A GUIDE TO CREATING A FORMATION GROUP : WOMENS’ EDITION

So, you want to start a women's group. It can be overwhelming, and you may not know where to begin. Every group is different, but hopefully these suggestions are enough to get you started. If you would like more information or help navigating leading your group, please schedule an appointment for consultation! tecumministries@gmail.com. 

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?

It is very important to establish what you would like to accomplish by forming a small group. Maybe you are looking for community, accountability, formation, structure or just some new friends. It’s important to have a tangible mission and measurable goals. Without these to focus us and see the fruitfulness of the group, it is easy to lose track of our efforts and purpose. Be sure your goals are measurable. 

SAMPLE MISSION 

Grow closer to the heart of God, with the help of Mary our Mother, and in doing so become more fully who we are created to be as daughters, sisters, wives and mothers. Our Lady of Guadalupe, our patron, pray for us.  

SAMPLE GOALS: 

1. To more deeply integrate prayer personally and relationally, growing in our Catholic faith and relationship with God. (Measured by: self report) 

2.  To aid each other in discernment of our gifts, vocations and Vocations  

(Measured by: people starting to tangibly using their gifts to be involving in the Church/ministry) 

3. To create sisterhood through fostering vulnerability, accountability, and virtue. (Measured by: how deeply are sharing, continuity of building friendships in and out of attending group)

WHO WILL YOU INVITE?

Will you invite a few close friends? Open it up to your parish or area? If you need to have a closed small group for now, that's fine. If you are looking to build a new community at your parish, consider an open group. 

HOW WILL YOU INVITE THEM?

Think about your communication method for inviting women to join each week. You may want to advertise through the parish website, bulletin or via social media. You may want to create a text or email group or to use a group messaging app to allow for reminders and prayer requests. 

WHERE WILL YOU MEET? 

We suggest meeting in your home. You may also meet at your church or a cafe, but meeting in your home provides a level of hospitality, comfort and safety that public spaces lack. 

HOW OFTEN WILL YOU MEET?

We suggest meeting weekly. Even if members are only able to make it biweekly or monthly, consistency is key for accountability and community building. 

WHEN WILL YOU MEET?

We suggest choosing a week night and time and keeping it the same to build consistency. If women know you meet in the same location, on the same night, at the same time, they don't have to worry about figuring out specifics every week as they discern their schedule. 

WHAT IS YOUR STRUCTURE?

Start by welcoming people personally as they enter the meeting space, and offering water, tea, and/or snacks. Allow people to gather and chat naturally for the first few minutes. Then open with prayer and consider discussing your mission statement and setting expectations. Be sure to share your names if anyone is new. I like to start discussion time with everyone sharing “roses and thorns”, the high and low of their week. This helps us get to know one another, begin to share vulnerably and also helps with accountability. After sharing roses and thorns, we dive into our content for the night. This might look like a book study, series, scripture reading or even opening the floor with a topic for discussion. After a review of the material, we have open discussion time. Sometimes this looks like small group questions, sometimes this looks like organic sharing and conversation.  We have a list of resources that can help you get started. Always be sure to close with prayer. This could be in the form of a quick Hail Mary, decade of the rosary, Night prayer, prayers of intercession, or Litany of Trust. Closing with prayer signals that the meeting is over and if people need to leave, they can. If you are able, consider inviting people to stay for refreshments and/or casual conversation.

We hope these steps help you create a course of action for building community in your parish! If you would like resource suggestions or help navigating leading your group, please contact us at tecumministries@gmail.com.