The essence of Careforce Lifekeys is an encounter with TRUTH followed by a SMALL GROUP experience for the purposes of Support, Processing and Accountability.

The way the small groups are run is crucial.   It can't just be any old style of small group encounter. It requires carefully applied protocols for Careforce Lifekeys to be safe and effective.  That's going to require TRAINING.

The Truth encounter is our contribution.  We supply the teaching input on DVD or USB.

The success of Careforce Lifekeys in your setting will depend primarily on the other side of the equation - the quality of the Small Group leaders helping participants stay safe and stay working on the truth they are hearing.

The Small Group leaders are called FACILITATORS.

The key to having quality Facilitators is TRAINING and SUPERVISION.

There is a temptation for those beginning Lifekeys ministry to assume they know how small groups work.  There is a temptation to want to do a minimum of preparation and start running programs immediately.  Please don't!

When non-professionals are working with hurting people it is vital that there be clear protocols, clear structure and a supervised environment.  Please see this video for a 5 minute explanation by Dr Allan Meyer about the importance of training for small group leaders – ‘the deep end/shallow end of the pool.’

In 1992 we developed and conducted our first Facilitator Training Course.   We have been refining and improving it ever since.   The results have been thrilling beyond all initial expectations.  The success of our approach to training has resulted in Careforce Lifekeys being embraced by more than 2,000 churches across Australia and New Zealand, plus 23 other nations.  In Australia alone over 100,000 men have completed the Valiant Man Program.  Over the past few years our training and programs have been translated into Russian, German, Czech, Indonesian and French with the Small Group Leader and Facilitator Training being translated into Mandarin.

What we have to offer you works in a wide variety of settings, as long as you don't try to cut corners or avoid adequate preparation.  People are worth the best.  If you want to get started be prepared to do the work, and do the work thoroughly.  Please click here to view a 25 minute Introductory Session from the Small Group Leader & Facilitator Training course.

STEP ONE - RECRUITING for SMALL GROUP LEADER AND FACILITATOR TRAINING

An effective way of recruiting is to have an Information Evening and share the vision and the potential for church health and evangelism.  Show the 5-minute video that explains the concept of the deep and shallow end of the pool in working with groups. Then follow this with the 25-minute video of The Good Samaritan that casts vision for bringing transformation, healing, and discipleship to people. Have application forms available and at the end of the evening encourage people to sign up to do the training. Let them know this is about exploring and testing if this is a ministry area for them.

Who can be a Facilitator?

You may be surprised who turns out to be a good facilitator.  They don't have to be able to teach, that's not their role.  All Careforce Lifekeys programs have the teaching sessions on DVD or USB.

Look around your church and invite anyone who cares about, and connects well with people.   It can help if the person has a nursing, teaching or social work background - although that isn't always a guarantee that a person will facilitate well.   Allow people to enrol for the Facilitator Training Course and assess their readiness at the end of the training process.

How will you know if they are capable of facilitating?

Good participants make good facilitators.   Watch how well they participate and how appropriate they are in the group setting.  Sometimes the least likely people prove to be brilliant facilitators.

Some people will start out as participants in a course and end up wanting to train as facilitators.   We repeat our training every year to give those who came in as participants an opportunity to become part of the team. 


STEP TWO - RUNNING YOUR OWN SMALL GROUP LEADER AND FACILITATOR TRAINING

You are going to need your own registered copy of the Careforce Lifekeys Small Group Leader & Facilitator Training program, and a Participant Manual for every trainee.

The materials are thorough and self-explanatory.   The Small Group Leader & Facilitator Training kit comes with everything the leaders will need to know regarding recruiting, setting up the course and running each training session.   The kit includes all the DVD training material with its teaching sessions and demonstration group sessions.   Any competent leader will be able to draw a team together, follow the step-by-step instructions and run a successful training experience.

Let me repeat something we have already said:

The success of Careforce Lifekeys in your setting will depend primarily on the quality of your Facilitators - they are the ones who keep participants safe and keep participants working on the truth they are hearing.   Don't look for short cuts.  Do your training in its entirety.  People are worth it!

STEP THREE - SEARCH FOR LIFE

Before attempting to open the doors of Lifekeys Ministry to people from the wider church or community there is one more step you need to take.   Have the trainee Facilitators experience a Careforce Lifekeys program as participants.

It is always best if a trainee Facilitator has done a Careforce Lifekeys program before commencing the Facilitator Training Program.   The training makes more sense to those who have already experienced a program as a participant.  However, when churches are in the initial stages of launching Careforce Lifekeys, this may not be possible.  In this case most, if not all of the trainees will be starting from scratch.   They need to do a Lifekeys program themselves - to further their own growth and to give them more experience of the small group process.

The program we recommend is SEARCH FOR LIFE.

This program creates the least challenges for trainee facilitators to deal with.  It is foundational to the Careforce philosophy and helpful as a foundation to other programs, as well as being applicable to both men and women.

Completing this program will ensure:

• Skill levels are increasing.
• Trainee Facilitators have experienced more of their own healing journey.
• Supervisors can assess the readiness of trainees.

You are now ready to launch the ministry in your church and in your community.

The Small Group Leader & Facilitator Training Program has all the information necessary to help you establish Careforce Lifekeys on a sound footing.

Our Careforce Lifekeys staff will give you all the assistance they can by phone or email to coach you through the establishment of this ministry in your community.  We invite you to become part of the Careforce Lifekeys experience - ordinary people doing extraordinary things, reaching the world for Christ through the healing power of community.