A guidebook for Care Group leaders

1. PWOC AIMS T.E.A.M. Time To LEAD women to accept Christ as personal Savior and Lord. To TEACH women the history, beliefs, and programs of the church, all built on a solid foundation of worship and Bible study. To DEVELOP in women the skills of prayer, evangelism, stewardship, and social service, against a background of personal spiritual development. To INVOLVE women in the work of the Chapel, in keeping with their abilities and interests. A guidebook for Care Group leaders T.E.A.M. time is a program specifically tailored for Care Group Leaders within Protestant Women of the Chapel. It encompasses four areas of development: T…training E…encourage A…appreciate M…motivate Protestant Women of the Chapel *Multiple PWOC contributors *Compiled by Kathy Duttweiler

2. Resources for Leading Small Groups What is a care group? The military lifestyle is transient. People come and people go and many people have a deep desire to be a part but don’t know where or how to begin. They need a caring hand to draw them in. Every person has a need to be valued and included. Care-groups are based on Hebrews 10:24, “And let us consider how we may spur (encourage) one another on toward love and good deeds:” Here is an aspect of encouragement and of service. Its purpose is to ensure that every woman feels a part of PWOC through the ministry of encouragement, prayer, and compassion. The desire is that the group move beyond organization to strengthening fellowship. Women will grow in their relationship with Jesus by experiencing His love in the care-group. One of the reasons small groups are so effective is because when people are face-to-face, they can discuss and process information instead of merely listening passively. God’s truths are transforming only to the extent they are received and absorbed. Just as uneaten food cannot nourish, truth “out there” —either in a book or spoken by a teacher—cannot make a difference if it is undigested. Even if it is bitten off and chewed, it must be swallowed and made part of each cell to truly give life. Your care group Bible study is not a correspondence course. It’s a personal and group experience designed to help believers find a biblical approach to their spiritual lives that really works. The care-group is first and foremost a Bible study. God’s Word is alive and powerful and it is through the study of the Bible that lives are changed; however, one of the aims of PWOC is to equip women for service. Each individual brings to the group unique gifts and talents that can be used to strengthen the body. It is within the care-group that these talents may be recognized, nurtured and developed. Through prayer, the sharing of concerns, and the ministry of care and encouragement, lives will be blessed. Adapted from Resource Guide for Women’s Ministries Lead Out, a guide for leading Bible discussion groups. NavPress 1975. Resource Guide for Women’s Ministries, Linda R McGinn. Broadman Press, 1990. Leading Women to the Heart of God. Lysa TerKeurst. Moody Press, 2002. Gifts-the Joy of Serving God. Ortberg, Pederson, Poling. Willow Creek Resources, 2000 Release Your Potential by Elizabeth Inrig Five Leadership Essentials for Women by Linda Clark Jennifer Rothschild’s Women’s Ministry website: www.womensministry.net, weekly updates and tips for running an effective women’s ministry Leadership Magazine website: www.leadershipjournal.net Weekly magazine published online by Christianity Today. Includes numerous articles and guidelines for being a Christian leader.

3. T.E.A.M. Time Training Notes What Do You Reflect? A Checklist for Care Group Leaders • To maintain a right relationship with God through the study of His Word, prayer and regular church attendance • To use her spiritual gifts (teaching, encouraging, discernment…) for the purpose and needs that God will show her within the group • To be scripturally prepared to facilitate and/or teach the lesson • To facilitate the discussion of the lesson material; ensuring that the discussion stays within the context of the study and that God is glorified. • To maintain a group atmosphere that allows each woman who attends the group to feel loved and accepted regardless of race, nationality, denomination, etc. • To build up and encourage the women in your group; providing accountability within the group by allowing the women to share burdens, goals, faults…and through prayer and encouragement, to help one another grow in Christ. • To get to know the women in the group and provide additional support and encouragement through outside-class contact (telephone calls, e-mails, fellowship time…) • To pray faithfully for the women in your group • To make the necessary arrangements for the timely handling of any special projects or administrative needs within your group (love meals, class rosters, class social)

