Best Practices for Online Groups
As you might imagine, having an online group experience is considerably different than sharing a living room or classroom in person. Here are a few tips for participating in or facilitating an online group experience.
- Recommend group members to download meeting software at least 30 minutes prior to meeting, just in case they have technology issues they need to work out.
- Make sure your face has sufficient lighting.
- Lighting works best in front of your face, not behind.
- Make sure your face is centered in the video camera.
- Members probably don’t want to see only your forehead or neck throughout the meeting, so position your camera accordingly.
- Select the quietest room/location you can find.
- Turn off anything making noise in the background (TV, radio, appliances).
- Put pets in a different room or have them in a place where they will be most quiet.
- Only use one device per household.
- When two devices are used in the same room, it produces feedback that affects all group participants.
- If two people feel more comfortable participating with their own devices than sharing the same one, each should have his or her own room for doing so.
- Mute your computer unless you’re talking.
- If everyone’s microphone is turned on at the same time, the sound quality can be an issue and it can be hard to hear the person who is talking. The best policy is to mute yourself when you are not talking.
- If you are muted, make sure to nod your head and listen well so people can recognize you are following them.
- You will be muting and unmuting a lot, so get used to it.
- Also, you’ll get called out if you don’t unmute, so don’t be offended.
- The host may mute you if you don’t do this yourself, so don’t take that personally.
- Be an assertive moderator.
- The moderator/host of the group will need to be welcoming and in charge. Make sure as host you jump on a few minutes early to welcome everyone.
- Redirect the conversation or mute participants as necessary. This may feel rude at times, but it is necessary to manage a good online experience for the group.
- Generally speaking, the moderator should talk 30% of the time and listen 70% of the time.
- Create a plan for participants to indicate they’d like to talk.
- Since participants will often be muted, having a plan will help you know when to mute and unmute.
- You may try something like raising a hand, answering in a specific order, or another signal.
- Utilize the “chat” features to post questions for discussion.
- Give your full attention to the group experience, resisting the urge to multi-task.
- When participants are not paying full attention it can be a big distraction online just like an in-person group.
- When talking, spend some time looking at the camera, not just the screen. This digital form of “eye-contact” goes a long way toward creating a sense of connection and community.
- Stay in touch afterwards.
- Assign prayer partners to call each other after group is over and pray with them.
- Or text each other in gender specific text chats to share requests.
- Leverage GroupMe, Facebook Groups, WhatsApp, etc. as a place to stay connected and keep the conversation going throughout the week.
Chris Surratt is a ministry consultant and coach with more than twenty years of experience serving the local church. Chris served on the Executive Teams at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN., and Seacoast Church in Charleston, S.C., prior to becoming the Discipleship and Small Groups Specialist for LifeWay Christian Resources. He is the author of Small Groups for the Rest of Us: How to Design Your Small Groups System to Reach the Fringes. You can follow his blog at www.chrissurratt.com.
Practical Ways to do Group Online
We are facing a lot of uncharted challenges right now with the threat of COVID-19. Churches, schools, restaurants, and businesses are all being asked to eliminate gatherings of over 10 people. This “social distancing” will eventually help stop the spread of this virus and limit the number of deaths around the world. This challenge is changing how we live our lives, but it doesn’t change our mandate to share the gospel and disciple people in our care. Our groups may not be able to meet physically together for a while, but that doesn’t mean they cannot meet. We are seeing this take place with online streaming weekend worship services, and with free internet-based tools, our groups can gather as well.
Technology
The two most prominent platforms for hosting meetings online are Zoom and Google Hangouts. There are pros and cons to each one.
Zoom
- Pros:
- There is a free version available.
- Only hosts need an account.
- There is a phone-in option.
- Cons:
- The free version is limited to 40 minutes; however, they have lifted the limit for some groups
- You must download and use the Zoom application on your desktop or mobile device to participate with video.
- Capacity (up to 100 participants/devices in one meeting)
- How To Use:
- Open Zoom in a web browser or mobile app (apple device, android device, chrome web browser extension)
- Login
- Click “Host a meeting with video on”
- Click “Invite participations”
- Select how you’d like to send an invite:
- Default Email, Gmail, Yahoo to send email invite
- or “copy URL”, “Copy Invitation” to copy a link and send it via a text message, email, facebook message, etc.
