Branch Facilitator Responsibilities

Here you will find the resources to assist you in the role of Branch Facilitator. You will find a description of the job and a calendar to guide you on your path.

Job Description

Branch Facilitator Description: The Branch Facilitator oversees and coordinates the business and activities of the Branch, shepherds the Branch, prepares and presents Spiritual Reflections for the Branch.

The Branch Facilitator will:

Have love for the Lord, love for God’s people, love for God’s Word and be committed to The Cornerstone Catholic Scripture Study.
Have served as a Branch Facilitator-in-Formation.
Develop his/her personal spirituality through daily prayer, participation in the sacraments, guided spiritual direction, Scripture study, spiritual reading, etc.
Pray daily for The Cornerstone Catholic Scripture Study, the Branch, the Branch Ministry Team and the Branch members.
Lead the weekly Branch Sessions.
Shepherd members of the Branch Ministry Team.
Prepare and present 15-20 minute Spiritual Reflections to be given at the weekly Branch sessions using Scripture, The Cornerstone commentaries and other supplemental materials. (Refer to Spiritual Reflection handouts – Section SR) Strive to include the historical and theological background of Scripture, as applicable in the Spiritual Reflection and to share personal reflections relating the scripture passage to daily living.
Facilitate the Core Ministry Team meeting session, which includes Branch business, sharing answers of the week’s study questions and shared prayer and occurs prior to the general Branch session.
Shepherd Ministry Team members through frequent personal communication and attention to individual needs.
Prayerfully discern and choose members of the Core Ministry Team and Branch Ministry Team. This will include conferring with the prospective members’ Small Group Facilitators and others in the Small Group who might provide valuable insights concerning the individual.
Schedule Ministry Team activities to foster group unity and promote fellowship (i.e. luncheons/dinners, retreats, summer activities, etc.).
Inform Co-Branch Facilitator of impending absences.
Review and approve all decisions for the Branch and all printed materials, announcements and presentations given to the membership.
Oversee the Focus Ministry and preview all Focus presentations.
Communicate regularly with Shepherding Board Branch Mentors.
Assist and mentor the Branch Facilitator(s)-in-Formation as they discern their call to ministry and develop necessary skills

Branch Facilitator Calendar

** [BC] These jobs are the responsibility of the Branch Coordinator with input from the Branch Facilitator(s). Branch Facilitator(s) are responsible for checking with the Branch Coordinator(s) to see that they are being done.

May

By the first of May, the Ministry Team should be in place, and new members can then be invited to attend all or some of the Summer Ministry Team Meetings.

Obtain yearly permission from host church to use the facilities for the upcoming year. [BC]
Give calendar to church secretary ASAP. [BC]
Provide a copy of the Branch Ministry Team Roster for upcoming year to the Administrative Board. [BC]
Set locations and dates for summer Ministry Team Meetings.
Send emails /make calls to remind Ministry Team of June Meeting

Summer

Meet with the core Ministry Team [Branch Facilitator(s), Branch Coordinators, Facilitators & Alternates]—ideally one time per month to pray, to talk over the evaluations, to socialize and to plan for the next year.

June

Make plans for June meeting early in the month. [Possible suggestions]

Socialize
Go over summaries of member's evaluations
Give the evaluations to the facilitators for their small groups
Give the beginning and end dates for study
Ask for feedback from the Ministry Team about the past year and suggestions for upcoming year.
Introduce new members [if included]

Meetings

July

Talk with the Branch Coordinators about putting together the small groups for the coming year. This can be done randomly, but always with prayer. Certain considerations should also be kept in mind when assigning members to a group in order for the groups to have more diversity and to run more effectively.

Members’ age
Members’ personalities [f they are talkative or shy]
Members’ time in The Cornerstone
Members who travel
Members from the same parish
Members from the same family
Members who have been together in the same groups or who have had the same Facilitator.*

*Some changes may need to be made after getting input from the Small Group Facilitators.

