Running An Online Collective.
This is a guide on how to optimally run a Collective on an online platform, such as Google Hangouts or Zoom.
Don't feel you need to follow this exactly, but it's helpful tool for online facilitation to use as you wish.
You will need at most four core people playing the following roles: Host, Facilitator, Worship Leader (no pressure, only if you want to!) and Word Leader. If your group is under-supported by core leaders, these roles can be played by two or even just one person.
Host
Your role is to:
Understand the basics of how the app works.
Have every participant’s email contact added to your app’s contact list and create the online meeting.
Invite everyone into it or send out the invitation link.
Re-invite everyone back into the online meeting if the app’s time limit is reached and everyone is disconnected automatically.
Problem-solve tech issues, for the cell as a whole or for individuals, if they arise.
When the meeting is done, to click ‘End meeting’.
Facilitator
Your role is to:
Open the night in prayer.
Facilitate Welcome and its transition into Worship.
To actively pass the 'Welcome' on and sharing from one participant to another, making sure everyone is heard.
Ensure that everyone contributes and that no one is left out.
Set a warm and caring atmosphere.
Worship Leader
Your role is to:
Pick your song(s).
Put it onto a slide and broadcast it to your group via Share Screen.
Lead everyone into Worship by singing and closing in prayer.
Word Leader
Your role is to:
Lead everyone into a facilitated Word time, using the Emmaus Way or relevant resource.
Lead everyone into prayer.
Set an atmosphere where faith is grown and God is central.
Host
Welcome everybody and introduce yourself as the Host for this online Collective.
Tell everyone that your role is to make sure the technology is working for everybody.
Go one quick round — say hello to each person in the meeting, and get them to respond.This helps to establish that everyone in the room is acknowledged.
It also helps to test everyone’s mic and speakers to ensure everyone can hear each other.
When the last person has been acknowledged, pass it on to the Facilitator, who will take over.
Facilitator.
Open in prayer and invite God’s presence into the online meeting.
Explain that because we are not physically in the same room, our conversation needs to be based on turn-taking.
If anyone has something to add, they can raise their hand to their cam and the facilitator can bring them into the conversation at the right time.
Ensure everyone that you will give everyone a chance to share.
Welcome.
Facilitate everyone into a simple turn-based sharing, eg:
how has work/living been for you since we started restricted movement?
what kind of impact have you felt the most now that most places are closing?
(This helps you feel the mood on the ground as we adapt to new realities. Discussing the restricted movement is unavoidable and one might as well tackle it head-on here.)
Depending on your group dynamics, after each person is done sharing, you can either let the next person (whoever it may be) start sharing, or you can call out someone to share
Note: It’s not a bad idea for the facilitator to have a hand-written list of participants to mark and track who has shared (and how many times) and who hasn’t.
When the last person has shared (it might be the Facilitator themselves), pass the time over to the Worship Leader.
Worship Leader.
Have 1-2 songs prepared, with lyrics on slides.
Before you begin, ask everyone to mute their respective devices, leaving you as the only one with a mic that’s switched on. You can get a thumbs up from everyone to ensure this is done.
Thank them, and you can open in prayer while you get your lyrics slides up.
(On Zoom, click on your Share Screen function > Go to your Powerpoint/Keynote and play your your song slides).
Note: At this point, your whole screen and all your windows, desktop files, etc will be visible to everyone.Your song slides will now be on everyone’s screens and will remain on their screens till you click ‘End Share Screen’.
Now start singing and trust that everyone else is singing/worshiping along from where they are.
You can declare scripture or exhort your people in between songs as you normally would.
When you are done, pray to close and click ‘End Share Screen’. Thank everyone and tell them they can un-mute their devices again.
Word Leader.
Lead your Collective through the Emmaus Way resource for the week (you could have everyone pull the website up on their screens at the same time so they can follow along).
Facilitate everyone sharing.
The Word Leader or Collective Leader can share any relevant insights to the group to lift up their faith.
Pray.
Prayer in a small online Collective:
If your group is small, you can all take turns to pray, with either the Word Leader or CL closing the Collective in prayer.
Then thank everyone, say goodbye, and the Host clicks on ‘End meeting > End meeting for all’.
Prayer in a big online Collective:
If your group is big, you can close in prayer, read out triplets of names and get them to call each other on the phone or a whatsapp video call and pray for each other there.
After all the phonecalls are made, text the Collective WhatsApp group and thank everyone for their participation and to join again next week.
After your Collective.
Debrief with your leaders after the session is done.
Let your Site Pastor know how your online Collective went and what you learnt from it.
Follow-up with your people as per normal, with phone calls, WhatsApp etc.
Prep your leaders for the next week.