Leading Life Groups

Serving the community is an integral part of not only our faith as followers of Jesus, but also as a community of believers together. It can become easy for us in groups to get in rhythms of getting together and even getting real without ever going out and serving together. How can we take that next step, and how does it benefit the people we serve as well as our groups? We (Ryan Lawrence, Mitzi Arellano, and Ashley Williams) are joined by Cheryl Read, our Service Teams and Outreach Pastor at Fellowship, to talk about the opportunities we have through our church to serve together. 

This episode features a lively discussion with Josh Carroll, Ryan Lawrence, Mitzi Arellano, Emily Harmon and Ashley Williams on inviting and welcoming new members into your life group.

(Part 2 of 2) In this episode, we are continuing our discussion with Kim Cockrell and Christine Lawrence on engaging with culture well within our life groups. We address the following questions: How do we help one another to feel seen, heard, and safe? Is it okay to "not see color"? What is the role of grace for one another in all of this, especially given the historical context of trauma for people of color? And finally, where do we go from here? Join us as we wrap up this discussion that is inspired by our value on "Getting Together" as a culturally and ethnically diverse body of Christ in unity. 

(Part 1 of 2) When it comes to shepherding people in groups well, it is important for leaders to be aware of how diverse backgrounds and cultures are interacting in groups. We should always lead with a Kingdom mentality, with eyes set on eternity to inform how we pursue unity; and we should also do this with a sensitivity to and appreciation for our diversity of culture. But how do we engage in discussions with our groups about race and culture? How can we develop an awareness of our own cultural lenses and those of the people in our groups? Finally, why should we talk about any of this? To address these questions and more, we are joined by two of our Life Group leaders at Fellowship Dallas. First is Kim Cockrell, who has a background in Human Resources, psychology, and counseling; and she is the Vice President of Operations at Toyota Financial Services. Our second guest is Christine Lawrence, who is a current Master of Biblical Counseling student at Dallas Theological Seminary and has served on the board of the Black Student Fellowship at DTS to lead out in these discussions among the student body. 

(Part 2 of 2) We are once again joined by Kelly Milazzo to continue our discussion on the importance of care for people in your group who are hurting. This week, we address some of the following topics: the priority and role of prayer and Scripture, practical ways to minister to suffering, and how to rally your group around someone who is hurting. 

(Part 1 of 2) Suffering is a challenging topic to discuss in our culture, but because of the reality of our fallen world (as Covid has reminded us), it is impossible to not be touched by it in some way even in our Life Groups. So, as pastors of our Life Groups, how can we be prepared to minister to our people who experience different forms of crisis and suffering? How can we be fully present and care for them in ways that are truly helpful? What are some unhelpful responses to suffering? For this two-part topic, we are joined by Kelly Milazzo (affectionately known as KMac), who is our Kids Operations Administrator at Fellowship Dallas.

Spiritual practices, rhythms, or disciplines are a vital part of every believer's spiritual development. But what does it look like to do spiritual practices in a community? In what ways are spiritual communities, especially those such as Life Groups, already participating in spiritual practices? Join us as we change up our format a bit in this episode to discuss this topic with our special guest, regular host, and Life Groups Pastor, Dr. Josh Carroll. Prior to his arrival at Fellowship, Josh earned his PhD in New Testament at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, where he lived for four and a half years with his wife, Melodie, and three sons. 

We are joined by Taylor and Jessie Lowrey, who both hold Master of Arts in Christian Education degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary, to discuss what healthy confession looks like in the context of life groups and why it is essential for experiencing spiritual growth together. Taylor is our High School Pastor at Fellowship Dallas, and his wife Jessie coordinates the Sports and Fitness outreach ministry at Northwest Bible Church.

This week, we are joined by Tyler Kibbe to cover the issue of listening well within the life group setting. Facilitating group discussion is a very important skill for leaders, and knowing how to help group members feel heard and cared for in truly healthy ways can be challenging. What is of great significance to this topic is how group members and leaders respond when someone is sharing. Authenticity and vulnerability is the first step, but how do we listen well without hastily offering potential solutions? How do we navigate group discussion between those who are more talkative and those who are more reserved? Join us as we address these questions. Tyler Kibbe is a current student at Dallas Theological Seminary in the Master of Biblical Counseling program and the Kids Worship and Curriculum Coordinator here at Fellowship Dallas. 

The obstacles created by Covid and meeting digitally have been difficult for groups, but spiritual stagnation in groups may also indicate that it is a good time to evaluate the culture within a group. In this first episode, we (the Life Groups Team at Fellowship Bible Church Dallas) will discuss what it looks like for a life group to become stagnant and offer helpful suggestions for energizing your group.