Leading a Group at St Aldates

Our vision as a church is this: we want to invite people to encounter Jesus, we want to equip people to follow Jesus in every area of their lives, and we want to inspire people to transform their contexts.

We are convinced that Groups play an absolutely key role in fulfilling this vision. This is an exciting time in the life of our church. Lots of people are connecting into our community, and we are seeing people coming to faith on a regular basis. They’re asking ‘what should I do next?'  It is an exciting opportunity and real challenge to take people from little experience of faith and church to being fully formed disciples of Jesus. At the same time we want to keep investing in those at the core of our church, and keep creating spaces where people can build friendships and grow in their faith. We would love to plant a number of new Groups, right across the city, in order to respond to this need.

This is where you come in! We would love you to consider starting and leading a new Group. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What do Groups look like at St Aldates?
Every Group is different, and will be shaped by the community of people that are a part of it. 

When do Groups meet?
Most Groups meet weekly on a Wednesday or Thursday night, for around 90-120 minutes. Some Groups meet on other nights of the week, some host occasional weekend gatherings, and others meet fortnightly instead of weekly

Who are Groups for?
Everyone! There are two main types of group - mixed groups, open to adults of any age, and 20s-30s groups. We also have focussed groups for Mums, Dads, Men and Women. Undergraduate and Postgraduate students have their own groups.

How big is each Groups?
We have about 40 Groups at St Aldates, ranging in size from 8-15 people, averaging around 12 people. How big your Group can be will be determined by the size of your venue.

What happens on a Group night?
Most groups meet in a home for food, social time, worship, bible study and prayer. Most groups meet weekly, and some meet fortnightly.

Do I have to do everything?
Absolutely not! In fact, we would very much encourage you to appoint key people to take responsibility for key aspects. e.g. appointing someone to be responsible for organising food each week or keeping the administrative aspects up to date. Play to your strengths, and don’t be afraid to ask your group for help!

So what do I have to do?

• Pastoring & Caring
  Groups provide a smaller community where people can be honest about how their lives are going. As a Group Leader, you are responsible for creating and nurturing a space for mutual care in your group. You are empowered as leaders to also lead in the group setting as an example for Christian living.

• Community emphasis
  While there is a centralised vision for community at Aldates, as a Group Leader, you can also set an emphasis for your group - it could be prayer, or worship, or deep biblical studies - whatever it is, we encourage you to pray about ‘what your group is about’. It can be really easy to forget why we meet together, and setting and holding a vision for what you want your group to be can really help the group to function well

• Organisation & Escalation
  As the Group Leader, you’ll be responsible for arranging a schedule (but we’ll provide you with a template), communicating this to the group and making sure different roles are covered. You’ll also be responsible for getting in touch with any new group members.
  

What support does St Aldates offer to Group Leaders?
We want to make it as easy as possible to lead a Group at St Aldates, whilst also being there for you to support you where needed. We facilitate termly Group Leaders nights, where we can gather and learn from one another, provide a guide for how to lead your group, provide Bible study resources each term, safeguarding training and access to the ChurchSuite platform in order to help you manage your group. Each group also has a Group Pastor who can meet up with you to chat, support you and pray, and also sign-post you to other resources such as the Pastoral Team.

Sounds good! How do I get started?
We would love to have a conversation with you! You can reach us at groups@stladates.org.uk