, not teaching. Great leaders excel at facilitation. To get others to talk, however, requires preparation and planning.
There are plenty of resources available, so you don’t need to start from scratch, and I have made some available on the HT website. However, even with pre-prepared teaching, you need to prepare how you deliver the message to your group.
Context of passage:
Although the lesson will mostly revolve around good discussion questions, the members must understand the general context of the Bible passage in order to answer the questions. I recommend initiating the study by explaining the general context and meaning of the Bible passage. You can also use closed observation questions.
Study:
Depending on what you’re teaching on, make sure you spend some time digging into the Scripture or topics you're discussing prior to your meeting. Have an idea of what you want to cover, what questions may arise, and where HT stands on key topics, ie – Relationships, Spiritual gifts, judgment…
Needs of the group:
The purpose of group questions is to help people learn and apply the teaching. So, it is important to work out how to form your questions, so they fit to the needs of the group.
Don’t ask too many questions:
Allow space for good discussion without the pressure to move to the next question.
Set the Atmosphere
Many small groups meet in the home of the leader. Others designate a host who is not the home group leader. Still others choose to rotate among group members, so that more people can serve as hosts. Regardless of where you're meeting, it's important to prepare the atmosphere. If the meeting is in someone else's home, this might mean that you will need to talk with the host in advance.
Seating
Arrange the seating so each person can see every other person in the group. A circle is the best choice. As the leader, place your chair on the same level as the rest of those in the group—neither as the focal point nor in the background. If your home is spacious, move the chairs into a close circle, thus occupying only a portion of the room. When people are spread far apart, it's harder to openly share thoughts and feelings.
Some people feel intimidated about opening their homes because they're not as large or luxurious as those of other church members. Don't listen to this argument. Actually, a small apartment or home generates warmth and closeness and reminds the group that they eventually will need to multiply.
Refreshments
Refreshment time isn't something simply tacked onto small-group ministry; it's a vital part. The refreshment time is often the best moment to ask personal questions, get to know one another on a deeper level, or set a fun and relaxed mood.
If the host is always providing the refreshments, ask the host if it's becoming a burden and whether it would be good to find someone else to provide refreshments. Alternatively, you could assign someone on your planning team to take care of the refreshment schedule. This gets other group members involved, and they begin to feel more ownership for the group.
Distractions
Turn off telephone ringers, put pets in another room or outside. Turn off TV sets, radios, and computers during a meeting. Don't let distractions get in the way of community. Make sure each member can concentrate on the other people present.
Time
If someone other than yourself is hosting the group, arrive 10 minutes early to make sure everything is ready to start. If you begin on time regardless of latecomers, you're sending the signal that every part of the meeting is important.
Additionally, make sure you close on time. Small group meetings should be no more than two hours long. Members have a lot of responsibilities, and they might think twice about attending the next week if the meeting goes on too long.
Other Details
Make sure the toilet is clean before the group begins. Is there toilet paper, soap, a towel?
The temperature in the home increases as more people pack into a room. Members can become agitated and uncomfortable if there is a lack of fresh, cool air. Be sensitive to the needs of those in the room.
The lighting should be bright enough for everyone to read, but low enough to feel cosy. If it's too dark, people will have a harder time following along in their Bibles or on handouts. They may also fall asleep!
Connect with God
Take the time to prepare your heart before God, asking him to fill you with the Spirit. Many unexpected things can happen in the course of a normal small group. You will need to hear God's voice and follow his direction. In order to hear his voice, you'll need to spend regular time with him. We read in Luke 5:16 that Jesus made it a priority to spend time alone with his Father: "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." If Jesus prioritized time with the Father, so should we.
As you are filled with the Spirit and guided by him, you will increase your effectiveness as a small-group leader, and others will be impacted by Christ's life in you. They will leave the group transformed, ready to practice what they've learned during the week and excited about coming back next week.