Small Group Guides
Reading Across the Street and Around the World as a small group is for for believers who want to love other cultures right where they live but don’t know how to start—or move forward into something more. There are a few ways small groups can read, discuss and DO the book. First, just use the book! At the end of each chapter, you’ll find Reflection Questions to discuss. In the back of the book, use the Small Group Plan, and the Bible Reading List to add a Bible study component to the discussion. Use the supplemental videos to show for each chapter if you wish, and run the group how you prefer in an hour-long group time or book club format.
Second, use one of the free Small Group Guides below (a Six Week version and a Three-Month version). The creative, interactive, community format encourages the group to experience most aspects of missional community at an introductory level with the same time commitment as the average church small group. This includes eating together, praying in creative ways, and interacting with scripture and the chapter in a different way each week. The Guides are meant to be given to each group member so everyone knows what’s happening next, and the facilitator just has to keep things moving.
For those welcoming refugees, international students and cross-cultural neighbors
For potential long-term “goers”
For all believers who want to find their local or global role
ACROSS THE STREET (SIX WEEKS): To encourage believers to make spiritually deep friendships with people from different countries, right where they live, use the Across the Street Small Group Guide (Six Weeks) . This creative, interactive 1 1/2 hour group time covers the first five chapters of the book, the Across the Street section. This guide is perfect for the whole church to try. You’ll learn to find people from other countries in your city, enter their culture well, disciple them, and offer Jesus in a winsome way.
AROUND THE WORLD (SIX WEEKS): This Around the World Small Group Guide (Six Weeks) group is for believers who want to be inspired to consider a purposeful career living overseas, doing meaningful work, and offering Jesus to those in other cultures who have the least opportunity to hear. With a like-minded group of potential long-term “goers”, the group walks through the last four chapters of the book. They’ll count the costs, explore ideas, ask the questions, and get healthy enough to consider asking God the question, “God, will you send me to live in a strategic country?”
ACROSS THE STREET AND AROUND THE WORLD (THREE MONTHS). In the Three-Month version, use the Across the Street and Around the World Small Group Guide (Three Months) to walk a group step-by-step through the whole book in a creative, structured format that’s easy to follow…and includes food! This is planned around a two-hour (or so) format. But it’s flexible too. Take what you like and adapt what doesn’t work for your situation. Also, if you would prefer to do the book in twelve weeks instead of fourteen, we give suggestions for combining weeks.