4. Overcome the need to be PERFECT Semester Schedule Fall 2007 (example) You may have accepted God’s call to lead a Care Group but still harbor doubt that you aren’t “good enough” as a Christian and teacher. The best Care Group Leaders are those who are transparent. This transparency allows you to openly recognize your own faults with the knowledge that God has redeemed you and is working a new life deep within. Your desire to share Christ and disciple women is your primary goal. By setting aside the worry about being perfect, you’ll create an atmosphere ready for true growth. Week 1 Fall Kick Off Week 2 Introductory Week Week 3 Care Group 1 Week 4 Care Group 2 Week 5 Care Group 3 Week 6 Care Group 4 Week 7 Care Group 5 Week 8 Program Week 9 Care Group 6 Week 10 Care Group 7 Week 11 Care Group 8 Week 12 Care Group 9 Week 13 NO PWOC Week 14 Care Group 10 Week 15 Care Group 11 Week 16 Care Group 12 Week 17 Program Sharing Yourself While Sharing Your Gift There are small group leaders who simply lead their group through the session, respond to questions, say a prayer, and go home. And then there are leaders who impart themselves—their failures, successes, heartaches, their own spiritual journeys. They share part of their soul, nurturing the group down the path to growth and to becoming “family.” What do you do? Do you just share your gift, or do you share your gift and share yourself? Do you fill a serving role or do you impart your life? Gifts-The Joy of Serving God, pg 34

5. So Much to Do…So Little Time PWOC Morning Schedule (example) 9:30-10:15 Opening Session 10:15-10:30 Refreshments 10:30-11:45 Care Groups You may have to adapt the material because of time considerations. It is very hard to discuss every topic in a given session in detail. You may also only have a limited time because of the nature of your group. The purpose isn’t to cover every question exhaustively, but to get the main point across in each session. Think of the Primary Focus of the week’s study and what you want the women to Take Away with them for the coming week. All small groups need a leader. While it is easy to see that a group discussion would get off track without a facilitator, you also hold an appointment from God. Your Bible study series is about spiritual growth—about Christ being formed in each of us. One of the greatest gifts you can give another person is to pay attention to his or her spiritual life. As a leader, you will serve your group members by observing their lives and trying to hear, in the questions they ask and the answers they give, where they are in their spiritual development. Your observations are an invaluable contribution to their spiritual progress. That attention, prayer, and insight is an extremely rare gift—but it is revolutionary for those blessed enough to have such a person in their lives. You are that person. You give that gift. You can bring that blessing. People need clarity about spirituality. Gifts-The Joy of Serving God, pg 132 • Bible Studies begin at 10:15am and finish at 11:30am. Begin and end on time. • Care Group Leaders are responsible for the set-up of her own meeting area. • Care Group Leaders are encouraged to make their meeting space as warm and inviting as possible. Please feel free to use quilts, table linens, candles, candy, chocolates, etc. to let the ladies in your Care Group know their time with you is special. NOTE: Do not leave lit candles unattended. • Following each meeting, ask your Care Group ladies to help you: • 1. Put room back to standard arrangement. • 2. Erase all chalk and dry erase boards. • 3. Remove trash. • 4. Vacuum if needed.

6. Nuts-n-Bolts of an Effective Care Group Leader Care Group Leader Roster (example) • The most exciting outcome of your care group is not the development of your ability to lead—it is that God’s Word is being studied, discussed, and applied. God is using each discussion you lead to proclaim His Word. Your goal is for lives to be changed! • Do your homework - this seems like it should be a given, but you cannot teach what you do not know. • Start and end on time - don’t wait until “everyone is there” to begin. The stragglers will catch on that your time together is valuable and most will learn to make it on time. • Enrich the discussion with outside sources - try to find books, stories, or articles that relate to the weekly lesson. • Use good study tools - it is important to dig deep into God’s Word. Use tools like a concordance, dictionary, commentaries, and if possible, Hebrew and Greek word study books – borrow them if you do not own any. • Learn how to deal with different personality types - It takes a little bit of know how to draw out the quiet members and guide the discussion back on track when someone takes it on a rabbit trail. • Leave your pride at the door - it is easy for a leader to base her sense of worth on how successful the Care Group is. The leader with two women in her study is just as accountable before the Lord as the leader who has two hundred. www.womensministries.net Bible Study 1 Care Group Leader Bible Study 2 Care Group Leader Bible Study 3 Care Group Leader Bible Study 4 Care Group Leader Bible Study 5 Care Group Leader Bible Study 6 Care Group Leader Bible Study 7 Care Group Leader Bible Study 8 Care Group Leader