August - September

Arrange a date in late August or early September for training new Small Group Facilitators and Alternates for the Branch.

August

Set August meeting to go over the composition of the small groups with the core Ministry Team. At this meeting, the Facilitators will be given a packet of anything they need for the start of the year.
Plan and facilitate a possible “refresher” session for experienced Facilitators.
Plan a kick-off social for the whole Ministry Team if this is applicable to your branch.
Plan for any publicity to be done—bulletin announcements, flyers, etc., in addition to that which is done by The Cornerstone Administrative Board
Remind the Facilitators to call the members of their small groups. They are informed of upcoming Visitors’ sessions and asked to pray about whom they would like to invite.
Set and print a Branch Calendar and Lesson Schedule. [BC]
Get updated Branch information to the person in charge of The Cornerstone Website. [BC] www.thecornerstonescripturestudy.org
Schedule a regular time to talk/pray with Co-Branch Facilitator(s).
Pray about members who will be encouraged to prayerfully consider giving a Focus or writing/giving a Spiritual Reflection.
Announce the date for Visitor’s Day/Night and encourage Ministry Team and returning members to invite interested persons and to pray for them

September

The Cornerstone year begins.

Obtain copies of lessons and commentaries for the Branch. [BC]
Facilitate Small Group Facilitator and Alternate Training for the Branch.
Prepare for Visitor’s Session—reserve room, print handouts, prepare Visitor’s packets etc. [BC]
Meet early the first day/night to pray with the core Ministry Team.

September - October

Give a presentation —early in the year in a Focus or a Spiritual Reflection—that will invite and encourage members to prayerfully make a commitment for the year concerning regular attendance, faithful preparation and ongoing prayer for themselves, The Cornerstone, and for those in their small groups. [This presentation could also be given by a member who has been prepared by the Branch Facilitator(s).]
Prepare and/or assign a financial Focus to be given to the branch during the first few weeks, asking the members to pray about their gift to the Cornerstone- in terms of financial support. A report/ account of The Cornerstone’s needs and expenditures should also be given.
Prepare and print any handouts to be given to the small group members. [BC]
Work with the Focus Minister to invite and select members to pray about giving Focuses.

***Throughout the year, the Focus minister will make sure that the written Focuses are submitted to the Branch Facilitator(s)at least a week before the session in which it will be presented.
***The Branch Facilitator(s)will go over the Focus with the person to make sure that the material is appropriate, organized and follows the Focus Guidelines.

Confirm that the Proclamation Minister is scheduling members to proclaim.
Plan and schedule small group social gatherings/meetings.
Plan and schedule Ministry Team social gatherings/meetings.
Update membership cards. [BC]
Pray with your co-leader(s) and with the Ministry Team about the persons God is calling to give a Focus or a Spiritual Reflection.
Invite these people to pray about giving a Focus and/or spiritual reflection when a consensus has been reached between the Branch Facilitator(s).

Fall

For those Branches that have a retreat…a date will be arranged for retreat, and a retreat director will be chosen and invited to present the talks. The Retreat Minister/s will do this, with prayerful input and direction from the Branch Facilitators. The Ministry Team should, also, have input in these decisions. Careful consideration should be given to the dates of Easter, and school Spring Breaks. The Retreat Minister/s from the Branch will arrange the other details of the retreat—with prayerful direction from the Branch Facilitators. Other branches will be notified of the dates so they can inform and invite their membership to the retreat—space permitting. The dates of the retreat should be posted on The Cornerstone Website.

October

Remind the person responsible for scheduling a celebrant for the pre-Christmas Mass to arrange for a priest (if applicable). [BC or Mass Minister]
Reserve the church for the Christmas Mass. [BC or Mass Minister]
Reserve a space for the Christmas Social Gathering. [BC or Social Chairman]
Remind the facilitators to contact the members in their group, most especially the new members and anyone who may be struggling with attendance, with getting their questions done, or who may be going through personal difficulties.

