How to start a group

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The first step in the process of starting an Advance Group is to familiarise yourself with the Advance Group material that will guide you through every session and the overall Advance journey. Read all the introductory material and the first couple of sessions so that you are comfortable with the content and how things work.

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Prayer is key to every group time and a bedrock of our evangelism into the world. As you prepare to invite people into the Advance journey pray for those you reach out to, that the right people will join you on this adventure.

Pray before, during, and after every session, that the Lord will guide and lead each of you to the centre of His will and empower you for faithful life and service.

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After you have familiarised yourself with the material, decide how you would like your group to meet. There are hundreds of groups starting every month, the majority of which meet in person once a month for around two hours. But there are many groups that meet online through Zoom or another online platform, or meet with a different frequency or session length. Decide the model that works best for your group and give it a go.

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Reach out to those you would like to invite with a simple invitation and low-level commitment to try the first session together. Advance Groups have been conceived with between six to twelve people being involved but if it works for you to go bigger or smaller in group size feel free to work with what you have.

We don’t require that group leaders or members register themselves with us to be involved. However, we do strongly encourage any willing groups to register themselves via the Start A Group section of the Advance website so that we can understand more about the spread of Advance Groups across the world and encourage you on your journey by connecting you with bespoke evangelism resources, invitations to Advance gatherings and events, amazing stories from across the movement, and the assurance that we are praying for you.

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Invite people to a specific date for the first session but be prepared to be flexible if needed.  All that matters initially is to find a date to get the process started and try out session one together. If people then want to continue the Advance journey, you will then be able to set the plan for this, and the future dates, as part of the climax of session one.

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HOW LONG?

Sessions are designed to happen once a month for around 2 hours. This frequency gives a group time to put into practice what they have learned between sessions and not overwhelm the diary with a meeting commitment that becomes a burden rather than a blessing. Ultimately, though, it is for each group to decide what works best for them in their context.

HOW TO PRESENT?

Advance groups are designed to be outworked in an informal and highly interactive way, following the content and flow of each session in a conversational group style, with gentle leading from the leader/facilitator to keep things on track. However, some groups prefer to make the session more formal by teaching from the front in a more presentational style.

HOW ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY?

One of the five principles of Advance Groups is accountability and this element should be present in every session. We also encourage every leader/facilitator not just to promote a safe place for accountability within the group, but for every group member to have accountability in their Christian life, as a personal principle beyond the group, through their local church community, family life, key friendships etc. Intentionality is key with accountability.

HOW WILL WE COMMUNICATE?

Communication between group sessions is vital; a way to encourage one another to persevere in witness, to share updates, prayer requests, opportunities for evangelism, and so on. There are many ways to do this, but WhatsApp and Facebook groups are the most popular. Every group has the freedom to choose whichever method/platform works best for them.

HOW DO WE CONTINUE?

The first group session is the perfect opportunity to ask every group member to find and block out a date and time for next sessions (this is included as part of the session). There is no limit to how many dates you can book in advance, but most groups block between 6 months and one year ahead, which is a great way to ensure people commit to the journey early.

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Our goal is not to simply give you information and inspiration, but an invitation to actually go into the world with the hope of the gospel. Encourage each other to get practical with what you explore in the sessions and feedback to each other about how it’s going.

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Speaking of feeding back how it is going, we love to hear about what God is doing in your life and your group. Please share your stories with us, through the stories section on our website, so we can bless others in the movement (and beyond!) with how God is at work.

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There is no such thing as too much prayer. And because prayer is the fuel that moves evangelism, let’s keep praying.

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And now, after your first session is done, your next dates are in the diary, you are putting into practice what you’ve learned, are sharing encouragements with each other, and are continuing to pray, you are ready for the next step… Session Two!