7. Ways to Pray with your Group Potential Pitfalls Controlling Talkers Calling on others in the group can help. What do the rest of you think? You can also call on specific people that you are sure wouldn’t mind. Sit next to chronic talkers; less eye contact from you will help curb their answers. Handling silence If you give people time to think, they will ask good questions as the discussion continues. Be patient and the silence will break. Drawing in quiet members - Directly aim a question toward those who have not yet shared. You must allow them the time and silence they need to answer a question. Encourage them by saying, “Take a moment to think. I know you can answer this.” Keeping on track Recognize the need verbally. “This is interesting. However we’ve left our topic. Perhaps we could discuss this further after we finish our topic.” Or suggest tabling the idea until after the study, when those who want to discuss further, can. Handling wrong answers Never tell a person she is wrong. Try directing the question to others in the group. For example, “Okay, what do others think?” or “Has anyone some other Scripture which may help us here?” Restate your original question, if necessary to clarify or stimulate further thought. Always keep others from getting embarrassed by a wrong answer. Handling Controversial subjects Don’t try to smother honest questions in order to avoid controversy. Denominational issues should be kept to a minimum. Encourage your group to seek additional information from a chaplain/minister. Handling Difficult Questions It’s okay to say, “I don’t know.” Rely on others in the group. Be willing to research questions later, if necessary. Keep in mind that a good Bible study will stimulate more questions that answers. Encouraging Application Remember this is the purpose of the Word of God. Ask effective application questions. “What does this mean to you?” or “Is there anything you can do about this today?” Learn how to share your own applications with honesty and humility. Openness on your part will create openness on theirs. Sign-In Prayer Requests If your time is limited, a sign-in system can help the group spend less time explaining prayer needs and more time praying. Have a sheet of paper ready and ask people to write down their requests as they arrive or before the meeting begins. During prayer time, read each item aloud and ask someone to pray about it. Prayer Shuffle A variation on the sign-in sheet is to have members note requests on index cards. If you have many needs to pray for, divide into groups of three. Shuffle the cards and hand out a few to each group. Community Concerns Clip articles from you newspaper about local issues or people who have specific needs. Use the clippings as a basis for intercession either with the group as a whole or in pairs. Pair Up Assign prayer partners for a month (draw names out of a hat, etc.). When Mary shares a request, she knows her prayer partner for the month, Amy, will be praying for her in the days ahead. Prayer Card Exchange Give everyone an index card to write down their prayer concerns for the week and have them exchange cards with another member of the group. For the following week you will pray for the specific requests on your card. Calendar Prayer At the beginning of the month, pass around a master calendar on which group members can write down important events (birthdays, anniversaries, tests, doctor appointments, etc.). Make copies of the calendars for everyone in the group so they can pray for these events on the appropriate day. Teachers could also ask the students to write down their names on any day of the month and the teacher could remember to pray for them by name on the assigned day in her own personal quiet time.

8. ? ? ? ? Are there any questions • Guidelines for questions Continued • Listen attentively. Maintain eye contact with the person • Use caution in asking direct questions: • Direct: What do you think, Mary? • Indirect: What does the Bible say about this? You, as a leader, will be asking questions based on the weekly study, but not necessarily following the way the questions are presented in the study or your leader’s guide. Base your sessions on the needs of individual members of your group. Remember: it is acceptable that you don’t cover all the material provided each week. Additionally, there may be a few times when the material is so relevant to your group members that every question seems to fit. Don’t feel bad about taking two weeks on a session. The purpose of your study is life-change in women, not timely book completion! • Asking Questions • Observation questions • Ask What does the passage say? • Aim at the basic content of the section • Interpretation questions • Ask What does the verse mean? • Serve as follow up to observations • Help to understand more fully what is being said • Correlation questions • Ask How do these verses or ideas relate to each other? • Ask How does this verse relate to the rest of the Bible? • Help tie separate ideas into a usable whole • Aid in aiming discussion in a particular direction • Guidelines for questions • Good questions are clear, relevant and stimulate discussion • Use open-ended questions: “what”“why” and “how” • Use questions that deal with feelings as well as facts. • Facts tell what a person knows • Feelings tell how she really feels about it • Be prepared to wait for an answer • People need time to formulate their answers • Some questions may need restating • People may not be able to clearly communicate on their first attempt. It is common for people to think of what they should have said. Be alert to this and ask, “Do you have any more thought on that?” or “Would you like to add anything else?” • Application questions • Ask What does God want you to do about this? • Draw out specific acts or attitudes which the passage implies or commands • Transfer the study from the head to the heart Should be emphasized throughout the Bible study, not just at the end

9. *Multiple PWOC contributors *Compiled by Kathy Duttweiler