Gateway
Growth Groups – An introduction
Why:
Why are Growth Groups needed in a local church? It’s simple - to ‘Grow in faith’ (as a Christian), OR ‘Grow into faith’ (as a not-yet-Christian).
Where
and When:
Where and when does the group meet? Ideally, as it’s a small group, from as few as 3 up to 12 (then Growth Groups can
divide and multiply), which meets in someone’s home or if suitable at the
church building – usually one evening during the week (Mon-Thurs) or possibly
daytime. But it can be anytime,
anyplace. Gateway Church have had small
groups that even met in a pub and a nightclub!
What:
What goes on in a group?
The focus is usually to look at some part of the Bible (Best Instructions Before Leaving Earth!) or to consider a topical theme with reference to the Bible. What is the Bible? At Gateway we believe it is God’s Word, with
many different human authors, but with a supreme divine author – the living
God. Therefore, everything in the Bible is intended to be there by God. In other words, “All Scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness” (2 Timothy 3.16). This
can be aided by a booklet or a DVD or just a straightforward presentation by
the leader. Currently, Gateway Growth
Groups are together using Just10, which is a series on the 10 commandments,
with a DVD presentation and booklets. The
idea is to allow some kind of Bible teaching to take place that addresses,
challenges, educates, impacts, informs, motivates, and speaks into the lives of
the participants. The focus is both
vertical and horizontal, i.e. the teaching is connected with the person’s
relationship with God and their relationship with people (family, friends, work,
enemies, plus guidance on relevant 21st century issues and help with
personal problems).
Who:
Who are the ‘key players’? A Growth Group needs a co-ordinator/s to
ensure the group meets and knows where and when. Organising a Growth Group can be hard work
sometimes! The most efficient way, as far
as possible, is via texting. Set up a
Growth Group list and communicate with a text that’s sent to each
participant. A Growth Group needs a
host/s who opens up their home and provides hospitality (a cuppa and biscuits
or something more adventurous). Finally,
a Growth group needs a leader/s for each meeting or a rotation each week. This
person ensures the group is led – a leader/s is vital to the success of the
group. S/he may facilitate the group
in discussion with use of a resource material from a booklet or DVD or to
actually lead the teaching – seeking to clearly explain the Bible with an
accurate and helpful application. This
also includes ensuring there is a balance of discussion from the participants,
eg nobody dominates (the loud one) and nobody is left out (the quiet one). They need to be sensitive to any who can’t
read or write, and have a simple strategy in place to deal with this or at
least seek advice. Furthermore the
leader needs to ensure a balance is struck between encouraging people’s
questions, even strange beliefs/views being aired, and true Christian teaching
being the benchmark. Last of all, the
leader needs to finish at the agreed time!
As well as refreshments, and general conversations about
life and lives, prayer should be encouraged, especially a corporate prayer
time. There are different creative
formats and ways to help people become familiar to praying either quietly or
audibly. The main thing is not to turn
people off that they don’t return again!
Remember that a person’s spiritual growth can take many weeks, months,
even years. It doesn’t usually happen
over just a matter of weeks, but rather “with great patience and careful
instruction” (2 Timothy 4.2).
It might be possible, if there is a shortage, that the
co-ordinator, host and leader is one and the same person! However, sharing the responsibility is wise
and strengthens people in those particular ministries and lightens the
responsibility.
However, no group can exist without participants. The
whole church needs to encourage one another to be part of a small group,
and not leave it just to the Pastor or Growth Group leader to ‘chase’ people
into a group. In Growth Groups, it’s a
great opportunity for ‘dialogue’. The
Sunday meeting where the whole church gathers is more conducive to ‘monologue’
i.e. preaching (although Gateway on a Sunday does provide a short time for Q
& A immediately after the preaching).
Small groups, usually in the homely surroundings of sofas & settees
is more suited to sharing and discussing.
People can open up more to share personal and private news which can
receive prayer and support. If it’s
confidential to the group – keep it confidential to the group!
The Sunday preaching and Growth Groups are BOTH very
important to a healthy growing church.
Both are needed – see Acts 2.46 where we are given a snapshot of the
early Christians, “Every day they continued to meet in the temple courts
[formal preaching]. They broke bread in
their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts [informal midweek
Growth Group]”.
“The
real secret of fruitful and effective mission in the world is the quality of
our community” (Tim Keller).