ReGroup Participant's Guide: Training Groups to Be Groups (ReGroup: Training Groups to be Groups) - Softcover

Cloud, Henry; Donahue, Bill; Townsend, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 031027785X ISBN 13: 9780310277859

Publisher: HarperChristian Resources, 2007

Synopsis

In this revolutionary new curriculum, Henry Cloud, Bill Donahue, and John Townsend establish a whole new training paradigm―one that equips leaders and groups simultaneously and gives them everything they need to start and sustain a life-changing group. All it requires is a small group and a DVD player. Four sixty-minute sessions train leaders and group members in the foundational values and practices of becoming a life-changing community. These sixty-minute sessions are the foundations of small groups that include teaching by the authors, creative segments, and activities and discussion time. • The group has the chance to review and learn new group life techniques during the year with Thirteen five-minute coaching segments on topics such as active listening, personal sharing, giving and receiving feedback, prayer, calling out the best in others, and more.Each session includes a mix of three elements:• Teaching by the authors• Creative segments (such as modeling dramas, person-on-the-street interviews, personal stories/testimonies, creative multimedia, etc.)• Small group activities and processing/discussion timeThe four sessions include:• Session 1 provides a foundational experience that helps group members get excited about the adventure and life-changing power of small group life. Exercises and guided discussions create an initial sense of connection, safety, and most of all, fun!• Session 2 focuses on introducing values, ground rules, and logistical issues. Relationships are deepened through the group's assessment and discussion of the values most important to them, while exercises facilitate group ownership of these issues. • Session 3 unpacks each of the five key values through in-depth teaching and practical examples. Group members learn that all are responsible for implementing the five values in the life of the group, and they practice applying two of the values during the session ("Be real" and "accept one another").• Session 4 transitions the group to running on its own. Exercises help the group clarify what their focus will be, and what they want to do in their next meeting (the first meeting without the DVD curriculum). This session also provides an inspiring wrap-up for the course that casts vision for what the group can become if it lives out its values.The Life-Changing Power of Group Life DVD and Participants Guide are available separately.

About this title

About the Authors

Dr. Henry Cloud is a clinical psychologist, pastor to pastors, and New York Times bestselling author. His 45 books, including the iconic Boundaries, have sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Throughout his storied career as a clinician, he started treatment centers, created breakthrough new models rooted in research, and has been a leading voice on issues of mental health and leadership on a global scale. Dr. Cloud lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Tori, and their two daughters, Olivia and Lucy.

 

Dr. Bill Donahue is the author of the bestselling Leading Life-Changing Small Groups, Building a Life-Changing Small Groups Ministy (with Russ Robinson), Coaching Life-Changing Leaders (with Greg Bowman), and the Equipping Life-Changing Leaders DVD.

Dr. John Townsend is a nationally known leadership consultant, psychologist, and author, selling over 10 million books, including the New York Times bestselling Boundaries series. John founded the Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling and the Townsend Leadership Program. Dr. Townsend travels extensively for corporate consulting, speaking events, and to help develop leaders, their teams, and their families. John and his family live in Southern California and Texas. Visit DrTownsend.com.

From the Back Cover

In this revolutionary new curriculum, Henry Cloud, Bill Donahue, and John Townsend establish a whole new training paradigm--one that equips leaders and groups simultaneously and gives them everything they need to start and sustain a life-changing group. All it requires is a small group and a DVD player.
Four sixty-minute sessions train leaders and group members in the foundational values and practices of becoming a life-changing community. These sixty-minute sessions are the foundations of small groups that include teaching by the authors, creative segments, and activities and discussion time. • The group has the chance to review and learn new group life techniques during the year with Thirteen five-minute coaching segments on topics such as active listening, personal sharing, giving and receiving feedback, prayer, calling out the best in others, and more.

