Ideally, DC co-leaders have prior experience with DC. But of course that’s not possible when you haven’t used DC yet!
In those cases, co-leaders will do fine if they are reasonably effective at facilitation (particularly in dealing with tangents). More knowledge is usually better than less, but a ton of knowledge is not required to facilitate DC ably. Teaching experience is helpful, but again, facilitation rather than teaching is what’s required. And we recommend two leaders for a variety of reasons (discussed in the Leaders Guide).
Because expectations in running a DC group are uncommon, co-leaders should watch the videos on our website. Ideally, co-leaders would watch them together—to foster useful conversation about what they’ve seen.
This covers everything you’ll need to get started with DC. But we do a trainings for co-leaders just after DC101 and an especially important training prior to DC301. Make sure to check into these resources when you get there!
Training:
Two three-hour sessions/videos—each with a teaching session and a simulation to model a DC group experience
Teachings:
- Day 1, part 1: 1.5 hours on recruiting and shepherding within DC
- Day 2, part 1: 1.5 hours using relevant portions of the Leaders Guide to talk about how to run a DC group
Simulations:
- Day 1 and 2, part 2: 1.5 hours of seeing Kurt & Eric run a group (using Week 2 of DC 101 and Week 2 of DC201)—with application to the challenges/difficulties co-leaders will encounter
Expectations for Co-Leaders:
- attend/watch the two training sessions
- attend Orientation
- attend the Spiritual Disciplines (and any other) retreat
- ideally, attend the Marriage event/retreat each Spring
- address problems/concerns with group members (with respect to attendance, level of participation, extent of preparation, moral failures, etc.)—with appropriate assertiveness and speed, in grace and truth, getting counsel from shepherds as useful
- wrestle faithfully with time management and class participation within your group
- respond to feedback from shepherds
- pray for group and group members
