You are probably here because you are considering hosting a Pilot Community Group. Read through the following details and if you have any questions, feel free to email Kevin at kevin.rimando@bayareacc.org.

• Pilot Community Group Description. Pilot Community Groups are temporary communities that connect unconnected people at Bay Area into long-term discipleship communities, whether a Community Group or Men’s/Women’s Bible Study or something else.  

• Duration. Pilot Community Groups meet for 8-weeks, long enough for a new community to form and discern what is everyone’s next step.

• Size. We recommend that each group be capped at 10-15 people (if virtual, 6-8 screens).

• Format: We will provide a Pilot Community Group Guide for your 8-week journey. This guide will cover the Biblical basis of a discipleship community, and walk through biblical topics such as the Gospel, Community, Discipleship, Family, Service and Missionary. Each session is designed to take no longer than 90 minutes.

• Desired Outcome. At the end of the 8-weeks, the desired outcome is for everyone to be placed into a long-term discipleship community at Bay Area. Depending on who God brings to each Pilot Community Group, the discipleship community will look different. For some, their Pilot Community Group will become a new Community Group. If the Pilot Community Group does not become a new Community Group, then we will help place everyone into different Community Groups or other groups. The goal is for everyone to get plugged into a long-term discipleship community.

• Leadership. Each Pilot Community Group will be led by a Lead Host. It is highly recommended that one or two Co-Hosts help the Lead Host. (See link below for leadership qualifications and responsibilities.)

There are four steps to get your Pilot Community Group confirmed and launched.

1. Let us know that you're in and send us your meeting details

If you believe God is calling you to lead a Pilot Community Group during this season, please email Mary Anne at maryanne.mancillas@bayareacc.org. In your email, please include the following logistical information:

• What day & time your Pilot Community Group will meet? Will you be meeting weekly or biweekly?
• When is the earliest you can start your Pilot Community Group?
• How you’d like to meet with your Pilot Community Group (in-person, virtually, or hybrid)? If in-person, please provide where do you plan on meeting. 
• What is your group capacity - how many people you can host? This information will help us know when to close online registration. 
• Are you able to accommodate children?
• What kind of hosts are you: "foster parents" or "adopters"? Meaning, do you intend to simply host for 8-weeks then hand your people back to us to connect them into longterm community, or are you open to adopt them and form a Community Group after the 8-weeks. If you don't know right now, that is ok! You have until the 6th week of the Pilot Community Group to make a decision. Hopefully by then, the Lord will have already given you clarity. 

Once we have your commitment and information, we'll form a registration on the website. We are aiming for registration to go live in early September, along with communication blast.

2. Follow-up with everyone who registers

You will get an email from everyone who registers to your Pilot Community Group. Please respond promptly to everyone who registers, ideally within 24 hours. In your email, you'll want to include:

• A warm welcome  
• Congratulating them taking this step to get connected in community
• Info about yourself and your Pilot Community Group
• Tell them when you plan on starting. Feel free to hold off with this info; you might want to wait until your Pilot Community Group reaches full capacity. I recommend you getting about 80% full, then starting.

3. Launch your Pilot Community Group

You get to determine when to launch your Pilot Community Group. If you haven't yet inform your people, go ahead and send out another  email with details of your first meeting.

4. Contact us your 6th week of your 8-weeks

If you are "foster parents" just let Mary Anne know after you finish your Pilot Community Group, and she will find them another longer-term discipleship community.

If you believe God is calling you to "adopt" your Pilot Community Group and turn it into a Community Group, let's connect so that you can trained. Email me at kevin.rimando@bayareacc.org.

That's it!