Each session includes a mix of three elements:
• Teaching by the authors
• Creative segments (such as modeling dramas, person-on-the-street interviews, personal stories/testimonies, creative multimedia, etc.)
• Small group activities and processing/discussion time
The four sessions include:
• Session 1 provides a foundational experience that helps group members get excited about the adventure and life-changing power of small group life. Exercises and guided discussions create an initial sense of connection, safety, and most of all, fun!
• Session 2 focuses on introducing values, ground rules, and logistical issues. Relationships are deepened through the group's assessment and discussion of the values most important to them, while exercises facilitate group ownership of these issues.
• Session 3 unpacks each of the five key values through in-depth teaching and practical examples. Group members learn that all are responsible for implementing the five values in the life of the group, and they practice applying two of the values during the session ("Be real" and "accept one another").
• Session 4 transitions the group to running on its own. Exercises help the group clarify what their focus will be, and what they want to do in their next meeting (the first meeting without the DVD curriculum). This session also provides an inspiring wrap-up for the course that casts vision for what the group can become if it lives out its values.
The Life-Changing Power of Group Life DVD and Participants Guide are available separately.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

ReGroup Participant's Guide

Training Groups to Be GroupsBy Henry Cloud Bill Donahue John Townsend

ZONDERVAN

Copyright © 2007 Willow Creek Association, Henry Cloud, and John Townsend
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-27785-9

Contents

Acknowledgments.........................................................................9Introduction............................................................................11ReGroup Group Members...................................................................13DVD One Participant's GuideSession One: Getting Connected-God's Purpose for Small Groups...........................18Session Two: Five Habits of Life-Changing Groups........................................24Session Three: Setting Ground Rules.....................................................32Session Four: Determining Your Group's Purpose..........................................40DVD Two Participant's GuideTip One: Active Listening...............................................................51Tip Two: Being Attentive................................................................55Tip Three: Telling Your Story (Without Going On and On).................................59Tip Four: Group Check-In #1.............................................................63Tip Five: Asking Good Questions.........................................................65Tip Six: Calling Out the Best in Others.................................................69Tip Seven: Givingand Receiving Feedback.................................................73Tip Eight: Helping and Supporting Each Other............................................79Tip Nine: Responding to Someone Who Is Hurting..........................................83Tip Ten: Helping Others Take "Growth Risks".............................................87Tip Eleven: Prayer......................................................................91Tip Twelve: Group Check-In #2...........................................................95Tip Thirteen: Confessing Your Faults....................................................99Extended Tip One: When Groups Get Messy, Part 1-Confrontation...........................103Extended Tip Two: When Groups Get Messy, Part 2-Conflict Resolution.....................109Extended Tip Three: Dealing with People in Crisis.......................................115Resources for Digging Deeper............................................................121Author Biographies......................................................................143The Five Habits.........................................................................144

Chapter One

Getting Started

As you use DVD One, which guides your group through four complete group meetings, we will ask you to give us about an hour of your group time. In effect, we will be your group coaches. During that hour each meeting, you will learn the biblical purpose for your group, begin to build or strengthen relationships, establish your ground rules so your group functions authentically, and clarify your direction and goals so your group achieves the purpose for which you gathered. This is only for the first four meetings.

Then, building from that foundation, DVD Two will coach you to greater effectiveness as a community. There are 13 short coaching tips (about 5-10 minutes each) designed to help you practice an essential component of group life. Most include role plays and dramas to model a particular skill, such as active listening, learning to tell your story, effective prayer, balancing participation of members, confronting obstacles in your group, handling pain, and more. View one of these tips at the beginning of your meeting, and then practice using the new skill throughout the course of your meeting time, within the context of your regular study or discussion. At the end of the meeting, there is a short debrief time to review how it felt to use that skill in the group.

In addition, there are three extended coaching tips that cover challenging issues confrontation, conflict, and dealing with a crisis. These tips will require an entire group meeting to work through and can be used as your group matures and encounters the realities of life.

Your participant guide is a tool to help you work as a team while you develop group values and build relationships with each other. It provides resources to help you in each group meeting, plus tools for further study and investigation in your personal life.

Get ready for a challenging and productive experience in community! If you are willing to work together-and expect to partner with your leader as an entire team-your group will become a powerful place for change, growth, and encouragement.

We wish you the best, Henry, Bill, and John

(Continues...)

Excerpted from ReGroup Participant's Guideby Henry Cloud Bill Donahue John Townsend Copyright © 2007 by Willow Creek Association, Henry Cloud, and John Townsend . Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperChristian Resources
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 031027785X
• ISBN 13: 9780310277859
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 144