ROCKY STUDENTS GROUPS
Guiding students to love God, love people, and change the world.
HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM
MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM
TIPS AND TRICKS
7 TIPS FOR
FACILITATING
A GROUP
Focus on faith formation, not group counseling.
The primary win in groups is equipping students to follow Jesus, take steps of faith, all while growing in community. While organic conversations about life events may happen and are good, leaders aren’t expected to create a “safe space” for deep personal disclosures or to act as counselors. Keep discussions centered on practical conversations, discipleship, and spiritual growth.
Don’t Teach, Facilitate Conversation.
Great group leaders understand that their #1 responsibility in leading a group is to facilitate great conversations. No matter what material is being used for a group meeting time, people are more engaged when the leader is focused on facilitating a conversation as opposed to teaching or lecturing. When leaders focus on listening and guiding discussion, people feel safe to share, process, and grow. A healthy small group isn’t measured by how much the leader talks, but often by how little they do. It’s ok to not have all the answers. It is better to say you do not know and find the answer then to guess.
Speak Less.
Be quick to listen and slow to speak. We aren’t here to fix problems. Don’t be tempted to jump in. Instead ask further questions to help you understand more. People feel that they can trust others when they feel heard.
Ask Questions.
Follow up with questions like, “tell me more about that” and “it sounds like you felt..”
Be Intentional.
An intentional leader guides the group with purpose and thoughtfulness, ensuring that every meeting is meaningful and aligned with the group’s spiritual goals. This leader communicates clearly and openly, they create a welcoming and focused environment where participants feel valued and motivated to grow in their faith together.
Pray.
Pray for the people in your group and listen for the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit. Our prayer is that 75% of students will have engaged with groups before they graduate
GROUP SCHEDULE
Groups should start as close to 6:30pm as possible and have a hard stop of 7:15pm
Start with ice breaker question
Jump into lesson/video
Discussion questions
Pray together
Release to Student hang out time
easy ice breaker questions
- If you were given a time machine and access to see any event in history, what would it be?
- If you were trapped in a room for a week and could only have one movie with you, what would you choose to watch?
- Choose three items from your wallet, purse or bag that reveal something about you and share them with your group.
- Where was your favorite place to vacation? What did you like about it?
- If you could meet any famous person from history (not mentioned in the Bible), who would it be and why?
- If you could pursue any profession, what would you do?
- What is your go to coffee/tea drink?
- Describe your perfect weekend?
deeper ice breaker questions
- In what area of life could you place more trust in God?
- What area of your life is not aligned with the direction you want to be heading?
- What are you currently passionate about?
- What is one thing about your spiritual life you’d like to see change in the next six months?
- What is one thing you’ve done or experienced in the past few months that you are proud of?
- What is something in the way of your spiritual or personal growth?
- What is a big distraction for you right now?
- How is your relationship with God right now?