Thanks for stepping up in faith to lead this Essentials study!

Making disciples is relational as much as it is passing along the truth.

So, while you want to prepare well by personally working through the Unit ahead of your meeting, realize that it is transparent trust combined with biblical truth that transforms.  Because of that....

PRAY beforehand that for openess in the group about their struggles or questions, and that God's Spirit will speak to them through the His Word, the study and the other group members.

START by having each share what they hope to get out of this study over the next weeks. 

Explain that the purpose is to help them get grounded as disciples and take ownership of their spiritual growth.

If your group do not know each other well take the first few minutes also to have each introduce themselves, share their home town (or other ice breaker).   The more people learn each other's story the greater the trust and commitment to one another in the group.  Consider providing a time of fellowship and snacks (or meal) afterward, or before.  Have each bring something.

Facilitate – don’t teach.

• Use the group discussion questions or some of the ones in the individual study to guide your group time.
• Ask the question then pause.  Be comfortable with silence.  Sometimes it will take 10-15 seconds for someone to speak up.  That is OK.  Do not rush to fill the void. They will talk.
• Set the tone of transparency by example when it's your turn to talk.
• Don't feel like you have to do every question.  Skip any that don't seem relevant to your group.
• If someone asks you a question, toss it out to the group. You do not have to have all the answers. If you become the answer person, the group will look to you instead of searching God’s word for themselves.
• Keep questions open ended as much as possible, vs. "yes/no" or mere facts.
• If someone gives an answer that isn’t correct, say, “That is an interesting thought. What do you guys think?” Usually the group will give the “right” answer. If the group stalls or is unsure, you can feel free to share your answer and why.
• Redirect discussion when it gets off topic. If the group gets on a rabbit trail, you can say something like, “Great thoughts. Thank you for sharing that. So, what did you think about …” and go back to the study.
• ***The Holy Spirit may have plans that trump the agenda.  Be sensitive to His leading and if someone comes with an issue that clearly needs to be addressed by the group, you have the freedom to put the study aside and listen to and pray for that person.  This should be the exception however.  If a person dominates discussion, you may need to address it with them outside of the group.

Next Steps.  Don't skip this.  Application of the truth is how we grow.  Remember, we're not suggesting they do a next step each week.  Consider setting the pace yourself by choosing one of the steps in Unit 1 and sharing that with the group.  Have others share if they have chosen one of these.

Pray.  Below are options to help you make prayer a key part of your group time.

• Pray beforehand for your group and for the Spirit to be active in your time together. 
• Have group decide how you would like to pray for/with each other (options):
  • Have index cards that person writes their prayer requests on. Have one person email them to the group or have each trade cards and commit to praying for the other person that week.
  • Break them into prayer partners (week by week or for the duration of the study).
  • Try popcorn prayer – have each person share a word or phrase in a time the group is praying aloud together to help them get comfortable speaking during prayer time.
• Ensure that each person with personal prayer request is followed up with during the week – either by you or someone in the group.
• Be patient – your group will grow as they begin to trust each other.

Begin giving group members responsibilities (snacks, lead prayer as described above, facilitating, etc.) so they develop hand on as disciples and share in the ministry.

Print Version:  Scroll to the very end of each Individual and Group Study to find a compact pdf print out version.

If you are doing Anchored one-on-one or long distance much of the above still applies.  Adapt the rest.