FAQ’s
How can New Life help my church or me create, revive or equip Life Groups?
How do I start a Life Group?
How can I introduce the idea of a Life Group to my church and church leaders?
Is there special training I have to go through in order to be leader?
What is a good size for a Life Group?
What material/curriculum is available for Life Groups?
What resources are available for Life Group leaders?
Is there special pricing for Life Group materials?
What do we do after the group is finished?
How do I find and get involved in a Life Group?
Q: How can New Life help my church or me create, revive or equip Life Groups?
A) New Life’s – Life Group Department
Our Life Group Department is a free resource designed to help you and/or your church develop healthy restorative Life Groups. We have helped establish hundreds of groups all over the country and are committed to helping people through God’s truth and connection. We are your go-to for all your questions and needs for all things Life Groups!
If you have questions about…
- how to start a group
- have questions about small group material
- are looking for suggestions about what may work well for your current small group
- want to see how DVDs can enhance your group and work together with small group materials
- need promotional material
- need to purchase materials for your group
- are looking to expand your church’s Recovery/Life Group ministry
- are looking to introduce a particular Life group topic into your church
- need to find deeper help for someone in your group through counselors or workshops
B) Our online Life Group Registration
You can register any of your church’s support groups here, http://newlife.com/small-groups/register-your-small-group/. This will allow us to direct people to local churches and/or small groups who are browsing our website or calling our 1-800-NEW-LIFE phone number. This has proven to be a great resource for people looking to connect with peers who are seeking healing and community. Your group may be the answer to someone’s prayers.
C) Network of over 1,000 Christian Therapists
If someone in your group is in need of deeper healing, New Life has a nationwide network of therapists available to help. We have special negotiated contracts to help with costs for people and we can pair people to therapists by topic, age, sex, cost and a variety of other variables.
D) New Life Workshops – Marriage Workshops – Every Man’s Battle Workshops – Lose IT for Life Workshops
New Life weekend workshops happen a few times a year and are 72 hours of intense intentional connection with group therapy, biblical truths, connecting with peers, accountability and a break from the daily routine. From couples in marriage crisis to depression or overeating; men with anger issues to sexual addictions, these are just a few of the topics covered at these powerful workshops.
This unique weekend combines main teaching sessions and intense small group breakouts to create a workshop unlike any other! In the main sessions Steve Arterburn, the founder of New Life Ministries, gives hope for past mistakes and freedom from unhealthy patterns in your life. Then in the small group counseling sessions, you focus on your specific issues with a trained counselor. These workshops, by far are probably the most exciting part of our ministry. We see God move in real time and see broken people have hope restored by the end of the weekend.
http://loseitforlife.com/
http://www.everymansbattle.com
http://loseitforlife.com/
http://newlife.com/nlmw/
E) Leader/Facilitator Support
Flyers are available in PDF and JPG formats for your church to use to help promote the churches groups to the community at large or just within your own church.
I am also a direct resource for you, your church and ANY facilitator your church appoints to lead one of these groups. I know people will have questions on the material or on how to handle a situation which may arise in a group; I am here to help in any way I can.
F) Discounted Prices
We love seeing these groups pop up in churches and in homes and we do not want cost to be a factor in someone joining or participating in a group like this. So we like to do our best to lower prices for churches/facilitators.
Q: How do I start a Life Group?
It’s as easy as gathering a few friends, church mates, co-workers (or whomever God brings in your path) together, picking the curriculum which best suits the needs of your group, picking a day, place & time to meet, calling us to order your Life Group materials and then following the easy facilitator instructions each time you meet.
The material is designed for the facilitator to also participate in the group and is easily adaptable to any schedule.
Life Groups can take place within a few settings:
- Through your church: Allowing the leadership team at your church to set up groups like these is a great way to get more people connected and to have the additional support of your church.
- On your own: You can also run a LG on your own in a home with a group of friends, family, co-workers, other church participants, etc. These groups are so helpful for people who may belong to a church that does not (or will not) address a topic which they may need support in. Finding like-minded people who need connection and accountability is a huge blessing for everyone involved.