November

Make plans and arrangements for the Branch Christmas Mass/Social. [BC]
Remind Facilitator’s / Alternates to frequently remind members of Christmas get- together and to encourage attendance. A reminder call or email the week before is helpful.
Provide sign-up sheets for bringing food for the Christmas Social Gathering. [BC or Social Minister]
Plan for the Christmas Mass and schedule. [The Mass Minister.]
Remind the membership about the dates for vacation during the Christmas break.
Inform the members about the procedure for calling off the session in case of inclement weather or snow (if applicable).
Remind members to begin praying about people to invite to the January or mid-year Visitor’s session. [Remember—the Branch will not be meeting for most of December.]

December

January

February / March

Retreats will be given in February or March for those Branches that offer mid-year retreats.

February

Give ongoing reminders about retreat.
Begin the process of putting together the Branch Ministry Team for the next year [especially, the Small Group Facilitators and Alternates].
Ask the Ministry Team to pray about their calling and commitment for the next year. (Branch Facilitator(s) should inform the Shepherding Board of a decision to leave the ministry at least one full year prior to departure, if at all possible.)
Ask members of the Ministry Team to submit the names of potential new Ministry Team members whom they have prayerfully discerned. The Ministry Team will then pray about these people.
Conduct Branch Retreat (if applicable) [Retreat Ministers]
Print the end-of-the-year evaluation forms. [BC]
Print the membership/ministry sign-up sheets and the handouts describing The Cornerstone ministries. [BC]
Decide about any kind of summer study or ideas to be offered to members

March

Give information describing the responsibilities of the different ministries of The Cornerstone to the members and ask them to prayerfully consider their willingness and availability to take on a more active role in The Cornerstone Ministry.
Ask the membership to pray about their commitment to the Cornerstone the next year prior to filling out the yearly sign-up sheets.
Contact current Ministry Team members to confirm their willingness to serve on the Ministry Team for the next year.
Distribute mid-year evaluations to membership to be completed and returned.
Ask for a volunteer to summarize and type up the results of the evaluations.
Begin to plan Branch Mass/ Sharing Day/ Social for the end of the year.
Remind the person responsible for scheduling a celebrant for the end-of-the-year Mass to arrange for a priest. [BC or Mass Minister]
Reserve the church for the end-of-the-year Mass. [BC or Mass Minister]
Reserve a space for the end-of-the-year Social Gathering. [BC or Social Chairman]
Pass out the end of the year evaluation to the membership to be completed and returned. [BC]
Provide sign-up sheets for the members to fill out and return [BC] indicating their intention to attend the study for the following year and their willingness to serve in a ministry.
Anticipate the need for new members of the Ministry team- based on the number of returning members currently serving on the Ministry Team and the number of branch members who sign up for the coming year’s study.
Pray about the people submitted by the Ministry Team and generated by the handout returned by the members for Ministry positions. After prayerful discernment and consensus the Branch Facilitators ask persons to serve on the various ministries.
Call the potential ministry team members and ask them to pray about a serving in a particular ministry.

They will be given several weeks to pray.
Those to be called by the Branch Facilitator(s) are:

Small Group Facilitators
Alternate Facilitators
Focus Minister(s)
(Or people to do the Focuses if the Branch is not yet large enough to have a Focus Minister)
Branch Coordinator(s)
Anyone who may be asked to give a Spiritual Reflection—
(potential Branch Facilitators-in-training)

Other Ministry Team Members will be called by either the Branch Facilitator(s)or the Branch Coordinators.

All who have offered to help should be called and thanked for their consideration. An alternative ministry might be suggested to those who are not needed in the ministry for which they volunteered.

March or April

Write thank you notes to host church, Branch Coordinators, janitors, etc. and confirm that gifts or donations are being provided for the appropriate people. [BC]
Make sure that Branch evaluations are compiled, summarized and typed. [BC]
Write thank you notes to Ministry Team members
Take up collections for any special donations [commentary writers, question writers, janitors, host church, etc. [BC]
Facilitate the ending Mass / Sharing Day / Social for the Branch.

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