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2.27am on Sunday 22 December 2024
Setting up a group in your church, house-group or workplace.
Small groups are the most effective way to help people to explore ways to connect their faith with their daily life and work. There are a number of reasons for this:
There is a good deal of evidence to suggest that people in the Church are reluctant to attend courses although Lent is often a time when more people are willing to engage. It may be that people feel they need to have enough knowledge or be sufficiently committed to be able to join in. After Sunday small group resources start with people’s experience and use a process of discovery learning and so are accessible to everyone.
Adults in particular learn best when they have a particular problem to solve or issue to address. After Sunday small group resources offers helpful ways to explore issues that are relevant to group members from a faith perspective. The group members decide on the subject matter and After Sunday offers a process for discussion and sharing.
Courses that have been very successful, like the Alpha Course, have built themselves around social activities such as shared meals. The social and hospitality dimension of any group is important. After Sunday small group resources are generally designed as short sessions that can be fun and can be part of a social activity.
Many courses are dependent on an ‘expert’ to run them. Whilst some preparation is helpful, After Sunday small group resources are designed so that anyone with an interest in and basic skills in facilitation can lead the sessions. Facilitators notes are available for free to download. After Sunday also offers materials to develop the skills of facilitation. In a small group the responsibility for leading the group can be shared with different group members.
Some points to consider in setting up an After Sunday group.
Here are some suggestions:
There is usually an optimal size for any group depending on the available accommodation and activity to be carried out. For active discussion and participation, smaller groups are recommended of around 6-8 people with a maximum of 12. The larger the group size the more important good facilitation becomes.
People lead such busy lives that finding a suitable time to meet that satisfies everyone can be a difficult. Some options are:
If you already have an existing group then this is not an issue but you might consider extending your group to include others who might bring another perspective.
Experience suggests that people will respond better if they are invited to become part of a group. It may be that you only want the group to get together for a few sessions to address a common issue in which case this needs to be clear. People are more likely to commit if there is a clear endpoint. It may be that group continues beyond that but people are free to join or leave.
Some points to consider are:
We recommend that After Sunday modules should be run by someone with an interest in and some experience of leading or facilitating groups. The leaders / facilitator will also need to become familiar with the content of the sessions.
Options are as follows:-
After Sunday is developing a range of materials to support people who want to learn more about group facilitation skills. You can find more information here
The After Sunday group resources are freely available to download from this website.
Prepare any advance background or other material that participants might find useful (e.g. participants hand-outs). All After Sunday resources are in PDF format, which can be printed / photocopied free of charge. Be aware that some sessions require a little preparation by the participants before hand.
Other resources you may need might include:
Please contact us of you feel we can help you.
We can support you in deciding:
After Sunday is a registered charity, number 1128086. Website development by Hiltonian Media.