Both group settings are great!
Q: How can I introduce the idea of a Life Group to my church and church leaders?
If you have a passion for a recovery topic, whether it be weight-loss, sexual purity, depression or drugs & alcohol, and your church is not addressing these issues; we can help you share your passion for hurting people with your churches leadership team. We have tools and information for you to share with you pastors and/or church leadership to educate them on statistics and the need in their church. Pastors are not always aware of some of the needs within their church when it comes to recovery. You can be sure that if God is placing a burden and passion on your heart, there are people in your church who are also in need of the same type of group.
We would be happy to connect with anyone at your church to discuss how any of the Life Groups can partner easily with other recovery ministries within the church.
Q: Is there special training I have to go through in order to be leader?
No. There are no special training classes you need to participate in in-order to be qualified to lead a group.
Q: What is a good size for a Life Group?
We find that the healthiest groups which show the most participation are in-between 2-8 people in size. HOWEVER, that does NOT mean your group has to be limited to those numbers. Groups over 8 are just as beneficial.
When in groups over 8, we would recommend a corporate time together to discuss the main subjects and then breaking into smaller groups to go through the workbook and discussion questions. This will ensure that everyone has a chance to share freely. People are more likely to keep quiet and hide in a larger group setting.
Q: What material/curriculum is available for Life Groups?
New Life Ministries has several specially designed Life Group curriculum which address specific topics…
- Healing Is a Choice – Focuses on 10 lies that we tend to buy into which causing emotional and spiritual trauma.
- Every Man’s Battle – Group focused on contending for sexual and moral integrity in life and become the man, husband, father and friend that God has designed men to be.
- Lose IT for Life – Body image and weight loss program designed to get down deep to uncover what’s feeding your eating.
- Life Recovery – 12-Step Addiction Recovery program designed for ALL areas of recovery
- How We Love – Strengthen your marriage by identifying yours and your mates love styles.
- Boundaries – Establish healthy physical, emotional and spiritual boundaries in all areas of your life
- Boundaries In Marriage – Establish healthy boundaries within your marriage.
*For a full description for each of these titles please click here.
Q: What resources are available for Life Group leaders?
New Life has special material designed for Life Group leaders including; Sample Calendars, Week by Week Summary’s, Digital and Print flyers to promote your group, Facilitator Guides, Registration capability to help connect local people with your Life group, and much more.
Visit the Life Groups – Downloads page at http://newlife.com/lifegroups/downloads/ for a full list of downloadable content.
There is also a fantastic book by Cloud and Townsend called Making Small Groups Work which gives a brilliant outline of what a small group is and the roles of each person involved. You can view or order the book here, http://bit.ly/kIAQ8T.
Q: Is there special pricing for Life Group materials?
Yes!!! We are committed to working with you to provide the best pricing available so that people will get connected in a Life Group without a financial burden over their heads. These prices are only available through the Life Group Development Department.
Call or email me today to find out what our special prices are for you.
Q: What do we do after the group is finished?
Once your group is finished, we recommend continuing on together in one of New Life’s other many Life Group curriculum. The bond you will experience within your group will only be strengthened as you continue to live your life together in community. Lifelong friends and relationships come from participating in a group like these, where fellowship, intimacy, and prayer and are lived together throughout the week.
We also recommend ‘paying it forward’. I am sure that there are people in your life, home, work place, and church who you know would benefit from a group like this. We urge you to pray about starting your own group or connecting people you know who need a group like yours with the help you received.
Q: How do I find and get involved in a Life Group?
To locate a Life Group near you, call 1-800-New-Life (639-5433) and tell the Ministry Service Representative that you are interested in finding a group near you. Or, you can click here, enter your zip code in the field search and select a topic you wish to get involved with and search for a group!
Keep in mind that not all groups are listed online, so we also recommend giving us a call.
