The Recipe for Powerful Small Groups
At Christ the Savior, we desire to provide space for all of our people to love God and
love others in a deeper way. Small Groups are one of the main ways that we are able to
do this. Strong small groups are to churches what strong bones are to your body. Small
groups hold us together in times of crisis and give each person involved support for
living fully.
Small groups can look like anything. Countless books have been written about how
small groups should look. There are as many ways to run small groups as there are ways
to make a cake. Each region and restaurant has its own variation and specialty which
makes it distinct. In spite of all this variation it is still all called “cake” and we are all
better for having so much choice and variety. In the same way, at Christ the Savior,
there are a few ingredients that make our small groups powerful. These things are at
the core of our recipe for small groups:
Community: Small groups center around relationship. They are about relating to each
other in a deep and personal way. If you are part of a small group you are entering into
a relationship. It will be messy at times but it will also be rewarding. We also believe
that these relationships don’t end with the group. Our small groups are also in
relationship to the larger body of CTS. We all pull in the same direction and we all focus
on scripture. Each member and each group works together to make this happen.
Action: Small groups are visible in the community. CTS small groups are open to new
people and are involved in the community they meet in. They seek to fulfill the mission
of Christ in their communities.
Worship: Small groups are Sunday morning worship in portable form. CTS small groups
take the elements of worship, study, prayer, and community, and move them into the
home.
Growth: By being together we grow together. We are shaped by those we are around
and a small group is no different. Growth in Christ should be a natural outcome of being
a part of a small group. Through prayer, sharing, and loving accountability, the small
group is a catalyst for growth in people’s lives.
SMALL GROUP LEADER: DESCRIPTION
QUALIFICATIONS:
 A spiritually growing disciple
 Committed to the ministry of Christ the Savior Lutheran Church
 Leads according to the vision and mission of Christ the Savior
 Is gifted and passionate about small group ministry
 Has an ability to relate, work well with others, and be flexible
REQUIREMENTS:
 Facilitates weekly guided discussions
 Recruits people for the group from the community and from CTS
 Provides support and care to the group
 Empowers leaders within the group to live out their faith in tangible
ways
 Provides meaningful serving opportunities for the group
 Provides fun community building opportunities for the group
 Attends small group leader meetings, as needed
 Regularly worships
RELATIONSHIPS
 Reports to the Maturity Steeple—Lance Kuhn is the steeple leader
and Pastor Libby the Maturity Steeple pastoral leader
 Works with Kelley Baumgartner, small group coordinator
 Supports the larger ministry of CTS
 Is in a growing relationship with Jesus
BASIC MINISTRY STRUCTURE AND EXPECTATIONS
Snapshot of a group meeting:
Welcome: This is a time to settle into the meeting and also to do
introductions. Very informal. This should feel like coming home to
family, not like a business meeting. Set out snacks. (5 minutes)
Sharing: This is crucial for healthy small groups. Members should
take turns to share their story with each other in a non-threatening
way and catch up with each other each week. (20 minutes)
Prayer: Sharing leads naturally into prayer. Praying for each other is
vital to the spiritual health of the group. This is expected to be done
at each gathering. (15 minutes)
Discussion: Scripture and topical studies based on each Sunday’s
message will be available on the small group webpage. These studies
entitled “Daily Discipleship” and “Daily Faith Practices” provide
questions and content for discussion of both the epistle and the
Gospel lesson. Generally it is a good idea to choose one study or the
other, and not to try to cover both studies in a week. So the content
is provided on the website, and the small group provides the depth
and application. You can also choose to do another study from
another resource—entirely up to you. (20-30 minutes)
Snapshot of group activities:
 Meet weekly—sometimes this is impossible, but try
 Play together—the groups should make time to have fun
together and invite friends to join in. Have a special fun event
every 4-6 weeks.
 Serve together—The small groups serve the community
(homeless shelter, Sharing Place food pantry, Meet Me Under
the Bridge, etc.) Serve together every 6 weeks, and send your
video to Pastor Libby to put on the “soon to happen mission tv
in the café.”
Fall 2013 Events for the Small Group Leader
 June 19, July 10, August 1—Orientation to small group
leadership
 Sunday Sept 8—Small Group Launch at CTS. You will have
booth space along the perimeter of the CLC to
advertise/recruit for your group.
 Thursday December 5—Thank you dinner. A time to debrief
from the semester and share what is working, what isn’t.
Weekly Schedule for small groups
Week 1—week of Sept 8-14
Week 2—week of Sept 15-21
Week 3—week of Sept 22-28
Week 4—week of Sept 29-Oct 5
Week 5—week of Oct 6-12—Play Together
Week 6—week of Oct 13-19—Serve Together (Trunk n Treat Oct 19)
Week 7—week of Oct 20-26—
Week 8—Week of Oct 27-Nov 2
Week 9—week of Nov 3-9
Week 10—Week of Nov 10-16
Week 11—Week of Nov 17-23—Play together
Week 12—Week of Nov 24-30—Serve Together (Thanksgiving Nov
28)
December—break.
Resume in January 2014 to a similar schedule.