A KICKSTARTING GUIDE

SETH DAISEY
KOINONIA SMALL GROUP MINISTRY

Koinonia Mentorship

Introduction
Welcome to the Koinonia Mentorship Kickstart Guide. This resource
is designed to be an aid to you as you take on the opportunity to encourage
and mentor other small group leaders within the ministry. In the past,
mentors were given little direction on how to build and establish a solid
relationship with their small group leaders. In light of that, the Koinonia
Mentorship Kickstart Guide was created to help give some direction and
clarity while navigating the formational stages of your relationship with
your small group leaders.
There are outlined ideas and suggestions for your first three meetings,
so this guide will help you with the first 6 to 8 weeks of your mentoring
relationship. This guide is to be used in conjunction with the Leader
Manual: An Insiders Guide to Starting in Small Group Ministry. You
should have been given this manual already by your team leader. However,
if you do not have one, contact the College Ministries Office. They either
will have one available for you, or can order one for you.
A final note is that this guide is not intended to limit you in your
mentoring relationship, but to empower you. This Koinonia Guide is simply
that, a guide. The most powerful component of your relationship with your
small group leader is your personal experiences and your personal
connection. Because of that, do not feel tied or stuck to what is in the
Mentorship Guide. Feel free to add to, take away, or adjust anything as you
see appropriate. It is the hope of the Koinonia Ministry Team that this will
be a big help to you in your relational connection with your small group
leaders.

Meeting #1: Establishing Connection

Preparation: 1) Be sure to obtain a copy of An Insiders Guide to Starting in
Small Group Ministry to give to your small group leader.
They may have the manual already, in which case you do not
have to give them another one.
2) Be familiar with the content in the Leader Manual. You do
not have to know everything, but be able to refer your small
group leaders to a specific section of the manual if they
raise any questions or concerns.

Meeting Outline:
I.

II.

III.

IV.
V.

VI.

Establish Initial Connection

a. Get to know things such as their name, where they are from, their major,
what they like to do, etc.
b. Share a little about yourself (where you are from, your major, etc.)
Explanation of Role
a. Explain your position as a Mentor and what your role will be in relation to
the small group leader
i. Meeting every two or three weeks
ii. Help with concerns or issues being faced by small group leader
iii. Voice small group leaders concerns to Koinonia leadership
iv. Build a relationship with the small group leader
Time for Sharing
a. Share your personal faith journey (however much you feel comfortable
with) and ow you became involved in Koinonia
b. Invite the small group leader to share their faith journey and why they
decided to be a small group leader
c. Ask them about what they think their areas of strength are for being a
small group leader and about any concerns they may have
Testimony Sharing
a. Share a short testimony about how being involved in Koinonia has shaped
your college experience
Invite Questions
a. Ask the small group leader if they have any questions about being a small
group leader
i. It is likely that they will have startup questions dealing with how to
contact their group members or how to find a meeting time
Close in Prayer

Meeting #2: Bible Study Content

Preparation: 1) Read and understand the 4MAT Learning Styles found on pages
12 and 13 in An Insiders Guide to Starting in Small Group
Ministry.

Meeting Outline:
I.
II.
III.

IV.

V.

VI.
VII.

Spend a few minutes catching up and having small talk

Most likely, the small group leader has had their first meeting. Ask them how
it went.
Get to Know Their Group
a. Ask them what kind of group they are leading. Common types of groups
include:
i. Floor Bible Studies
ii. Peer Bible Study
iii. First-Year Bible Studies
iv. Co-ed Bible Studies
b. Ask them why they wanted to lead that particular kind of group
Ask whether they have decided what content or subject they want to focus on.
If not, give them some ideas
a. Common content includes:
i. A specific book of the Bible
ii. A topic (prayer, forgiveness, love, etc.)
iii. Testimony Sharing (common in floor Bible Studies)
Go over the 4MAT Learning Styles with them on pages 12 and 13 of the Leader
Manual
a. Help the small group leader to understand the different learning styles and
how including all of them into their Bible study can enrich the experience
for their members
Let them know about the resources available to them through Koinonia
a. The Koinonia Library
b. RightNow Media
Close in Prayer

Meeting #3: Commitment

Preparation: 1) Read and understand Barriers to Relationship Building on pages
71 to 76 of An Insiders Guide to Starting in Small Group
Ministry. You may also want to read Relationship Building on
pages 61-75 as this can provide some good points of reference.

Meeting Outline:
I.
II.
III.
IV.

V.

VI.

Spend a few minutes catching up and having small talk

Ask about the groups last meeting (What they studied, how it went, etc.)
Ask the small group leader if they used any of the 4MAT Learning Styles is
their group meetings.
a. If they did, ask them how it went
Now that the group is a few weeks into their study, ask the small group leader
to reflect on the first few weeks
a. What do they think they did well?
b. What do they think they can improve on?
c. Where are their group members spiritually?
i. How can they meet them at their point in their spiritual walk?
d. Do they see any potential issues?
Spend some time looking at Barriers to Relationship Building on pages 71-76
of the Leader Manual
a. Take some time to explain how strong relationships normally result in
higher commitment from Bible study members
b. Here are some helpful reflection Questions
i. Is relationship-building a priority within your group?
ii. Do any of these barriers exists in your group?
iii. What are some appropriate ways to confront these barriers?
Close in Prayer

Conclusion
We hope that this Mentorship kickstart Guide helpful to you and your mentoring
relationship with your small group leaders. Hopefully, by this point in your relationship,
you are ready to begin engaging in deeper ways with your small group leaders. Here are
some helpful ideas moving forward:
1) Try taking your small group leaders off campus to do something
2) Maybe sit-in on one of their Bible studies to meet the whole group
3) Help the small group leaders create an event such as a pizza party or movie
night that would be a fun activity for their group

The opportunities that you have going forward to have an impact on small groups is
incredible. Now that you have an established connection with the leader, start going
deeper and forming relationships with small group members. This way, you can have a
greater impact, and have a more accurate perspective on the health of Koinonia in the
local level. Thank you for taking your time and energy to invest in the small groups and
Bible studies on this campus!