Small Group Ministry

PURPOSE

Scripture calls us to express love, care, concern, and brotherly affection toward one another. Answering that call with only our interactions on a Sunday morning can be difficult. To help fulfill this part of our walk with the Lord we have intentionally set out to bring us together in smaller groups where deeper relationships can form. We accomplish by incorporating small groups or closer fellowship into the structure of each ministry (youth, college, men, women, and seniors, etc.). Beyond this, we also seek to encourage and support the formation of various forms of small groups. These groups can be Bible Study Groups, Fellowship Groups, Prayer Groups, or Outreach Groups. Quite simply, a small group is any group that gathers throughout the week for the purpose building up the body of Christ, whether it be at the church, in a home, at a local coffee shop, in a park etc. It can be with co-workers, neighbors, or friends from other churches. It doesn’t matter, as long as that closer fellowship in Christ is the focus. Each group may include varying levels of Bible study, fellowship, prayer, and outreach, the categories are simply given to show that variety that can be enjoyed.

Here at Calvary Bible, we do not seek to arrange these groups nor do we specifically guide them. We hope that our members form these groups and seek out participants on their own. Our pastors and elders are always ready to help with guidance and advice, and we also seek to provide opportunities to equip those who want to lead a group. By allowing the groups to form organically it helps us to know that God is working in the hearts of our members to motivate them to get involved in the lives of others.

LIFE GROUPS

Life Groups gather to build close relationships that can provide support and encouragement through the various circumstances of life. These groups bring friends together in a home on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. They might focus on specific areas of life or life stages, they might be formed by those who live in the same area, or they might just be a group that has come together because of the close relationships they had with one another. Typically these groups will have a balance of fellowship, Bible study, and prayer.

BIBLE STUDY GROUPS

Bible Study Groups gather for an in-depth study through a book of the Bible or to work through a Bible study series. These groups seek to help one another to grow in our knowledge and understanding of the word while encouraging each other to live it out.

PRAYER GROUPS

Prayer Groups gather to fellowship and care for one another as they lift the individual and corporate needs of the church in prayer. These groups seek faithfully express our needs to God and represent our corporate dependence on God through prayer. The focus is to provide faithful prayer concerning all we do here at Calvary Bible Church so that God’s power is recognized and seen by answers to those prayers.

OUTREACH GROUPS

Outreach Groups gather based on common interests, making it easy to invite the unsaved and the unchurched to join. Interests as varied as biking, sewing, play-dates, fishing, etc. These groups seek use the common interests and time spent together to intentionally lead into spiritual discussions that can draw those in the group closer to God.