ReFrame is designed for groups
The course comes alive powerfully when people share their experiences, learn from one another, and challenge each another in the context of a community. These groups might be a small group at church, fellow coworkers, friends, or just a collection of people who share the desire to go deeper in their faith.
Obtain the Material
ReFrame is available for no cost on Vimeo and YouTube. Click on Episodes or WATCH at the top of the page to access the videos. DVDs, DVD Packages and printed guides for Leaders and Participants are available for purchase through the Regent College Bookstore. Digital versions of the guidebooks are available for free download below.
Getting Started
ReFrame is designed so that anyone comfortable leading a group discussion can run the course. The videos and accompanying participant and leader guides contain everything necessary to lead and follow along.
The role of a leader in creating a great experience:
- Adjust the format of the course for your audience and context (only if desired)
- Familiarize yourself with the videos and guidebooks beforehand
- Set participant expectations
- Create a hospitable environment where people can have honest, challenging conversation.
Watch the First Episode Download Leader Guide Download Participant Guide
Customize / Modify
Standard Format
ReFrame is ready to go. Simply play the videos, follow the standard two-hour format below (page 4 in the guides) and follow the discussion for each session.
Each session begins with a recap of the previous session and a reflection question. The central topic of the session is then introduced, along with a Scripture passage to read aloud. You’ll then enter into a short time of prayer before beginning the video.
Each 40-minute ReFrame episode is a mixture of talks, interviews, and stories all related to the central topic of the session. A professor from Regent College provides a talk, which is interspersed with commentary from evangelical thought leaders. Ordinary people also share their experiences of how the full narrative of Scripture has impacted their personal story. Outlines of each episode’s central topics are provided in the guides, together with space for your own notes.
This portion of ReFrame is a devotional and reflective space, where participants are invited to discern what God is saying to them through a time of silence, prayer, and journaling. It draws on the story of the disciples on the Emmaus road (Luke 24:13-35) and is designed to create space for participants to encounter Jesus. If appropriate for your group, participants may be invited to share their reflections together. Space is provided within the guide for journaling, with additional space for notes and reflection in the back. Participants may also wish to bring their own journals.
Questions are provided for the group to discuss the main themes of the episode. The goal of this time is to deepen understanding, so don’t feel pressured to cover everything. If you are having trouble getting the conversation going, consider asking one or more of the following:
- What was new or significant for you?
- What did you find helpful?
- Were you surprised by anything?
- Was anything confusing?
- What questions were raised for you?
- Was there anything that specifically connected with your life?
Each session is designed to be self-contained, with no preparation required of the participants. However, every session includes an activity, some of which can be completed during the session itself, while others are optional and can be completed before the next session. Where activities are optional, spend the time explaining the activity and answering any questions the participants may have. The sessions end with an invitation to pray together about the key themes and any specific prayer requests that arise. In addition, a historical prayer is provided as a reminder of the church’s rich heritage and as an encouragement for us today. The prayers are collected in the Prayers Throughout the Ages segment in the back of the guide.
Modified Format
There are a number of creative ways that people have adapted ReFrame for their context. Every group is different and the standard time (two hours) and group size (6-12 participants) are recommendations. You can adjust both of these as you see fit.
Here are some examples that have worked well.
- Watch and discuss the videos in a home over a meal
- Watch in a large group and then break up into table groups for discussion
- Short on time? Watch the videos on your own and then get together to discuss them.
Adjust the Time
Struggling to fit 10 weeks of ReFrame into a church calendar year? Here are some creative ways churches have used the material:
- Once a month (Sept - June)
- Once a week for 7 weeks plus a Saturday retreat with 3 sessions
- Two weekend retreats plus homework
- Intensive/ Camp-retreat style over 3 days
- Write your own discussion questions tailored to your group. Or use our downloadable 1 page versions of the guides.
- For student groups: frame the course to connect with the lives of students, the subjects they are studying, and the occupations they hope to enter.
- Videos too long? Watch them in two-parts over 20 weeks, or just watch the lecture portion of the videos.
Prepare to Lead
Pray: Pray for your group and your time together.
Prepare: Get ready for each session by watching the video beforehand and preparing for the activity as necessary. Notes to help you prepare are provided at the beginning of each session.
Modify: Every group is different. The standard time (two hours) and group size (6-12 participants) are recommendations. Adjust both of these as you see fit.
Focus: Try to keep the session and discussion tightly focused. Use the recap and intro to focus the group but don’t get stuck here; try to get to the video within the time suggested.
