The week after the first football game sets the tone for the rest of the season. Coaches now have evidence showing what they actually have on their team. They can give more time to building it: placing people in better positions to succeed, developing habits and routines, and correcting their own perceptions. The work of refining, sharpening, and establishing an identity gets into full swing.
In this new season of Bible study, people are counting on our groups to help them grow spiritually and possibly discover Jesus for the first time. The second week of a new Bible study group may be critical for the group to accomplish these goals.
Like the first football game, the first group meeting sets the tone for the future. All the pre-launch work is done; the leader can focus on building the group. In the second week, the real work begins. Nehemiah had to build a team before work could begin on the wall, and a new leader will need to build a team as well. Here are four key team-building actions to take between the first and second group times.
Tether the group.
First, the leader of a new group should establish connections within the group. Before the first meeting, the participants were all just individuals. Some connections may have existed, but now you can help them become one by facilitating conversations that build connection.
To get people talking, you can encourage individuals to list a favorite coffee, movie, or sports team on a nametag when they arrive for group time. Social media groups, group apps, and group text messages are other tools to use. The goal is to help them tether to each other so they are no longer a set of individuals but a group. Coaches call this “building team chemistry.”
Elevate the identity.
Every Bible study group carries an identity, a characteristic shared by the group that connects them. Prior to the first meeting, the leader had an idea of who the class or group would be for. But that identity should be clearer after the first meeting. It helps to look for common characteristics and relationaships shared by those who attended. Their networks represent what the group can become.
As the initial group reaches out to others, they will most likely begin within their family, friends, neighbors, and associates. Elevating the identity (who the group is for), helps the participants know who in their network might best connect with the group. Leaders often think their group is for anyone, but the truth is not everyone will connect with your group’s identity (one reason additional groups are needed within the church).
Align the goals.
People attended the first meeting with various goals and ideas in mind. The purpose of the group may have been shared, but it will need to be continually shared. Coaches display slogans and rallying cries on the entrance or exit of the team’s facilities to keep the group aligned with the goals: “Play like a champion!” “Never surrender!” “Next man up!”
For example, one goal for your group may be to invite others who aren’t involved in a Bible study. You can create a prayer list that includes the specific names of people the group is now trying to reach and have additional study guides on hand for those guests when they do attend.
Coaches can confuse their teams when actions are called for that don’t align with a set of goals. We want to make sure we purposefully encourage actions that align with the stated goals of the group.
Mold the habits.
After the first game, the success of the season is determined by the routines or habits that occur between games and on game day. This includes the coach. A leader’s habits shape the group’s habits, so both must be addressed.
Coaches don’t wait until the night before to prepare for the next game. Preparation for the next group time should begin the moment the prior group time ends. Once our own habits are in place, we can then turn our attention to the group’s habits.
Just like coaches, teams don’t get ready at the last minute. Leaders can show the group how to use the resources provided to properly prepare, give them suggested schedules, and send reminders about what’s coming up. Doing this before the second group Bible study time sets a pattern that helps everyone.
As the leader of a new Bible study group, what we do between the first and second group time matters. We set the tone by the actions we take. Tethering the group, elevating the identity, aligning the goals, and molding the habits helps the leader build a foundation for a successful group that functions as a team.
Which one of these four actions do you need to give more attention in your group? How do you plan on doing that?