New Options for online discipleship
Our mission is simple: Provide a quality and consistent Freedom Session experience for all who wish to find freedom and healing through Jesus.
Freedom Session ONLINE is a new way for you to partner with us by creating your own online community with others who are unable to meet in person. Our goal is to create a movement of FS Small Groups – you can be a part of that!
This option is popular with those who travel for work, who find childcare difficult and friends/relatives living in different cities.
Now you can begin a Freedom Session online small group with friends or family wherever they live. We’re here to help.
WE PROVIDE:
- Updated Teaching Videos of FS FOUNDATIONS I & II with embedded instructional segments to guide you through each session. FREE online streaming subscription.
- FREE Mid-week Mentor videos to coach and encourage participants during the week.
- Workbook Sets at quantity discounts that make sense for small groups. This is the only cost for participants. Each participant needs their own set.
- Online Small Group webinar Training and Support. We’re here to help!
Below are our best practices for creating a Freedom Session online community.
You can switch up the order a bit, but make sure to cover all the bases.
1. PLAN
Who: Your easiest option is to consider friends, acquaintances or even family members you already know. All Freedom Session Small groups – online or in person – are gender specific and work best in multiples of three (3, 6 or 9) since you will often break down into triads for more meaningful discussion.
When: day of week, time of day you will video conference for your small group discussion. Keep in mind, Foundations I & II is 20 weeks.
What: Register for your FREE Teaching Video Subscription and familiarize yourself with the materials and your Thinkific “Dashboard.”
2. PURCHASE
Purchase your FS workbook set and have each group member do the same. The workbooks are an essential component to the FS experience.
Workbooks should arrive in 4-10 days. Once yours arrive, the online group host (likely you) can watch the first teaching video and follow along in your workbook to see how the teaching integrates with the workbooks and Mid-week Mentors.
Pay special attention to the Small Group Discussion instructions given on the video and Small Group Experience questions in your workbook. Envision the discussion via video conferencing.
3. Prepare
Register for a “How to Host a FS Small Group” webinar. This training addresses both in person and online small groups.
Secure the commitment of those you’ve invited. Ask them for the full 20 week commitment upfront. Refer them to consider the Participation Commitment (page 06 of any FS workbook).
Identify a Video Conferencing tech host and test the video conferencing platform. This can be done by you or another group member. The primary responsibilities of your “tech host” include inviting others to the meeting (via email), launching the meeting and possibly breaking your online group into smaller triads for discussion.
Before launching your first “Session” or meeting, ensure all participants:
- create a secure and private environment where others are not listening in and they will not be distracted.
- prepare to have their video status set to “live” during the online meeting. This shows basic respect and engagement.
- cell phone scrolling or texting during the online meeting is not permitted.
4. Play
Option 1: Video conference together for 5-10 minutes, check in with each other, cover the Reality Check discussion and then each watch the Teaching Video independently, after which you re-connect for the Small Group Experience.
Option 2: Video conference together as in Option 1. Have your tech host play the Teaching Video on their screen and share with the others. Caution: you may experience a 1/2 second audio lag in the screen shared video playback.
Option 3: Each participant watches the teaching within 8 hours prior to your online Small Group Experience and only connect for the small group discussion.
In either scenario, participants follow along with the video and workbook instructions. Each participant must have their own workbooks and have completed the previous week’s homework.
Note the suggested Small Group Discussion time allotments and keep group members on track. (Find small group rules on pages 05 & 06 of every workbook)
At the end of Session 01, remind each participant to watch the Mid-week Mentor video which can be found in their “Thinkific” Teaching Video subscription or on the top menu of our website.