This leader is responsible for planning, preparing, and presenting the weekly interactive Bible study sessions with an emphasis on helping people learn how to study Scripture and live it out in their own lives. We encourage these lessons to be less lecture and more discussion oriented.

We will also help you with the curriculum for your group. Our church organizes “campaigns” several times a year where we align the topics in Worship and Life/Home Groups – we often include Youth as well. These typically occur during high attendance seasons when we have a lot of visitors on campus such as the first of the year and after Easter or Fall semester.  For the weeks we are not aligned, we allow each group to select the series that they would like to study. We only ask that you notify a Discipleship Minister as to what that series is and how long it will last. Cottonwood Creek will supply all leaders/Teachers with access to a variety of curriculum resources to assist with that process.

TEACHER WILL

1. Attend Leadership Meetings as scheduled.
2. Develop a lesson each week that communicates the Bible message in a way that involves individual group members in the process.
3. Encourage, affirm, and communicate regularly with the Director to stay in touch with the happenings of the Life Group.
4. Work to develop an assistant teacher who can substitute teach when the primary teacher is out.
5. Inform the Leader/Director when absent and plan as far in advance as possible.
6. Lean on an assistant teacher or other qualified substitute can teach, before calling church staff.
7. Help care for the Life Group.

The leader in this position is responsible for developing fellowship within the group and for developing leadership that facilitates fellowship, care, and ministry involvement in the Life Group.  They serve as the organizational lead for the group. While there are several functions that fall under the Director’s responsibilities, we strongly recommend that the Director delegates these responsibilities to members of the group. Not only will this alleviate the burden of one person trying to cover so many tasks, but it also increases engagement within the group. When group members share ownership of the group and operate within their individual gifting, their commitment to the group increases and they experience the joy associated with serving others from areas of strength.

DIRECTOR Will:

1. Attend Leadership Meetings as scheduled.
2. Encourage, affirm, and communicate regularly with the Teacher to keep the Teacher informed about what is going on in the Life Group.
3. Recruit and encourage each member of the group to find a place to serve somewhere in a ministry.
4. Be responsible for keeping accurate group records.
5. Make sure all guests are greeted and fill out the Welcome to Life Group form.
6. See that all visitors and new Life Group members are contacted by phone, e-mail, or with a card.
7. Identify and develop care groups.
   1. Examples: smaller dinner groups, gender-specific Bible study groups during the week, etc.
8. Involve the Life Group in ministry projects.
   1. Example: Cancer Care Ministry, The Gift, etc.
9. Communicate the weekly announcements via the weekly email.
10. Enlist and train an Assistant Director who will fill in when the primary Director is out.
11. Develop an environment of joy and fellowship to develop relationships in the room. 
    1. Examples: facilitate ice breaker conversations, bring donuts, host parties, plan lunches on Sunday after church, etc.
12. Help plan for the Life Group to eat together after church once a month.
    1. Note: not everyone will be able to make it every month, so don’t try to find a perfect date. Put something on the calendar each month and invite everyone to it and watch the natural bonding that occurs over meals.
13. As the Life Group launches, this position needs to delegate someone to coordinate refreshments for Sunday mornings.
14. This is an easy role to delegate to another member! The key is to keep a schedule and send out reminders the week prior.