Leaders Toolbox #26

The Art of Asking Questions

One of the most important things small group leaders need to master is the art of asking questions. It is through great questions that we are able to pave the way towards deeper understanding and application of God’s word.

Advantages of Asking Great Questions:

• Great Questions allow the student to talk and the leader to listen.
• Great Questions lead to heart examination, discovering struggles, and a deeper understanding of who God is.
• Great Questions challenge students to take ownership of their faith.
• Great Questions lead students to think for themselves.
• Great Questions allow students to hear and learn from other perspectives.

Click HERE to download "9 Keys to Asking Great Questions"

Leaders Toolbox #18

5 Things to Think About Over the Summer

1. Hanging Out
Continue to maintain and deepen relationships. Plan 3 outings over the summer (1 per month) with as many kids as possible. Here are some ideas:

• Six Flags/Hurricane Harbor
• Rangers/Roughriders Games
• Ice Skating/Galleria
• Ice Cream / Shaved Ice
• Pool Party
• Overnights (at Homes or at Church)
• Pedicures (Talk to parents ahead of time to get the okay for this)
• Lunch After Church
• Lake Day or Weekend (depends on families)
• Celebrate Freedom – June 27
• Kaboom Town in Addison – July 3
• Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian – May 22
• Up – May 29
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – July 1
• Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – July 15
• G Force – July 24

*Check out at least one of the following websites to screen the content of the movie before taking kids. Don’t risk being embarrassed and having to apologize to kids and parents.

• KidsInMind.com
• Plugged In Online
• ScreenIt.com

2. Spiritual Development
Continue to pour into kids and prioritize their spiritual lives. Give them a “Suggested Reading List” for their summer quiet times or additional devotionals (The Journey, Beth Moore Study, Search for Significance for Students, etc). Offer to join them. Memorize passage of scripture together and hold each other accountable. Pray for specific character qualities for kids and let them know what you’re praying for them.

3. Encouragement
Set aside an hour on your calendar each week and write notes to kids. Send them encouraging texts, Facebook messages, etc. Find out when and where your kids are going to camp and make the effort to send them mail. It will make their summer!

4. Service:
Go serve together. See the list of “Watermark Service Opportunities” and “Externally Focused Service Opportunities” on watermarkstudents.com in the “Messages/Resources” section for tons of ideas

5. Preparation:
Create “Back-To-School” goals for your group or specific kids. Schedule next year’s small groups and host homes. Start to think ahead and block off time for student ministry meetings and events.

Leaders Toolbox #15

5 Ideas From 6th, 9th, 10th, 11th, & 12th Grade Leaders
The following is a collection of ideas from the 6th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade April 16, 2009 Leaders Meetings. If you'd like to see further details about any of these ideas we can try to track down the source and get you in touch.

1. Lesson Handouts
Type out the questions and create handouts for each student. There’s more participation and ownership. When you don't do it the kids will ask for it.

2. Dinner Night
When there has been a lull in small group attendance for 2 or 3 weeks, plan a dinner night. Catch up and share prayer requests at dinner. It’s amazing how much they will share around food.

3. Location Change
Meet at a restaurant, a Starbucks, or a basketball court. Changing the setting allows relationships to grow in different ways.

4. Monthly Pizza
The first time the small group meets at a new house at the beginning of each month, have them pitch in for pizza. This could be a very simple tradition that everyone looks forward to.

5. Lead Out in Service
Share with the group specific things that you do to serve others. Inspire the kids and give them opportunities to join you (and maybe even your adult community group) for a special service project.

Leaders Toolbox #14

16 Ideas From 7th & 8th Grade Leaders
The following is a collection of ideas from the 7th & 8th grade April 16, 2009 Leaders Meetings. If you'd like to see further details about any of these ideas we can try to track down the source and get you in touch. More ideas coming soon from other grades...

1. Weekly Accountability Partners
Pair up kids each week with someone they don't normally connect with. They get together at the end of small group and share prayer requests, pray together, and commit to connecting (phone, text, email, etc.) at least once during the week to check in.

2. Bonding Quiz
Collect obscure facts about each kid in your group and put together a quiz to see how well the kids know each other. It's funny to see how they answer different questions and everyone learns something about the others. Bring a prize for the winner. Sample Questions: Whose middle name is _________? Who has the most siblings? Who was born in Arizona? Etc.

3. No "Church Answers" Rule
When you ask a question, go ahead and say the "church answers" that they aren't allowed to give. Once you get those out of the way, they'll be forced to think deeper about their response. Ask follow up questions to get to the heart of their answers.

4. Simple Memory Verse Rewards
Buy a pack of bible tabs from the Christian bookstore. Each time a kid memorizes a verse they get to add another tab to their collection. (The tab does not necessarily have to match the address of the verse memorized)

5. Add Extra Time
Extend your small group time from 1 hour to 1.5 hours. The extra time allows for more social interaction and more time for prayer.

6. Prayer Request Development
For every sick dog, family illness, or math test prayer request, a student must also offer a request related to spiritual growth, outreach, or service.

