What's the deal with the Four W's?

The "Four W's" is a short-hand name for the way we organize the time spent in our cell group gatherings. It's a four-part agenda that structures the group's time, moving the group through a balanced process that allows the group members to really be the church to one another.

The four elements are

• the Welcome Question
• the Worship Time
• The Word Time and
• the Witness Time.

(Follow these links for ideas on how to lead each of these sections.)

The Welcome Question is essentially an ice-breaker, meant to transition the group into intentional conversation. It's short, light and accessible to anyone.  The Worship Time is some kind of participatory activity that focuses the group's thoughts on God. It could be worship singing, meditation on a passage of scripture, some kind of artistic expression of prayer, or many other things.  It is always God-focused.  This is followed by The Word Time. This is a life-application discussion based on the central scripture or principle from the teaching the previous week at our weekend worship service. The goal of this time is to take the scripture from the sermon and apply it to each person's life in a relevant way. This time ends with an opportunity to pray for the group members as needed. This leads into the Witness Time, where the group focused outward, praying, planning and encouraging each other in their efforts to bless and serve the people around them.

This structure is based on several principles. First, it is a simple and sustainable agenda for the cell leader and the group. Instead of struggling to come up with something new for each weekly meeting, the leader can focus more on relationship building and spiritual support. Second, it gives focus to the conversations of the group, letting everyone know that there is time for everything--time in the Bible, time for prayer, time for accountability, time for relationship building. Third, it provides the greatest likelihood of a balanced and healthy small group, focusing the group upward toward God, inward in support for each other, outward in care and service, and forward with a sense of mission. (See UIOF for more on this important process.)

This agenda isn't meant to be an iron-clad inflexible structure. It's meant to serve the group and the leader's best interest by creating a simple, sustainable, and flexible framework. As the group session unfolds, the leader and the group can respond to what God seems to be doing among them. One evening worship may go longer. Another night when one group member is struggling, the group may spend more time ministering to that person. Another night, the group may spend more time planning an outreach activity. But in general, sticking with the Four W's provides a stable platform for the group to experience being the Church.