- Select how you’d like to send an invite:
- You can also schedule a meeting on the zoom website and send an invite to join you at a specific time, including a link to your online meeting. (See Instructions)
- Watch tutorial videos in Zoom video library.
Google Hangouts
- Pros:
- It’s free to use with a google account.
- There are no time limits.
- It’s accessible via a web browser on any computer or mobile device.
- Cons:
- It requires a Google account for all participants.
- A phone-in option not available unless you have a business account with Google.
- Capacity (25 participants/devices per meeting)
- How To Use:
- Open Google Hangouts in web browser or mobile app (apple device , android device, chrome web browser extension)
- Login
- Click “Video Call” button
- Click “Invite People” and type in their email address (If they don’t have a google account it will send them an invite to setup an account)
- You can also schedule a meeting on your google calendar and send an invite to join you at a specific time, including a link to your online meeting. (See Instructions)
- Watch 6 minute youtube tutorial.
Our groups may not be able to meet physically together for a while, but that doesn’t mean they cannot meet at all. Consider making use of these wonderful online platforms with your groups during this season and watch God do amazing things in and through all of you.
Chris Surratt is a ministry consultant and coach with more than twenty years of experience serving the local church. Chris served on the Executive Teams at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN., and Seacoast Church in Charleston, S.C., prior to becoming the Discipleship and Small Groups Specialist for LifeWay Christian Resources. He is the author of Small Groups for the Rest of Us: How to Design Your Small Groups System to Reach the Fringes. You can follow his blog at www.chrissurratt.com.
How to Disciple a New Christian
*See the end of this post for a free resource on how to disciple a new christian*
by Tyler Quillet
Years ago, I was asked to lead a discipleship group with 5 men who had recently given their lives to the Lord. I was excited! I’d discipled many in my short time as a pastor, but over those few first few years, it was mostly teens and those closer to my age. This would be with a number of men who were old enough to be my dad. So, I went in with the assumption that due to their years on this earth, they had to know something about life in Jesus. Certainly there was a foundation there to build off of. I was young and naive and I was wrong.
I began to talk about big theological terms like, justification, sanctification, and repentance. It didn’t take long (their blank stares told the story) for me to realize that they had no understanding of these things. Not only did they not understand that, they didn’t really know anything. They’d rarely, if ever, opened a Bible. They’d not attended church growing up. They knew nothing. That’s not a shot at them, it’s just the reality of our situation, and it was awesome because they had such a deep desire to learn and grow!
Here we had 5 guys who were hungry for God’s word, but they couldn’t take it in big chunks. So, we went slowly and simply through scripture. We took on the book of John at their pace. Some weeks, we’d auger into a singular verse and that’s as far as we got. Sometimes, they were so confused that we had to go backwards to chew on some truths again to make sure they got it. It was hard work, sometimes frustrating, but always rewarding! Five years into our time together, it oftentimes felt like we were still building a foundation, working on that ground level of their faith. But, that’s where they were and we weren’t going to begin overwhelming them and leaving them to feel like maybe this life in Jesus wasn’t for them because they didn’t get it all.
Not every person you disciple is going to be in this place. Some will have grown up in the church, know scripture front ways and back, and are turning their life over to Jesus. Some will have grown up in the church and have been away for a considerable amount of time. Some never experienced time in the church or in God’s word and this is all new to them. No matter their past, here are four things we can all keep in mind as we disciple a new Christian.
- Go at their needed pace, not your desired pace.
It’s easy to throw together a scope and sequence of your Bible study and say, “here’s everything we’re going to cover and here’s our timeline to cover it in.” That’s going to overwhelm them right out of the gate. Let them choose the pace. You may sit on a single topic or text for multiple meetings. That’s ok. Sometimes, as the leader, it’s good for you to press on, but be sure that whatever pace you are going, the person being discipled isn’t feeling overwhelmed.
- Ask a lot of questions
Be sure to ask the person you are discipling a lot of questions. Make sure they are grasping the content being covered and ask how it is changing their heart. One of the most dangerous questions a discipler or teacher can ask after reading scripture is, “What do you think about this?” By asking their opinion, you are validating what they think…and what they think may not be truth. Be sure to speak truth and ask questions like:
- What truths or promises from God’s Word stood out to you from what you read?
- What did you learn about God?
- What did you learn about humanity / your own heart?
- How can you obey or apply what you have learned from God’s Word?
