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What is a growth group ?
Why do I need to be in a growth group ?
Are they going to make me pray out loud in front of everyone
?
What do I do about childcare ? I can't afford to
hire a sitter every week !
What's the difference between a growth group and
a Bible study ?
What's an open chair ?
I tried the growth group thing a couple of years ago and
I never really fit in. Why should I try again ?
What is a typical group meeting like ?
OK I'm interested in joining a growth group. What
do I do next ?
Am I going to be asked for money ?
It is a Christian community of 3-10 people
organized around a self-replicating structure that is led by non-clergy
and has a clearly defined purpose of loving a new person to Christ while
they live out an authentic expression of Christian love to one another.
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Growth groups are where authentic Christianity
is lived out on a weekly basis. We are able to connect, encourage, support
and pray for one another. You can't get that by looking at the back of
someone's head week after week at a worship service! BACK
TO TOP
No. Growth groups are intended to provide
a SAFE environment where individual comfort levels are respected. People
are not expected to share beyond their comfort level. BACK
TO TOP
Each group decides what type of childcare
best meets the needs of each individual in the group. Some solutions include:
1. As a group, hire a babysitter and find a second "host home"
for the children.
2. Hire a babysitter for the group and have the
children in another part of the home.
3. Rotate parents as sitters. Each parent or couple
takes turns watching the kids. BACK TO TOP
The primary focus of growth groups is to care
for one another based upon Biblical principals. The key to meeting personal
needs in a church is to convene people in a group of 10 or less on a weekly
basis in order to encourage and minister to one another. A growth group
takes seriously the commands of Christ to love one another, love others,
and share the love Christ has for them. BACK TO TOP
It is the chair that signifies that there
is room in the group for a new person. By faithfully praying over the
open chair a group keeps the mission and the vision God has given it
alive. BACK TO TOP
Growth group ministry is not an exact science:
there is social architecture involved. We take the act of connecting people
in a growth group and starting new groups very seriously. Our desire is
to see you in a group that gives you a place to belong and grow. Don't
give up! BACK TO TOP
15 minutes for informal fellowship and socializing
30 minutes for an open discussion based on a passage from the Bible.
Focus is on applying what is learned from the passage to everyday life
30 minutes to share our needs and prayer. Share a personal prayer request,
receive prayer, and pray for others. YOU DON'T HAVE TO PRAY. It's OK to
just "pass" if you don't have a request or don't want to share
or pray.
15 minutes for more informal socializing.
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Click here
to submit your information so we can contact you with times and locations
of growth groups in your area, or contact Jim Kayser, our Growth Group
Coordinator, at 602.524.7416. BACK TO TOP
No. The purpose of growth group meetings is
to provide a safe place where we are able to connect with, encourage,
support and pray for one another. BACK TO TOP
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