Group Leader’s Guide
Thank you so much for being a Group Leader at St Aldates! Our vision as a church is to invite people to know Jesus and into community, to equip them as disciples of Jesus, and to release them to transform their contexts. Groups are absolutely key to fulfilling this vision.
Through Groups, we want to invite everyone in our church into friendship and discipleship. Groups are invitational by their nature.nature. Groups equip people through studying scripture together, and accountability. They are also a training ground for leaders. Groups support each other as they seek to transform their own contexts, and can be transformative for the neighbourhood in which they meet too.
The Group Leader - What’s your role?
As a Group Leader, we’re looking to you to:
Set the vision for your group: what kind of group do you want to lead and be a part of?
Schedule and organise regular (usually weekly) meetings for your group
Working out what will happen in these meetings - who will host? Who will lead the different elements of your time together?
Work with the Group Pastors to welcome new people into your group
Make sure the details of your group and member list are up-to-date on ChurchSuite
Oversee the pastoral care of the members of your group, involving the pastoral team where necessary
Identify and raise up new Group Leaders, actively looking for opportunities to plant new groups
Attend Group Leader’s Meetings (usually once a term)
If stepping down, to inform the Group Pastors, and speak to them first before new leaders are appointed
The Group Pastors - What’s our role?
Our role is primarily to be there to support you!. We’re also here to:
Communicate a vision of Groups to the church
Connect people into Groups
Establish new Groups by working with you to recruit new leaders, and plant out of existing groups
Improve existing processes within the church
Resource Group Leaders
Listen and offer support if there are pastoral concerns within your group
What Resources do we offer you?
Catch-up meetings: we’re always happy to meet up for a coffee! Each Group is supervised by either Mark, Tom or Will, so speak to them in the first instance to arrange a meeting.
Visits: we’d love to visit your group and offer some teaching or prayer ministry
Resources: we both create resources and recommend them on the Group Resources page
FAQS
Can members of other churches join our Group?
We know that occasionally those outside our direct church community might look to join a St Aldates Group – we wouldn’t normally advise this, as we have limited capacity in our Groups and we want to focus on providing space for those from within our church, but we may occasionally make exceptions. Please contact the pastor looking after your group if someone from another church asks to join.
What do I do if I want to step down from Group Leading?
We acknowledge that sometimes people need to step down for any number of reasons, and we want to help you to finish well. Please speak to to the pastor supervising your group well in advance of your desired time to step down. We want to help you and your group to work through this transition and to assist in the recruiting of new leaders.
Safeguarding
As a church, we are committed to the safeguarding and protection of all children, young people and adults when they are vulnerable. Safeguarding is something that we’re all responsible for and, as Group Leaders, it may be that you become or are made aware of something which concerns you, or a member of your group may disclose something to you. Any concerns should be reported to the Parish Safeguarding Officers at safeguarding@staldates.org.uk, copying in the Group Pastor who is supervising your group. You can also seek advice from the Pastor supervising your group. You can find out more information and see our Safeguarding Policy here. All our Group Leaders receive safeguarding training – if you need to access this, check out our check-list for New Group Leaders.
Thank you so much for being a Group Leader at St Aldates!