This post is part of a series of posts called XP3 101. Be sure to check out the entire series! You can check out the previous post in this series by clicking here.
Hey, I’m Brett! I’m an Orange Specialist here at Orange and I’ve been a youth pastor and a small group leader for a bunch of years, too. And because I’m so passionate about small groups and leading small group leaders, I want to take just a few minutes today to tell you about the resources that XP3 offers to help student pastors like you do small groups better. Because, here at Orange, we’re convinced that small groups are the most important thing you’ll do on any given week. It’s through small groups that we can give students someone (a small group leader) who knows them, and a place (a small group) where they belong.
You know a student or two, so this shouldn’t be news to you, but doing small groups for middle schoolers and high schoolers can be a little challenging, right? Because the adolescent years are so turbulent, and because kids this age are developing at such different rates mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually, creating a small groups strategy that works for everyone can be difficult. Not to mention training your small group leaders to manage all of that craziness!
So how do you create a small group discussion that is effective for middle schoolers and high schoolers? Well, we think small groups should be about a lot more than just rehashing the message you just taught. Effective small group discussions start with equipping small group leaders. That’s why our Small Group Guides are about more than just discussion questions. Sure, we’ve got those (and they’re written, reviewed, and perfected by a team of over a dozen people). But we also include a training section for small group leaders called Think About This, as well as a Try This section that features a really practical step or small group activity for your small group leaders.
We know leading a small group of middle schoolers and high schoolers has its own set of unique challenges, but we’re also convinced that small groups are the most important thing you’ll do as a church. Because if we want kids to believe, we need to first make sure that every kid is known by someone and has a place to belong.
And there you have it! That’s how XP3 helps you and your small group leaders make your small group time more effective. But we’ve still got a couple more things to cover in this XP3 101 blog series. Here’s what’s coming up next…
- What is XP3?
- What does “XP3” mean?
- The 7 Segments
- Teaching with XP3
- The XP
- The Parent Cue
- Small Groups
- Scope & Cycle
- XP3 MS and HS differences
- What is an Orange Specialist?
- More Resources for Student Pastors
Next week we’ll dive into the XP3 Scope & Cycle, explaining what it is and how it works. Thanks for reading!
