networks: what are they?
Networks: What are they?
A network is a local group of women who come together over the shared experience of church planting. Networks are led by women who have been involved in church planting, received Parakaleo training and coaching, and are committed to living a gospel lifestyle before the group.
Parakaleo’s unique offering stems from research, a learner-centered educational model, and experienced leaders trained to facilitate groups from a gospel perspective.
What is the purpose of your groups?
Our desire is to create safe environments where we walk in grace and kindness with one another during our church planting experience. Because we believe each woman (and each leader) needs the gospel in word and deed, network gatherings become a conduit for grace, healing, and challenge. This unique setting lowers pretenses and the desire to hide our brokenness and real needs. As we journey together in this manner, it strengthens our faith, renews our hope and propels us into our homes, marriages, churches and communities with a message of love.
Sounds good, but how do you really do this?
With a lot of hard work! While we don’t do this perfectly, as leaders we commit to ongoing coaching, and training in how to facilitate and lead groups. We bring what we learn to the group. We share stories of wounding, how to enter conflict, how our relational style impacts the rest of the group. We will learn about idolatries, deeper implications of the gospel, and the difference between false and true repentance. As we bring real life situations to the group, we are able to unpack how we impact the church plant and how the church plant impacts us.
What do you do in your meetings?
A lot depends on the needs of the group. In most gatherings there will be elements of Coaching, Caring, Celebrating, and Connecting.
While there is a lot of information we could dole out, we know women in ministry need a safe place where they can be heard. So we give plenty of time for connecting, sharing our lives and building trust. We offer table consults with clear guidelines allowing those who need it to participate. We spend time praying, listening, and caring for one another.
My time is so limited, will this really be worth it?
Every meeting won’t be just what you need and want, however, if you feel like it is wasting your time, try a few more gatherings. Talk to your group leader about your expectations and needs. Still not hitting what you need? There may be reasons why this isn’t the right group for you now. Rather than just quitting, consider telling the group why you’d like to opt out of your commitment for this year. If you feel pressure or guilt to continue coming, this isn’t what we’re about. Contact us.
It sounds like I have to be open about everything in my life to be a part of a group. I want community but do I have to be that intimate?
No. Remember regardless of what others ask, the decision is yours of how much you want to share.
I really need deep bible study and prayer where I don’t have to be the teacher. Will I get this here?
If this is your greatest need now, we suggest looking elsewhere. While we highly value bible study and prayer and will have that, this is not the primary purpose of our groups.
I heard something about making a commitment to each other. What’s that about?
In order to maintain the purpose for our groups, we ask each person to commit to doing their part in making the group a safe place. Each group has it’s own variety and flavor so the commitments may vary, but it’s something like the following:
- I commit to attend the meetings for the upcoming year barring emergencies.
- I commit to keeping the information shared in the group within the group.
- I commit to sharing my life, not the life or story of others.
- I commit to practicing good listening skills.
- I commit to responding to others by covering shame with grace, validating pain with empathy, and affirming dignity with truth.
I don’t really like women’s groups and that kind of stuff. Will this be different?
Well, we are women, and we are meeting together so you’d probably have to check us out to see if it’s what you want. Nevertheless, our desire is to facilitate in such a way that the woman who needs prayer, gets it. The one who can’t hear prayer on a particular day, has the freedom to opt out. The one who arrives angry gets the space and acceptance to be angry. We live in a fallen world as do you, so we promise, we won’t do this part perfectly. Yet, with permission & acceptance to come as we are, our desire is that we would then encounter Christ together.
QUOTES from women involved in a Network:
“Parakaleo is a safe port to rest my weary and often spun-around ship.”
“Parakaleo is a place I can drop my shoulders and any pretense that I’ve foolishly been hiding behind. They help me come to my senses because they help me encounter Jesus!”
“I come away from our times breathing deeper.”
“Not only is it a place I can ask those questions, but also a place where I trust the responses.”
“I love to participate in Parakaleo because my sisters and I are free to share the issues we all have in common as pastor’s wives. My husband and I have been in ministry for 20 years but never had anything like Parakaleo before to teach and coach and be there for me during the times I felt alone.”
“I wasn’t deliberately seeking other women to share my heart with, but it was as if God knew that I needed it. Just the fact that God provided this shows he gives us the relationships we need and I have especially found this through Parakaleo.”
“As a first time church planter, I had no idea the stress it would take on my family, my marriage and my own spiritual life. Although blessed with great friends and family, I felt like it was difficult to have the conversations I yearned to have with people who would be able to truly understand what I was going through.”
“Even more so, to be able to have those very honest conversations without feeling judged. Parakaleo NYC came about just in time. Immediately, I knew that the women I met were my ‘safe place’ , that they understood and were going through many of the same struggles and heartaches I was.”
“The Parakaleo Ministry has been a place for me: to be sharpened by other like minded women, to share openly and honesty, to be loved and understood, and to receive personal training that benefits my personal life and ministry.”
