Skip to main content

What's in a Name?

Why LIFEGroups?

So why LIFEGroups? This is week three of five looking at this question. Last week we talked about how LIFEGroups help people connect at Calvary. But LIFEGroups are not just a tool for social connection. LIFEGroups help Calvary achieve its broader purpose of connecting people to God and to each other. We also want LIFEGroups to connect people to God. This week we will look at how LIFEGroups help people grow in faith.

The definition of a LIFEGroup is a group of individuals who share their lives through formative, caring and missional relationships to the glory of God. Lets take a moment and look at the formative relationship. When formative relationships are happening people in a LIFEGroup every member of the group is being formed into the image of Christ. We want everyone in the LIFEGroup to be constantly growing in the faith. We want everyone in the group to be more like Jesus every day.

And how is this accomplished? I am glad you asked. Let me ask you a question. How can we connect with God if we do not know his story? How can we grow to be more like Him if we don’t know who He is and what He does? That is why bible study is such an important part of what a LIFEGroup does.

Bible studies can take many different forms. The group can look at a book of the bible, Christian doctrines or certain topics. The point is to get into the word of God discover how it is that God wants us to live our lives. God has taken the time to give instructions for life and we need to learn those instructions so we can follow them.

Next comes the good part, the place where knowledge about the faith turns into growth in the faith. In your LIFEGroup you have a place where you can both learn about your faith and practice your faith. In your group you can practice those commands like “love one another, pray for one another, and confess your sins to one another.”. A LIFEGroup is place to learn, question and explore. The best place to do this is with a group of people who learning, questioning and exploring with you. A LIFEGroup is a place to grow in your faith. That’s why LIFEGroups.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 Summer Activities To Keep Your Small Group Connected

I just sent an email to all our small group leaders (I do this 3-4 times each month). This week's focus was STAYING CONNECTED THROUGH THE SUMMER. Below is a list of 10 summer activities a small group can use to stay connected. These are specifically created for groups at The Gathering, but you can pretty easily modify the list to fit your church or your community. Go to a Dragon's Game together. You can buy tickets as a group from the church for the game on July 11. Design a Progressive Dinner. Have appetizers at one house, salad at another, the main course somewhere else and dessert at a final destination. Have a monthly barbecue party. Serve together. Pick a place (Good Neighbor House, St. Vincents, Victory Project, Pirate Packs, Caring Partners International, One Bistro) and sign up to serve as a group one afternoon or evening. Meet up at the Family Movie Night on June 15. Spend a day at King's Island. Work at the church for an afternoon. We have many proj...
Post a Comment
Read more

20 Questions to Build Group Connections

Here is a great exercise for a new group. The instructions are pretty simple. Go around the group giving each person the opportunity to choose one question and answer it honestly. Anyone can follow-up with an opinion or clarifying question (no critiquing each other's answers, though). Once a question has been answered, no one else may answer that question. If your group is larger, you may want to alter the rule and allow each question to be answered 2 or 3 times. Ideally, each person should end up answering 3-5 questions. As the leader, pay attention to the conversation. Let the discussion run its course as this is how people in the group build their relationships with one another. You can use these questions, modify them or create your own.
Post a Comment
Read more

5 Conversations Every Small Group Should Have

Small group gatherings are not business meetings. They need not have rigid agendas or strict time constraints. Although effective groups often follow set curriculum, there are times when they can take a break from their plans and have conversations about their group’s health. These five questions can be used together or one at a time. They are designed to help groups’ determine their identity, diagnoses their health and develop a plan for the future. How can we meet one another’s needs? Acts is full of stories about Christians finding creative means by which they can meet each other’s needs. Some even sold their properties and possessions. The small group is the ideal lab in which we can work out what it truly means to love one another as Jesus loved us. If the greatest love of all is laying down our lives for each other (and it is), then meeting the needs of others in our group should be one of our first and highest priorities. How can we encourage one another? 1...
Post a Comment
Read more