Conversation: As a leader, facilitating conversation is a big part of your role. You do not have to have all the answers; rather, your task is to help people engage and wrestle with their questions. Life is complex and so is living out God’s story, so try to avoid easy answers.
Questions: Having honest discussions about difficult questions is an important part of learning in ReFrame. With that in mind, don’t feel pressured to cover all the questions listed for each session. Equally, feel free to follow people’s curiosity and the questions that naturally emerge.
Listen: Every good conversation involves listening. Guide the discussion and help participants listen well to one another. Remind the participants that they are all encouraged to contribute each week.
Hospitality: ReFrame tries to follow the natural rhythms of a group: time to gather, connect, discuss, reflect, and take breaks. The typical two-hour model does not include space for a meal, although feel free to provide refreshments. If you wish to share a meal together, set aside additional time.
Prepare Your Group for the Challenge
ReFrame is going to challenge your group to take their faith into their ordinary lives in fresh ways. It will challenge:
- Create a map - Make an ongoing visual map of where you’ve been and where you are going, keep track of the questions that arise
- Give Access - Provide links to the videos for those who miss a session (and for those keeners who want to watch the material again during the week!)
- Some people find Episodes 3 and 4 a bit dry, prepare people for this, remind them that there are multiple speakers throughout the course with different teaching styles.
- Remind your people to take in what they can—People do not have to understand everything to have a rich experience of the course.
- Encourage people to stick with it—It’s going to stretch some people but they may be surprised they have a hunger for more than they thought. Encourage your people to stick with it, to show up, and take one thing out of the course each week.
- Encourage Community—ReFrame gets at questions of meaning that often lead to rich, honest, and deep conversation. Embrace this—it is an important part of the experience.
Spread the Word
Promotional Materials Full Trailer Short TrailerA series of promotional items are available here to help you share ReFrame with your local church or organization. Some of these materials can be customized to include relevant details for group locations and meeting times. Feel free to print and distribute these materials within your area.
Contact Us
Have you adapted ReFrame and created resources to fit your context? We would love it if you would share them with us! If you have questions that are not answered through the Lead tab or the FAQs then contact us at reframe@regent-college.edu
If your question is regarding physical products (DVDs, Guidebooks) please contact Regent Bookstore at bookstore@regent-college.edu
Survey
Would you like to evaluate ReFrame’s impact on your group? We have developed a before and after survey that will help you do this, and help us as we consider how better to equip Christians wanting to connect their faith to all of life. Email us at reframe@regent-college.edu.
Pitch it to Your Congregation
Promotional Materials Full Trailer Short TrailerA series of promotional items are available here to help you share ReFrame with your local church or organization. Some of these materials can be customized to include relevant details for group locations and meeting times. Feel free to print and distribute these materials within your area.
Contact Us
Have you adapted ReFrame and created resources to fit your context? We would love it if you would share them with us! If you have questions that are not answered through the Lead tab or the FAQs then contact us at reframe@regent-college.edu
If your question is regarding physical products (DVDs, Guidebooks) please contact Regent Bookstore at bookstore@regent-college.edu
Survey
Would you like to evaluate ReFrame’s impact on your group? We have developed a before and after survey that will help you do this, and help us as we consider how better to equip Christians wanting to connect their faith to all of life. Email us at reframe@regent-college.edu.
Sermon Resources
Download this document that provides an overview of the entire course as well as individual outlines of the episodes and sermon notes with information like themes and intended outcomes.
Train Your Small-Group Leaders
Volunteer leaders are busy and often don't have extra time outside of their regular responsibilities. This is why ReFrame is such an excellent resource; it is ready to go straight out of the package. However, if you have the opportunity to provide your leaders with some training, it will greatly enrich the experience of your congregation as they go through the course. Getting your leaders to buy-in is the quickest way to get your congregation to buy-in and commit to the full program.
Some churches have conducted leader training events to help orient their leaders prior to the start of running ReFrame in their various small groups. These training sessions have included the following:
- A rationale for why ReFrame is needed. This includes exploring the causes behind the sacred/secular divide in society and how the Church has reinforced this divide. The result of this divide is that many people find their lives fragmented and feel a loss of identity.
- An overview of the three major movemeats within ReFrame (The Story We Find Ourselves In, The Biblical Story, and The Ongoing Story) and how they relate to one another.
