We were created for connection with other human beings. The Christian life was never meant to be lived alone. Growth Groups are places where significant relationships are created and built so that we don’t have to do life alone. Real ministry takes place in Growth Groups as members encourage, support, and challenge one another. Growth Groups help us to be a church rather than a crowd.

Each Growth Group session lasts for 8-10 weeks. Groups will meet during the fall, winter, and spring quarters, then take a break for the summer, although some groups may meet informally or socially over the summer months. At the end of each quarter, you have the choice of staying in the same group, moving to a different group, or even taking a break. Most groups will stay together for the entire year; some will stay together for multiple years. The goal is to build significant relationships.

We have found that it often works really well when members of a Growth Group are in a shared station in life (i.e. Empty Nesters, Parents of Young Children, Widowed, etc.). However, being in a diverse or intentionally intergenerational group offers tremendous growth opportunity to all involved, as well. Some people connect and grow better with a group that shares a common interest. Some people prefer to be in a new group and others prefer to join an existing group. If a group is fille to capacity, we will work to find or build a group that meets your needs. Everyone is built differently and has different needs. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 groups before you find the perfect fit!

Joining a Growth Group requires a 9-11 week commitment to attend the weekly meetings and to do the homework ahead of time (20-30 minutes). Obviously, allowances are made for sickness, vacation, work conflicts, or other special events, but it’s very important to the whole group that everyone be there as much as possible. Remember, the goal is to build significant relationships. This is difficult if you only attend a few meetings. Commitment is the key to healthy groups and strong relationships and the reward gained is directly proportional to the effort invested.

The study portion of each meeting is based on the previous week’s sermon. Most of our Growth Groups are built on what we call a “Lecture-Lab” model. If you think of Sunday’s sermon as a lecture on the Christian life, the Growth Group meeting is the lab where you get to discuss how it applies in real life. Each week there will be a series of Bible passages to read and questions to complete before the meeting. This homework will be included on the back of the sermon note sheet which is found in the bulletin. It should usually take around 20-30 minutes to complete.

Signups happen at the start of each quarter (September, January, March/April). You can also sign up any time during the quarter by calling the church office, going to the church website, or through Realm. Those who are new to the congregation can sign up and join any group that has openings without waiting for the start of a new session. Our pastors and staff will be happy to help you find just the right group for you.

Growth Groups meet on various days and nights of the week in homes throughout the community. A few of them meet at the church. Growth Groups decide for themselves the day/time of the weekly meeting, based on what is best for its members.

Growth Groups work best when members are able to discuss and share without being interrupted. Therefore, we encourage groups to be for adults only, with the exception of nursing newborns. It is up to each Growth Group and/or family to work out their own childcare for the meetings. If there are only 1 or 2 parents in a Growth Group, it might be best for those parents to arrange childcare on their own or swap with another parent/family whose group meets on a different day/time. If most of the members of a Growth Group are parents of children of similar ages, they may want to decide together how to handle childcare for the whole group, such as sharing the cost of a sitter.

Some Special Interest Growth Groups use a different curriculum for their studies or read a book together. Their focus can be along the lines of marriage enrichment, Bible study methods, parenting issues, Christianity 101, Presbyterianism, or really anything the group chooses. They may start or end sporadically and not follow the quarterly system. They may follow the 90-minute meeting format of sharing, study, and prayer, or they may choose to follow their own time/format. Other Special Interest groups may follow the curriculum and format of a regular Growth Group but are bound together by a shared interest, such as knitting, gardening, golf, etc.