- What prayer requests do you have? (and be sure to pray with them)
- Point them to Jesus
Be sure that everything you say and teach is grounded in God’s word. Statements that begin with, “I think….” are dangerous, because you are training your disciple to follow/trust in you. Ground everything in scripture. If they have a question about something, instead of saying, “I think”, say, “Let’s see what scripture tells us.” Always be reminded that Jesus is their savior, not you. A day is coming where you will not be available to them. Where are they going to turn? Will they be reminded to turn to God’s word when they are in need, or will be feel hopeless because they no longer have you? At every opportunity you get, point them to Jesus!
- Model Holiness.
The words you use, the way you respond to difficulty, the spoken thoughts you have of others, they are all training the person you are discipling. If you speak negatively of others or of the church, you are training them to feel/say/do the same. How you respond to difficulty is training them to do as you do. Remember, the majority of new Christians are a sponge. They’re going to soak up everything they can and if you are pouring into them, they’re going to respect and look up to you in a way that they will seek to model how you do life in Jesus. That’s why the point above is so important. Point them to Jesus. Point them to Jesus with your words, your actions, your thoughts, your body language, everything you have. They’re following your lead like a child does a parent. Model holiness!
This all feels like a lot of pressure, I know. Be reminded that it’s the Spirit working in and through you that is doing the heart change. You be faithful with what you’ve been called to and He will be faithful to give you what you need to point them back to Him. Cling to Jesus’ words here from Matthew 28:19-20….
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
For a free resource on how to disciple new christians, check out the free PDF guide of the study My New Life. To be entered into a drawing for a free physical copy of this study, head over to our Instagram page for details!
Lifeway.com/MyNewLife
Tyler Quillet is the Discipleship Strategist for the Custom Church Resources team at LifeWay Christian Resources. He lives in the Nashville, TN area with his incredible wife, Cathie, and two boys, Cylas and Bowen. Tyler also speaks, writes, and coaches alongside Cathie as they pour into and love on those battling infertility through Cathie’s “The Quillet Institute”. Tyler previously spent 15 years as a pastor and is passionate about serving churches and pouring into church leaders in a variety of ways.
Three Principles for a Better Online Small Group
Perhaps never before have churches and small groups been so grateful for the technologies that allow for online group meetings. Likewise, perhaps never before have they been so aware of the challenges and shortcomings associated with them. It’s simply not easy to build community through a screen.
That said, it’s not impossible. Consider these three principles to help you establish and build community in an online group.
1. Adjust your expectations.
I wish I could rightly attribute this quote that I picked up many years ago because it’s been very powerful in many different ways throughout my life and ministry. Expectations are premeditated resentments. Applied to this scenario, we should not come to an online group experience expecting it to be anything remotely like meeting in person. Further, we should press that principle down into every single aspect of the group experience. Conversations won’t be the same. Interaction won’t be the same. The depth of the study won’t be the same. Very little, if anything, will be the same in an online group experience compared to meeting in person. But the online experience will go better for everyone involved if all have told themselves again and again to adjust their expectations accordingly. If they don’t, they’ll come to resent the online group experience and be less likely to participate.
So, adjust your expectations. You can’t build community with people in an environment you resent. Speak truth to yourself about what you’re likely to experience so that you don’t come to resent the best possible solution for meeting with others when you can’t gather in person.
2. Fight for simplicity.
Because meeting online is significantly different than meeting in person, I have found that every participant, especially the group leader, has to strive for simplicity in every facet of the experience. It may be nothing for your group to meet for up to two hours in person, but you’ll likely find an online group experience should be much shorter, probably not more than 45 minutes. You might tackle many different questions and concepts in person, but online you’re probably better off discussing one big idea, two at the most. You might expect everyone in the group to participate in the conversation when meeting in person, but online it’s more likely that three or four people will truly engage in a meaningful way.
I could go on, but let me keep this simple: by making simplicity a core value, you’ll make the online group experience better for everyone involved because meeting online is inherently more complex than meeting in person. So, look for ways you can simplify the experience to help everyone engage in the experience.
3. Give grace.
While some in your group may have lots of experience with online meetings, it will be a brand new thing for many. Because technology is involved, there will be many potential points of frustration and confusion. There are different “rules” for etiquette and behavior that apply to online groups, and practicing them requires, well, practice and patience. All of this, combined with the stress of our current circumstances, can quickly lead to disappointment and even anger toward individuals in the group who just can’t seem to “get it together”.
