Have you ever been frustrated with the lack of relational depth in your group? Even with the people who show up to group every week?
Does it ever feel like group discussion is just 30 minutes of surface answers but no one is really sharing their life, their struggles, or challenging each other spiritually?
Sometimes it feels like Community Groups just don't work.
The purpose of Community Groups is to Apply the Bible, Build relationships, and Care for each other, but maybe for you it feels like all that is being accomplished is that people are sitting in an awkward circle each week.
Here are 2 reasons Why Community Groups Don't Work
1. You focus on meetings instead of ongoing relationships.
When people only see Community Group as an event to attend, your group will struggle.
When your only time together begins at snack time and ends after group prayer, your group will struggle.
2. You focus on answering questions instead of sharing your lives.
When the goal of discussion time is to get through all of the questions, your group will struggle.
When people view group discussion as the time to share right answers, your group will struggle.
How do you fix this?
The goal of Community Group is not to hold good meetings. The goal of Community Groups is to create authentic Biblical community.
Your group can't accomplish the ABC's until you experience community together.
So, how do you create community?
Here are a 6 ideas:
Pray for your Community Group members consistently
As you pray for your group, God uses your prayers to increase your love for your group members. Do you struggle to pray regularly? Set a reminder on your phone or use this prayer reminder app: www.prayermate.net
Text your Community Group members at least 1 time a week
You don't need to text them all yourself, assign each person to a Group Leader or spiritually mature group member for weekly follow up.
Sit together on Sundays
Pick a section in the auditorium, let people know what service you will attend each week, and make a point of sitting together. You could even grab coffee at the cafe together before you find your seats in the service. This is one of the reasons we encourage Northridgers to attend the campus nearest them and attend a group from their campus.
Skip sermon discussion and share your stories
Do you really know each other in group? Until you do, answers to discussion questions will probably remain on the surface level. Take a few weeks, or maybe a whole trimester, and take turns sharing your stories and asking follow-up questions.
Assign prayer partners
Encourage everyone in prayer time to pair up and connect with their partner one time during the week over a text, phone call, coffee, a meal, or even hanging out at each other's homes.
Invite people into the natural rhythms of your life
Birthday parties together
Kids band/theater/sporting events together
House work or yard work together
Eating leftovers together
Watching the game together
Doing school work in the same place together
Date nights together
You can inspire people from a distance, but you can only influence them up close.
Community is developed as you share life together.
Which one of these steps can you take this week to help create Community in your group?
