Life Groups

Dan Cooper, Steve Sikes

Supporting Scripture:

"And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.  Acts 2:36 "

Purpose:

This ministry exists so that our church can maintain a close, loving fellowship even as we grow larger. LIFE Groups (our title for small groups on Sundays) is an acronym:

  Love: The identifying mark for Christians. Without love, our faith is empty.

  Involvement: The goal of a committed Christian. Those who have personally experienced the love of God will want to be involved in the lives of other people.

  Fellowship: The opportunity for in-depth relationships among believers. Because we share the most in common with other Christians, we treasure the times when we can deepen our spiritual and social connections with each other.

  Evangelism: The ultimate joy for outward-looking Christians. When we are able to share our faith and lead someone to a saving relationship with Jesus, we are fulfilling the Great Commission.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the curriculum. Most LIFE Groups are applying and personalizing the sermon from that morning.
• Train leaders and co-leaders during class times in the spring quarter.
• Inform LIFE Group leaders of the following responsibilities: >
  • Plan wedding and baby showers for your LIFE group members.
  • Plan meals for LIFE group members during hospital stays.
  • Plan meals for LIFE group members when there is a funeral.
• Monitor membership involvement in LIFE Groups.
• Maintain a list of our members who are not currently attending a LIFE group.
• Diligently work to intergrate new members, non-members, and minimally involved members.
• Thank the LIFE Group leaders each year by hosting a luncheon in their honor.

Note:

 The first century church frequently met in homes. There were no church buildings until at least the third century. Our LIFE Groups are designed to help us get our Christianity out of the building and back into homes.

  LIFE Groups provide a means to dramatically increase our opportunities to be hospitable and to be evangelistic. LIFE Groups are designed to provide a safe place to share our persoanl concerns and our life struggles. Through our personal experiences with LIFE Groups, we have witnessed spiritual growth, the building of relationships, and group support for those who attend.

  We want our group leades to be qualified and to be supported, so I offer a group leaders training class each year. The Sunday morning class in the spring of 2008 proved to be an excellent time for this class. This is my conviction: the stronger the LIFE Groups, the stronger the congregation.