7. Surprise Game Night
Once a semester, host a game night in the place of your regular small group. Demonstrate the value of relationships and fun. Board games, video games, basketball, football, soccer...all games encouraged.

8. Summer Events
Plan monthly small group get-togethers in June, July, and August to keep the group connected. Pool parties, movie nights, ice cream outings, etc.

9. Small Group Survey
Create a survey for your group to find out what they like and dislike about your time together. Continually be seeking for ways to make things better.

10. All Family Party
A great way to help the group to bond is to ask a parent to help you host an annual Family Party for your small group members, their parents, and their siblings. Cookout burgers, bring footballs and frisbess, and set up a Wii inside. A good time to schedule something like this is early in May.

11. Parent Meeting
Have a meeting with parents at the beginning of the year to share your heart with them, inform them about what goes on at Small Group, and encourage them to make the effort to keep their kids involved.

12. Father/Son Retreat
If someone in your group has a lakehouse, see if they would consider hosting a father/son getaway. Take the boys and their dads away for a night or two of fun. This is a great time to allow the fathers to speak words of affirmation/encouragement into to the lives of the young men.

13. Small Group Blog/Facebook Group
Start a blog for your group. It's a great place to post the schedule of times and locations, to preview and summarize topics covered in meetings, and to announce upcoming events and special gatherings.

14. Mom/Leader Brunch
Host a brunch with the moms of all the girls in your group to discuss the students' struggles and strengths. This is a great way to get to know the parents better and how you can come alongside them as they seek to disciple their daughters.

15. Older Visitor
Find an older student (a grade or two ahead of your kids) who would be willing to come and share with your group about what they can expect from the years ahead. Make them available for a Q&A and maybe have your kids prepare questions in advance.

16. Grade Level Party
Get together with the other leaders that have small groups in the same grade. Plan an outing or a party for just the kids in your grade. The church is always available for things like this or you could grab a house, a pool, or a mall.

Leaders Toolbox #11

3 Ways to Finish Strong

1. Evaluate Your Year
Look back and assess what you have accomplished as a group and as a leader. Be encouraged where you should be encouraged and be challenged where you need to be challenged. Click HERE for a great Group Evaluation resource.

2. Celebrate Your Year
Commemorate the highlights and reward the faithful students who were consistent to the end. Take the group for a special outing, host a sleepover, plan a cookout, get everyone a little gift...Just do something special that communicates the value of 9 months spent together studying God's word, talking about real life, and enjoying each others company.

3. Plan For Next Year
Based on your evaluation, think about what you can do to take your Small Group to the next level in the 2007-2008 school year. Prepare your group now to re-engage in the fall. Review and sign a Small Group Covenant that will stand as a form of accountability for the next year. Maybe even have students write a letter to themselves with some encouragement about being faithful to their pursuit of spiritual growth.

Leaders Toolbox #8

3 Ways to Maintain Momentum During the "Down Months"

2 Timothy 4:2-5 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction…keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry…

1. Make Specific Goals Related to One-on-One Time.
Breakfast before school is a true winner in the hearts of students. Visit each of their schools for a lunch. Make sure to catch each student's game or recital or play. Invite a student to grab a quick dinner before small group. Take a kid out for lunch after church. One-on-one time really allows you to get to know and encourage your kids on a new level. The possibilities are endless!

2. Host Your Own "Mini-Retreat"
You can't lose with a sleepover at "The Deuce". Pick a date and email us and we will reserve it for you. Almost every group has a family with a lakehouse…see if they'll let you borrow a suburban and take your students out for a night. Find a Christian concert to take them to and then sleepover at someone's house afterwards. Get creative with these overnights…Think of a theme verse…Think of a give-away that they can walk away with that will create memories and unity. Get out your calendar and plan a "mini-retreat" today!

3. Get Together with Another Group
Throw a mixer with another group. Get the 11th grade guys together with the 11th grade girls for a game night. Get all the 6th guy groups together for whirly ball. Challenge another group to a bowling showdown. Get some cheap seats for a Mavs or Stars game and invite another group to join you. Host a cookout when the weather gets nice and invite another group. Help our students expand their circle of community and help them feel like they really BELONG!

Leaders Toolbox #3

Small Groups - 3 Keys for Living Life Together

As our small groups re-engage and as new groups are launching, we wanted our leaders to be equipped with 3 key values that will help make any small group great.

1. Encourage and model communication, humility, and respect.
One activity that some of our leaders have used to begin to build these attributes into their groups is this "Getting to Know You" exercise. Have each group member fill out these forms then mix them up and read them aloud. Have everyone try to guess who's who.

2. Get together often.
Fellowship takes time and it is essential to remember that consistency is one of the key elements of discipleship and community. Refer to numbers 1, 6, 7, and 13 on this "How to Lead a Crummy Small Group" summary.

3. Serve together as a group.
Beyond discussing biblical truths and helping each other through life, nothing will bond your group more than sacrificial service. Click here to see an article by Rick Warren about small groups along with a list of service opportunities at Watermark that might work well for small groups.