Leader Guide // Community Groups – Week 1

Leader Guide Introduction
This expanded Leader Guide is designed to be used alongside the standard Community Group guide. While the standard guide gives you the core questions and practices for your group, this version adds coaching, background notes, and tips to help you lead with confidence. Use it to frame discussions, know where to press deeper, and create space for honesty, prayer, and growth.

Series: Live the Story, Tell the Story
Message: Where the Story Begins and Ends (Psalm 1 & 150)
Big Idea: Fulfillment doesn’t come from what’s around you, but from what you’re rooted in. Superficial Christianity pastes on a smile. Rooted Christianity digs deeper in the drought. Roots before fruit. Presence before pressure.

Opening Question (5 min)

Participant Prompt:
When have you thought, “If I just had ___, I’d finally be satisfied”? How long did that satisfaction last?

Leader Notes:

  • Keep this light at first — people might say things like “a new car,” “a vacation,” “a raise.” Let the group laugh a little.

  • Then help pivot: “Did that satisfaction last?” This primes people to think about the ache for fulfillment, which Psalm 1 exposes.

  • Encourage honesty — this question is about surfacing shared humanity, not “right” answers.

Scripture Snapshot (5 min)

Passages: Psalm 1:3, Psalm 150:6

Leader Notes:

  • Don’t over-teach here. Simply read aloud together. You can invite two people to read (one for each verse).

  • Emphasize the contrast: Psalm 1 = roots, Psalm 150 = fruit/praise. Bookends of the Psalms.

  • Ask: “What words or images stand out to you?” Let them notice before you explain.

The Ache, the Root, and the Fruit (30 min)

Leader Notes:
This is the main discussion block. Break it into two parts:

  • Part 1: Exposing superficial faith (The Ache).

  • Part 2: Rooted responses (The Root).
    Wrap with Psalm 150 as the “Fruit.”

Superficial vs. Rooted Christianity (Examples)

  • Tears in Worship

  • Faith in the Dark

  • Trust in Loss

  • Hope for the Prodigal

How to Lead:

  • Read each contrast aloud slowly (Superficial vs Rooted).

  • After each example, pause and ask: “Does that resonate? Have you seen or felt this?”

  • Don’t rush — often the richest conversation is people sharing where they’ve been told the superficial answer before.

  • Vulnerability will model depth. If you as a leader share your own example first, it will free others.

Discussion Questions:

  • Which of these do you wrestle with most right now?

  • Where do you sense God inviting you to move from superficial to rooted faith?

Leader Tip:
If the conversation goes long on one example (e.g., depression, grief), that’s okay. Let the Spirit guide. The goal isn’t to cover every bullet but to help your group apply Psalm 1 personally.

Missional Story (5–7 min)

Story Recap: Edward Kimball → D. L. Moody → F. B. Meyer → J. Wilber Chapman → Billy Sunday → Mordecai Ham → Billy Graham → millions reached.

Leader Notes:

  • Emphasize: Edward Kimball had no idea of the ripple effects. He just discipled one boy.

  • Invite group reflection: “Who shaped your faith story?”

  • Be ready to share your own — maybe a parent, mentor, youth leader, friend.

  • Help them see: “Your fruit is bigger than you. God may multiply your faithfulness in ways you’ll never see.”

Discussion Questions:

  • Who has influenced your faith story?

  • Who might God be asking you to encourage or invest in this week, even if it seems small?

Practices for the Week (10 min)

Group Practices:

  1. Daily Scripture Rhythm (Roots): Read Psalm 1 daily (SOAP, Lectio, or pray it).

  2. Share Life Intentionally (Fruit Beyond You): Encourage, mentor, or pray for one person.

  3. Overflow in Praise (Fruit Now): Each day, turn one ordinary moment into praise.

  4. Remember and Invest (Missional): Thank God for one person who shaped your faith; take one step to invest in someone else.

Leader Notes:

  • Don’t present these as “homework.” Frame them as opportunities to practice rootedness.

  • Ask: “Which one practice could you commit to this week?”

  • Encourage people to share out loud so they can hold each other accountable.

  • If time is tight, highlight just the first three.

Prayer (15 min)

Share Prompt: Where do you feel restless or superficial right now? Where do you need deeper roots?

Leader Notes:

  • This is a chance to model vulnerability. If you go first, your group will feel safe to go deeper.

  • Encourage people to pray for one another — not just for needs, but specifically asking God to plant them deeper.

  • Suggested group prayer: “Lord, plant us by streams of living water. Make us resilient in drought, fruitful in season, and overflowing in praise.”

Closing Invitation

Leader Notes:

  • End with encouragement, not heaviness.

  • Remind them: this is not about perfection but about posture. Staying rooted is about consistent, ordinary faithfulness.

  • Say something like:

    “Live the story. Be planted in God’s Word. Stay rooted in His presence. And watch how your life tells His story — fruit that outlives you, praise that overflows through you, until everything that has breath praises the Lord.”