In short, participating in an online group experience requires everyone to have more grace. Everyone must be willing to bear more wrongs. Everyone must be willing to let many more things go. Everyone must accept others for exactly who they are in that moment, not what they think the others should be in that moment. They must be willing to give more grace.
Conclusion
In these times when we cannot gather in person, meeting online is a grace of God to us. No surprise, then, that doing so requires us to be all the more gracious with those we meet with. By changing our expectations and fighting for simplicity in the experience, we make showing that grace easier.
Rob Tims is husband to Holly and father to Trey, Jono, Abby Jane and Luke. He’s the author of Southern Fried Faith: Confusing Christ and Culture in the Bible Belt, and manages the team behind smallgroup.com at LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville. He writes regularly at RobTims.com and blogs every Friday at Forward Progress.
How to Effectively Lead Your Groups in a Time of Social Distancing [Webinar Replay]
Please enjoy this replay of our webinar: How to Lead Your Groups in a Time of Social Distancing.
Topic:
With most churches now not meeting physically, and most gatherings in general discouraged, how can churches effectively lead groups through this time of social distancing and isolation?
Panelists:
- Steve Gladen
Steve Gladen has been Executive Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church since 1998 and serves as an elder of the church. He oversees the strategic launch and spiritual development of more than 9,000 adult small groups on multiple campuses. He is the author of Small Groups with Purpose, which has been translated into eleven languages, and Planning Small Groups with Purpose.
- Jared Musgrove
Jared Steven Musgrove serves as Groups Pastor and elder at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from The University of Oklahoma, a Master of Divinity in preaching from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate of Ministry in leadership from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
- Chris Surratt
Chris Surratt is a ministry consultant and coach with more than twenty years of experience serving the local church. Chris served on the Executive Teams at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN., and Seacoast Church in Charleston, S.C., prior to becoming the Discipleship and Small Groups Specialist for LifeWay Christian Resources. He is the author of Small Groups for the Rest of Us, and Leading Small Groups.
Resources:
LifeWay.com/Coronavirus
Shepherding Your Group During COVID-19
During these days of COVID-19, online services and Bible studies, and social distancing, group leaders must serve their groups well in one way if they truly care for them. I wrote about this in my book Three Roles for Guiding Groups available from LifeWay.
Shepherding is one of the oldest professions in the world. It is first mentioned in Genesis 4:2 in regards to Abel. Shepherding language influenced biblical writers:
- God is referred to as a shepherd (Psalm 78:52)
- Leaders of God’s people were described as shepherds (I Kings 22:17)
- Jesus called himself a shepherd (Luke 12:32)
- Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:10ff)
- Psalm 23 uses shepherd imagery throughout
Amos 3:12 is a prophetic verse, but embedded in it is a little-known fact about shepherds. That little-known fact is vitally important to group leaders everywhere today. Amos 3:12 says:
12 This is what the Lord says:
“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth
only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
with only the head of a bed
and a piece of fabric from a couch.”
Why would a shepherd wrestle away a piece of a dead sheep from a predator? The answer: the shepherd is not the owner. The shepherd works for a master, and is accountable to him for each sheep entrusted to him.
As group leaders today, you and I are temporary shepherds/stewards of God’s people, His sheep. He’s the Owner/Master, not us. We are responsible for the sheep he temporarily gives us to shepherd. Therefore, we must watch them carefully, love them, and protect them – especially during the isolation taking place during COVID-19 “shelter in place” days.
Ken Braddy manages LifeWay’s Ongoing Bible studies, leads his church’s groups ministry, and blogs daily on Sunday School and small groups at kenbraddy.com.
How to Effectively Lead Groups in a Time of Social Distancing [Free Webinar]
With most churches now not meeting physically and most gatherings discouraged in general, this COVID-19 crisis has produced a plague of questions.
• How can churches effectively lead groups through this time of social distancing and isolation?
• How is this crisis changing how people are discipled?
• Do online small groups work?
• What can groups do to stay healthy while not meeting?
• Will the Church be changed forever?
