Date post: | 10-Jul-2015 |
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Preparing to Serve
Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques
for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
By Joe Paprocki, DMin
To Teach as Jesus Did
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
The Early Church
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
Small Faith Groups
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
Facilitators
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
You’ve been invited.
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
You can do this!
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
To facilitate: “to make easy”
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
Serving Others
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
A Facilitator:
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
• is practicing his or her own faith
• is a good listener
• possesses common sense
• is not overly sensitive
• is a team player and a people person
A Facilitator:
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
• possesses empathy, warmth,
and genuineness
• tolerates differing opinions
• is open to diversity
• can make the time commitment
Knowledge, Skills,
and Techniques
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
Personal Preparation
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
Preparing the Environment
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
Comfortable Seating
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
Sacred Space
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
Hospitality
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
Signage
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
Welcoming
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
Setting the Tone
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
Leading Prayer
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
Leading Prayer
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
• Call people to prayer and invite a
few
moments of silence to welcome
God’s
presence.
• Begin with the Sign of the Cross.
• Welcome God’s presence and
thank
God for this gathering.
Leading Prayer
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
• Invite group members to share
prayers
of thanksgiving.
• Gather all the prayers in Jesus’
name.
Pray Amen.
• End with the Sign of the Cross.
Adult Learning Principles
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
• Adults are self-motivated; they resist ideas being
imposed.
• Adults bring life experience that must be respected.
• Adults are goal-oriented; they learn in order to cope
with life transitions and want to apply what they learn
immediately.
Adult Learning Principles
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
• Adults demand relevance and practicality,
and need to take ownership.
• Adults’ time commitments must be
respected.
• Adults learn best in relational, interactive,
conversational settings.
• Adults like to laugh!
Leading Discussion
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
• Limit your own talking.
• Find a balance between being authoritative and
passive.
• Affirm others’ comments.
• Listen and be aware.
• Invite quiet types to share their thoughts.
• Politely interrupt dominators.
• Gently bring the discussion back from tangents.
• Ask for clarification if a point someone made was
unclear.
Asking Questions
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
• Phrase your questions in a simple, straightforward
way.
• Keep your questions open-ended.
• Ask a question and then repeat it.
• As you await an answer, be comfortable with silence.
Asking Questions
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
• Ask a question of the whole group first.
• Plan your questions ahead of time.
• Give feedback to participants when they answer
questions.
• Don’t answer your own questions. Be patient.
Handling Difficult Participants
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
The Dominator • The Shy One • The Tangent Maker • The Antagonist
The Effective Facilitator
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
• Call members who were absent.
• Send people home with additional resources when
appropriate.
• Summarize the gathering.
• Promise to gather information about unanswered questions.
• End with prayer.
Recognizing Christ in Our Midst
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups
The Holy Spirit:
Our True Facilitator
Preparing to Serve: Knowledge, Skills, and Techniques for Facilitating Small Faith Groups