LIFE GROUP LEADER TOOLS

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

GROUP MANAGEMENT:

Click the button below to go to the "PLANNING CENTER" portal to submit attendance, manage rosters, update your group calendar, and plan for service projects and socials. 


Website Access Instructions:

1) Click the link above

2) Click the login link in the upper right hand corner of the page

3) Enter your email address (make sure it is the same email address we are using for your leader profile)

4) Click "Send me a login link"

5) Check your email and then follow the prompts and you should be all set!


Manage Group Settings: (once you have followed all above steps)

6) From your Church Center group page, click "Manage Group on Planning Center"

7) From here you can send group emails, edit events, and change group settings. 

LIFE GROUP Leaders WEEKLY Guide & AUDIO


Every Friday during Life Groups we will post our Leaders Guide for the following week. This resource will be made available as a download, a podcast and audio. The two most recent weeks are below:


*NEW*  For the Week of January 24-30 (Week 1)

This guide is designed to give helpful hints in preparing & leading your group discussion

LEADER GUIDE PDF / LEADER GUIDE DOC


For the Week of November 22-29 (Week 9)

This guide is designed to give helpful hints in preparing & leading your group discussion

LEADER GUIDE PDF / LEADER GUIDE DOC



SUBSCRIBE:  Now on SPOTIFY!!


- CLICK HERE TO GO TO LEADER ARCHIVES -

LOADING PLAYER…

weekly ANNOUNCEMENTS & SPECIAL NOTES

FOR WEEK ONE - January 24-30, 2021



COVID UPDATE:

Given the latest updates from BC Health, here are our three recommendations:

  • Use ZOOM to gather your group.  If you haven’t used ZOOM yet to meet as a group – give it a try!  You’ll see that after a few weeks, it’ll be worth it!
  • If you’re not sure how to get it going – just ask!
  • If you have new members in your group, this is the time to greet them face to face, and to introduce them to your group!
  • See if you can play a bit of a game – here’s a website that has a bunch of great ideas!
  • Use the PHONE.  In this season, keeping in touch is more important than ever before! Simply say hello, ask about the kids, be curious about how they’re able to be a part of church.
  • Use EMAIL.  Let your members know that you are regularly praying for them.  Ask for prayer requests, share prayer requests with your group. 
  • Use WHATSAPP/FB-MESSENGER/iMESSAGE.  Many groups have made use of group chat applications in order to bring their groups together.  In these chats, you can also check in, but more than that, you can even ask some of the questions that are in our sermon guide!
  • Ask the “GETTING TO KNOW YOU” questions.
  • Try asking: “What did you learn from this week’s message?”


PICTURES:

  • We are looking for pictures – from your meetings, ESPECIALLY YOUR ZOOM ONES!  We want to put together a highlight video to be shown to our church after this Life Group semester wraps up. Please email them directly to pastor Adam – adam@gatewaycrc.org.

HASHTAG CHALLENGE:

  • Be sure to encourage your group to use the #GatewayLifeGroups hashtag on Facebook and Instagram. Remember that there is going to be a $300 gift card draw at the end of the semester. [One COVID tip – try to inspire the public sharing of photos that follow covid-19 protocols. Optics & perception play a role]

CHURCH CENTER APP

  • Planning Center has an app called "Church Center." From here you can submit your attendance, update your profile, look at your group, and much more. Feel free to download the app, and then look for "GATEWAY COMMUNITY CRC", then login with the email or phone number that the church has to contact you!
  • in APPLE APP STORE
  • in GOOGLE PLAY STORE

HASHTAG CHALLENGE

  • This semester we are going to have a #GatewayLifeGroups hashtag challenge. 
  • Here is how it works: invite members of your group to take a picture and post it online with the hashtag #GatewayLifeGroups. In the comments, write what you love about your group. At the end of the semester we will have a random draw. The winner will receive a $300 gift card for their entire group to enjoy together! One entry per member.
  • [P.S. All submitted ATTENDANCE RECORDS on time also equals an entry!]
  • We are collecting submissions and monitoring TWITTER / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM, and will be selecting a winner at the end of the Winter 2021 Semester.

ATTENDANCE

LEADER DOCUMENTS

Here, leaders will find Facilitator/Host job descriptions, group covenants, intake forms, and other resources to help oversee the Life Group ministry at Gateway. 


LIFE GROUP FACILITATOR/HOST DOCUMENTS:

Below are useful documents in PDF format, along with online forms, that you can use during the Life Group semester. Please call the office if you have any questions.


JOB DESCRIPTIONS:

COVENANTS:

This Covenant is vital to a healthy, thriving Life Group. Members commit to keeping each other's confidence, praying for one another, making group meetings a priority, and seeking to function as a faith family. 

INTAKE FORMS:

These forms are for you to use to share feedback with the Life Group Coordinators. Contact us by filling out the appropriate form below:

  • FEEDBACK FORM (After Fall Semester) - Download, print, and hand out to all of your Life Group members to hand back in. This is used to help Life Group Coordinators know how groups are going and how we can improve. Have your group fill these out during group time and get them back to hand into the office. 
  • FEEDBACK FORM (After Spring Semester) - Same as above. To be used only after the spring semester. 

SUMMER AFFINITY GROUP RESOURCES:

These forms are for you to use to share feedback with the Life Group Coordinators. Contact us by filling out the appropriate form below: