St. Mark's Church - Burlington, Mebane, North Carolina

Facilitators Resources

Curriculum for your small group is available from the Resource Center. A complete listing of the small group study resources is available from the Resource Center or online as a pdf file. Click here to download the Curriculum Guide Warning – this is a large file and may take some time to download.

Curriculum this month highlights the St. Mark’s value of Serving. Get your group thinking about the biblical response to need in the world with these suggestions:

Faith in Action – Be the Church © 2006
Outreach Inc., World Vision Inc., Zondervan
4 week church-wide campaign
DVD, Leader’s Guide, Participant Guide, Study Bible

This small group study is designed to help Christians examine their lives and faith in relation to the Gospel, and encourage and equip individuals to live out God’s will through social action. Small group members will be prepared for an ongoing journey into a faith-in-action lifestyle. This 4 session study is highly practical, so be prepared to act on what you learn! Participants will be challenged to look beyond their own schedules and priorities to activate their faith in their everyday lives through service projects.

The Justice Mission © 2002
Jim Hancock
Zondervan
Five sessions, DVD, Leader’s Guide, worksheets, action items, group activities, journaling assignments

“Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” Many Americans today—even in Christian churches—don’t have a full idea of the challenges presented by brutality, by crying children, by grieving widows; not what in the world they can do about it! That’s about to change. The Justice Mission is a video-based curriculum that depicts the stark facts about oppression and injustice around the world… and presents a Bible-based approach to dealing with them! In the DVD segments, participants will follow the visit of four American teens to squalid corners of India. They will be prompted to think again, and again, about the evil they find…and about bullying, prejudice, and attitudes that God hates in their own neighborhoods and the hallways of their schools. The Justice Mission is a partnership between Youth Specialties and the International Justice Mission, an organization that, through educating the church and mobilizing effective intervention, serves those who cannot rely on local authorities for relief. The Justice Mission surely will ignite holy passion for the oppressed victims of injustice. It will change lives—of your participants in these sessions, and of untold numbers of victims across God’s earth.

Impact – Leave a Mark © 2008
Erwin McManus
Bluefish TV
DVD with teaching by Erwin McManus

Impact – a forcible contact between two or more things. This is an accurate description of how men and women are used by God to shape the course of human history. Whenever God is doing a new thing, He does it through people. But, we can often feel alone. Alone when it comes to men, never alone when it comes to God. As the lead pastor and cultural architect of Mosaic, Erwin McManus is leading a uniquely innovative and diverse congregation based in Los Angeles. Erwin is a thought-provoking communicator and has traveled to over 30 countries engaging relevant issues such as globalization, leadership, cultural transformation and church growth.

Intersect│Culture © 2006
The Christian Vision Project
Christianity Today International
Six sessions, DVD with Leader’s Guide

Take your group to a place…where they can see people’s needs in a new way, where they can understand their calling, and where they will learn how their faith can shape culture. This six-session DVD and corresponding curriculum helps your group envision how followers of Christ can be a counterculture for the common good. Together you’ll experience stories of believers, how their journeys unfolded, their challenges, and their breakthroughs. Also included on the DVD are insights from trusted pastors and Christian leaders such as Tim Keller, Lauren Winner, James Meeks, Brenda Salter McNeil, and Ken Fong.

Articles for Facilitators

Facing Shame Issues in a Small Group
Why some group members don't want to open up, and how to help.
How Does a Small Group Help Us Change
Exploring how people conform to the image of Christ in community.
Refrigerator Rights
Fostering true community sometimes starts with something as simple as
establishing “Refrigerator Rights”.
No More Mr. Nice Group
Spiritual Transformation in Community – Five practices that take small groups beyond polite sharing to the disciplines that change lives.
Small Groups Sometimes Skip the Agenda
Small-group agendas don't change people's lives. Christ does.
Tips for Facilitating a Group Discussion
Practical advice for working toward life-change, not spectacular meetings.
Facilitator The Need For Grace
It’s been said, “When dealing with human beings, what we see is not always what there is.” This is important to realize as a small group leader. Therefore, when facilitating our groups, we need to foster a grace-filled atmosphere where vulnerability and openness are valued.
Cultivating Disciple-Making Environments for Everyone!
Healthy discipleship flows out of healthy relationships. It begins with Christ and
continues in community with other believers.


Books Recommended for Small Group Leaders Leading Life-Changing Small Groups by Bill Donahue This book gives you the comprehensive guidance you need to cultivate life-changing small groups and growing, fruitful followers of Christ. Seeker Small Groups by Garry Poole …the missing evangelism tool churches and individuals need to fill the gap between evangelism training and real-life opportunities for engaging seekers in life-changing spiritual discussions. This book presents a detailed, step-by-step process for launching seeker small groups in a wide variety of settings. Walking the Small Group Tightrope by Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson Learn to manage the tensions that exist in group life when a variety of good objectives compete for a group’s attention in this time-tested resource. Making Small Groups Work by Henry Cloud & JohnTownsend Learn how to lead the kind of group that realizes their full, life-changing potential. Learn the skills and biblical processes that can help your people grow together.