I'm running the course but where do I start?

Here are a few of the most important things to think of during the early stages of organising an Introducing God course. If you get these things out of the way early, the course should run very smoothly.

• Decide what size course you are going to run. Most people start with a 'lounge room course' - which works really well for up to 15 people. If the course is larger you might use a local cafe, coffee shop or pub (especially if your guests would prefer a non-church venue).
  
• Make sure you have all the materials. You will need a Course Driver's Manual, a training DVD, the course DVD's and then individual Participant's Handbooks (all this comes in the Presenters Pack (order more Participant's Handbooks later if you need to)).
  
• Once you know who is coming, think carefully about the group mix. You'll want to make sure you have an equal or greater number of guests than hosts. We find the more homogenous the groups - the better discussion seems to flow. It's vital to make sure that ALL the Christian hosts have done the training (see below).
  
• If you are running a smaller course we suggest you use Dominic's DVD presentations (people feel much freer to express their disagreement if the presenter is not in the group). For a larger course you may want to use a live presenter - scripts and powerpoints are on the training DVD.
  
• Dinner or supper provides a great opportunity for the guests to start to feel comfortable.
  
• We use feedback cards at the end of each session. They are in pdf format on the Explanation and Training DVD. They allow guests to:
  • Give feedback direct to you on how they are finding things.
  • Let you know their RSVP for next week.

There are lots more tips in the Course Driver's Manual - so make sure you have a copy of that.