The topic of how to effectively lead groups in a time of social distancing will be discussed in a free webinar hosted by Chris Surratt, LifeWay’s Small Group and Discipleship Specialist, on Wednesday, April 1st, 1:00pm – 2:00pm CDT. He’ll be joined by Steve Gladen (Saddleback Church) and Jared Musgrove (The Village Church), who are both doing actively transitioning the groups at their churches into this new reality. Together they’ll answer the more simple questions and offer their opinions on the tougher ones, including a few that viewers submit during the webinar.
Spots are limited, so register soon at the link below!
Five Potential Barriers to Discipleship
In this season of social distancing, we must be able to distance ourselves from one another while still advancing the gospel and creating disciples. As if creating disciples was not a tough enough job already! The buzzword in the small groups world used to be “community.” We wanted everyone in our church to be in community together for great reasons. They were less likely to leave the church. They were more likely to serve in the church. They were being cared for by more than just the pastoral staff.
Now the word I hear often is “discipleship.” We have done a pretty good job of gathering people into community; now how do we turn that into making disciples? Great question. Here are five potential barriers to discipleship.
1. It’s really hard.
Helping someone become a fully devoted follower of Christ is not for the faint of heart. There will be times of elated joy and times of extreme frustration. People’s lives are messy, and walking this journey with them gives you a backstage pass to the ugliness.
2. It takes a long time.
Most of us are not very patient—especially when it comes to other people. We want to see immediate results, or we’re on to the next thing. Becoming a disciple of Jesus is a long road that takes time and patience. There is a lot to cultivate and refine. We didn’t get this messed up overnight.
3. It requires relationship.
If Jesus was our example, then we are not meant to take this journey on our own. Disciples are not created in a classroom or on a pew. Iron sharpens iron. The only way to help someone become more like Christ is to be a part of his or her life. All of the good and all of the bad.
4. There’s not a finish line.
By nature, we want to see the job finished. My favorite part of mowing my lawn is when it’s finally done. I can spend a couple of minutes admiring my mowing skills and then move on to the next conquest. That’s not the way it works with spiritual growth. We’re never finished until we’re standing in front of Jesus.
5. It causes growth.
What you may not realize is that when you decide to disciple someone else, you are going to grow as well. Growth is difficult. Growth means change. Every time we take another spiritual step, it requires more from us. It would be much easier to stay right where we are, but the fact is that living things grow.
While the task of discipling another person is daunting, the result of making a disciple who will make disciples is absolutely worth it. And Matthew 28:19 doesn’t actually give us a choice. Jesus left us one job to do—disciple all of the nations. Now let’s go do it.
Chris Surratt is a ministry consultant and coach with over 22 years of experience serving the local church. Chris served on the Executive Team at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, and was on staff at Seacoast Church in Charleston, SC, for 15 years. He also manages SmallGroup.com for LifeWay Christian Resources. Chris’s first book, Small Groups For The Rest Of Us: How to Design Your Small Groups System to Reach the Fringes, was just released by Thomas Nelson. You can follow his blog at chrissurratt.com or follow him on Twitter @chrissurrat
Helpful Resources in the Midst of COVID-19
The ripple effect of COVID-19 has touched nearly everything, including our churches.
The CDC is telling everyone we should avoid groups to help slow the spread of the virus. Hebrews 10:24-25 encourages us to not neglect gathering together. One way many churches are honoring both God and the public authorities during this season is by meeting online.
Free Digital Resources
To help churches shift to online Sunday School gatherings, LifeWay is making digital versions of many of our Spring resources available here. This way, you can easily share copies of Personal Study Guides, Daily Discipleship Guides, and Leader Guides with your people. Then groups can meet online via Google Hangouts, Zoom, or Facebook Live. Discipleship must continue.
Help with Virtual Meeting Setup
If you’d like help on learning to facilitate an online group meeting, check out these how-to videos made available from our Ministry Grid team.
Free Leader Helps
Additional free resources for group leaders are also available. The following web pages contain helpful articles, additional discussion questions, podcasts, and sermons.
Messages for Groups
We are also providing social media/email messages that leaders can use to stay in a rhythm of communicating with their groups while they are not gathering in person. If you use Bible Studies for Life, Explore the Bible, or The Gospel Project, you can download weekly email messages and text messages. These are available on Ministry Grid and in our Leader Packs. They can be copied, pasted, and shared with the group. This will help teachers check in with their groups and encourage them to keep up with their weekly studies.
Thank you for letting LifeWay serve you as you make disciples online.
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