- An overview of the biblical story arc within ReFrame. This involves summarizing the key points in episodes 3-7 and how together they illustrate a larger, coherent story within the Bible.
- Explanation of the posture for the style of group dynames envisioned. For example, stress that this is more about good dialogue and asking questions than it is about providing answers or covering all of the material.
- Tips gained from other groups and leaders. This includes general tips for running the small group as well as episode specific tips related to the content and structure for that week.
Connect
Would you like to speak to another pastor who has used ReFrame in their congregation? Just ask, and we will connect you!
Have you adapted ReFrame and created resources to fit your context? We would love it if you would share them with us! Additionally, If you have questions that are not answered through the Lead tab or the FAQs please feel welcome to contact us at reframe@regent-college.edu
If your question is regarding physical products (DVDs, Guidebooks) please contact Regent Bookstore at bookstore@regent-college.edu
Survey
Would you like to evaluate ReFrame’s impact on your group? We have developed a before and after survey that will help you do this, and help us as we consider how better to equip Christians wanting to connect their faith to all of life. Email us at reframe@regent-college.edu.
FAQs
ReFrame was initially designed for Christians in western culture, but we quickly came to recognize its broad relevance in our modern, globalized world. Therefore, anyone seeking to understand their faith on a deeper level and its relevance to the rest of their lives will benefit from ReFrame. Additionally, because ReFrame addresses common cultural tensions, some groups may find it appeals to those questioning or seeking faith. ReFrame assumes participants have some familiarity with the Bible, but people who are new to Christianity have often had a good experience with it.
ReFrame is designed for anyone to pick up the material and lead. The content is challenging, yet accessible and easy-to-understand.
ReFrame is designed for groups in communities and churches around the world. All necessary content is included in the film episodes, leader, and participant guides. Each leader guide also includes a short list of additional supplies for each episode that can help in the learning process, but those supplies are optional. Ideally, groups will allow two hours to complete each session (including the forty minute film episode), but the leader guides provide simple guidelines for how to easily adjust this to fit within your context.
ReFrame DVDs, and guides are available to order through the Regent College Bookstore. If you are struggling to find what you need, please call or email them directly.
We no longer sell group licenses, because ReFrame digital content is now free. In the past, a Group License was a cost effective way for purchasing ReFrame for a large organization. The group license is good in perpetuity and may not be sold or transferred to other organizations. Once the organization downloads the videos it is welcome to share it within its church via a secure server or other means of distribution, provided it is not available to the general public and not resold.
Yes,the file sharing permissions on the group license still apply. We ask that if your church or organization has uploaded the videos on a private password protected video sharing platform such as Vimeo, you continue to keep the videos password protected.
Digital episodes you have purchased may be shared with group members, but it may be easier for participants to simply view the free videos from the ReFrame website. To respect copyright law, please do not share downloaded videos beyond your group.
For accredited courses, You are free to use up to two episodes in their entirety or up 60 minutes worth of clips from ReFrame in a class setting. At events where the fees are simply for modest cost recovery (ie. food, venue, etc), you are free to use ReFrame in its entirety as long as the course or event is not an accredited offering. If you would like to use ReFrame for other situations please contact us at reframe@regent-college.edu and we can discuss a solution that addresses your situation.
Check with the Regent College Bookstore, but in most cases ReFrame orders fall within existing exemption allowances for orders shipped internationally, however this will vary depending on the country in question. Any applicable duty charges will be added on to the order at the time of the product delivery to you by the shipment provider (i.e. it will not be charged as part of the order online).
ReFrame is meant to be an introduction to a lifelong conversation about what our faith means for every area of life. Recommendations for further resources are provided for those who want to learn more about each episode topic. Further information for how to interact with both the Regent College Marketplace Institute and The Washington Institute can be found on the After ReFrame page or on their websites. You may also consider leading ReFrame yourself.
Send an email to reframe@regent-college.edu with your question and we will be happy to help you.
The DVD is encoded in NTSC format and is “region free” (it has no region restrictions). This means that the DVD is not restricted by geographical region for various DVD players, but the DVD player does need to be able to play in NTSC format. Currently NTSC format is used in North America and parts of Asia and South America while PAL format is predominately used in Europe, Africa, Australia and some parts of Asia. Most PAL formatted DVD players, tvs and computers are also able to play NTSC format DVDs, but in order to be sure you should check your user manual or contact the manufacturer for advice. If your DVD player is not able to play the NTSC formatted DVDs then your best option at this time is to select the digital version for ReFrame.
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