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Community Groups
What is a Community Group?
A community group is a small group of men and women in the same stage of life who are committed to building each other up in their faith and reaching out to unbelievers.
The Purpose and Goals of a Community Group
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The purpose of Community Groups is to practice discipleship to Jesus together with a committed group of friends.
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Goals:
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Learn how to act and think by studying the life and teachings of Jesus in the four Gospels.
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Bring unbelieving friends, coworkers, and neighbors into a small community of believers who are committed to fellowship.
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Draw in people who attend LCC but are “on the fringes” and not deeply invested.
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Help those who are group leaders develop their spiritual gifts and use them to build up the Body of Christ.
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Develop lasting, supportive friendships between people at LCC.
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Encourage a community group to give service to the church and community together.
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How to Start a Community Group?
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Five or six Covenant Partners from LCC will start the group as founding members.
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These group members can be couples or singles. (It may be good to have a mix.)
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These 5 or 6 people should already know each other and enjoy each other’s company.
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Each of these founding members should show strong evidence of love for God and the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
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The founding members should live in the area year-round, but the other people in a community group can be snowbirds.
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The founding members will meet to pray and plan the forming of their group at least once or twice before their first official meeting.
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The founding members will ask God and confirm with each other who they should invite to be a part of their community group.
Leadership in a Community Group
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Leadership responsibilities and duties will be shared between the 5 or 6 founding members. All responsibility for leadership should not fall on one person or one couple.
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Here are the leadership duties that should be assigned to the founding members according to their giftings, skills, and resources.
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One person/couple should be in charge of hosting the meeting in their home. They should be gifted in hospitality and live in a place that is conducive to meeting.
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One person/couple should take responsibility for administration and communication between group members. (For instance, whose turn it is to bring dessert, or sending out reminders about where and when the group is meeting.)
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One person/couple should be responsible for facilitating the meetings and the Bible study time.
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If one member cannot fulfill their responsibility for a certain meeting, they are responsible for asking another founding member to fill in for them.
How Often Should Community Groups Meet?
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Groups should meet twice per month, either during the 1st and 3rd weeks or the 2nd and 4th. Regular meetings are necessary to develop consistency and familiarity.
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If a month has five weeks, groups should consider getting together to do something fun that week, such as bowling or a card party.
When to Cancel a Meeting
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There will be many times when group members are absent because of illness, vacation, or busy schedules. A group meeting should only be canceled when more than three of the founding members are unable to attend.
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Meetings should not be rescheduled. It is important to maintain the same pattern of meetings throughout the year.
Where Should Groups Meet?
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A comfortable, relaxed atmosphere is important when it comes to meetings. Therefore, it is best for the group to meet in the spacious home of one of the founding members of the group.
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The home needs a good room to meet and enough seating.
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The host needs to have a warm, welcoming personality and must enjoy keeping an ordered house.
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The home should not be too far away from where the other group members live.
What Happens in a Community Group Meeting?
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Each meeting should begin at the same time.
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The group facilitator should allow 10-15 minutes of chatting at the beginning of the meeting.
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If a group chooses to eat a meal together, give 30 minutes of eating time. If the group only has snacks or desserts, they can eat those during the meeting.
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Bible study time should last approximately 15 minutes. (See attachment for the description of the Bible study.)
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15 minutes should be reserved for prayer, based on the Scripture that was just studied. The focus of the prayer should be the application of the Word.
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If desired, the facilitator can break the community group into 2’s or 3’s and have them pray together.
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After prayer, the group may spend more time together if they wish, but members should be aware that they are welcome to leave after the prayer and that they should not be a burden to the host by overstaying their welcome.
How Long Should a Meeting Last?
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Time boundaries should be clearly set before the first meeting.
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I would recommend that Bible study and prayer last no longer than 1 hour.
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I would recommend that group members should not stay more than 2 hours.
What Will the Group Study?
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Since the focus of the group will be on discipleship to Jesus, each meeting will focus on Jesus’ teaching and/or Jesus’ life stories from one of the four Gospels. While the teaching and story will change each week, the same questions regarding the story will be asked to the group by the facilitator at every meeting (see attachment). These questions will help participants understand how to engage with the Bible and how to live a life of discipleship to Jesus.
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If possible, the facilitator(s) should study the text before the meeting so that they can answer any questions that group members might have. But they are not expected to teach or prepare a lesson. Let the Bible do the teaching.
The Importance of Food
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Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors because he understood that food brings people together. Food is an essential ingredient to fellowship and fun.
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If the group would like, they are welcome to put on a potluck-style meal for each meeting.
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But if meal prep and planning would require too much effort, encourage the group to bring a dessert or snack to share.
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The host should provide coffee, water, or other drinks.
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How to Incorporate Prayer
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Since the focus of the group will be on discipleship to Jesus, each meeting will focus on Jesus’ teaching and/or Jesus’ life stories from one of the four Gospels. While the teaching and story will change each week, the same questions regarding the story will be asked to the group by the facilitator at every meeting (see attachment). These questions will help participants understand how to engage with the Bible and how to live a life of discipleship to Jesus.
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If possible, the facilitator(s) should study the text before the meeting so that they can answer any questions that group members might have. But they are not expected to teach or prepare a lesson. Let the Bible do the teaching.
Group Communication During the Week
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A communication tool should be set up between the group members such as group texting, the Band app, or Facebook Messenger.
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The member in charge of communication should foster healthy communication between group meetings.
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Prayer requests should be shared via the chosen communication tool.
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Meeting reminders should be sent out the day before a meeting.
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Meal coordination should be communicated over this communication tool.
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The Size of Groups and What to Do When the Group Is Too Large
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Part of the goal of the group is to increase membership with new believers and unbelievers. The original 5 or 6 founding members should look to reach out to new people.
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The ideal size for a group is 12, because the 5 or 6 founding members will be able to help disciple the newcomers.
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It is important that the group does not exceed 15-18 members! When a group becomes too large, it is difficult to maintain accountability, support, and friendship with the whole group. It also becomes more difficult for the host and communications leader.
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If the group is flourishing and has begun to exceed 18 members, the founding members should consider breaking the group into three groups of 6 people each. Then the group can reproduce.
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If breaking the group up is too difficult, members will need to stop inviting new people. If a member leaves the group, a new person can be invited to replace them.
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Making a Commitment to Support One Another
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The founding members of the group should attempt to create a culture of supportive caring in the group. They can do this in three ways:
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Sharing prayer needs outside of group meetings.
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Setting up times to help other people in the group with projects around their house (i.e. cleaning out their garage, planting a garden, painting a room).
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Intentionally taking care of a group member when they are ill or have any other need.
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Encouragement to Participate and Serve Together at LCC
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The founding members should encourage their group to take part in the life and work of Lockwood by inviting them to participate in church events (i.e. baptisms, Fall Fest, men’s breakfast, etc.), and volunteering together for tasks at church (i.e. serving coffee, passing out bulletins, helping in children’s ministry, etc.)
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The goal is to bring their group into fellowship with the whole church.
How Will These Groups Support the Vision and Mission of LCC?
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Lockwood is a people committed to Christ, Christlikeness, each other, and the world.
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Community Groups will be committed to Christ and Christlikeness by intentionally studying his life and teachings and putting them into practice.
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Community Groups will be committed to each other by supporting one another in their needs and building each other up in their faith. Their relationships will be Christ-centered.
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Community Groups will be committed to the world by reaching out to unbelieving friends, coworkers, and neighbors and bringing them into a community that is focused on Jesus.
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