Life Groups continue the mission of Gateway Church by glorifying God by making disciples of Jesus Christ through word based application and caring for one another.
what DO LIFE GROUPS DO?
Learn MoreLIFE GROUP DISCUSSION
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A Life Group is a community of believers who meet regularly to study God’s Word and discuss how we can apply it to our daily walk with God. Our two main values for Life Groups are 1) Word-based application and 2) caring for one another. When you are connected to a group, you’ll come to realize that the members of your group are typically the first responders to a need you might have such as a flat tire, a lawn that needs mowing when you’re on vacation, or a meal after you’ve just had a baby or a surgical procedure. In a larger church, it’s easy to feel disconnected. Life Groups provide a way to connect with a smaller group of people on a deeper level while still being a part of our large church family.
Life Groups regularly spend time studying the Bible, caring for one another, and reaching out to others.
This will look different for each group, but most Life Groups meet throughout our Life Group season which starts in August and continues until the end of May. Majority of our Life Groups will take a break from meeting officially in the summer, but may plan various social events to stay connected until the fall when we have our Life Group Launch. Most Life Groups meet in homes, but a few are hosted at the church if space is a concern. Meetings are typically held in the evenings, but a few of them meet in the afternoon. Life Group meetings typically last between an hour and a half to two hours depending on the group.
Life Groups meet from September to November and January to May. Some groups meet from June to August, as well.
After a Life Group has been together for 12-24 months, our goal is to have one or more people from the group leave to start a new one. This creates space and additional groups for new people. We call this “group multiplication.”
Joining a Life Group requires a 12-month commitment to attend. Most groups do not meet during December and will take a few weeks off in the summer. Obviously, allowances are made for sickness, vacation, work conflicts, and other special events, but not much more. This commitment is the key to a strong Life Group. You have the first month to attend the group to make sure it’s a good fit for you.
Many of the studies are based on the previous Sunday’s message at Gateway. These sermon based studies, called Sermon Discussion Guides, are built on what we call a “Proclamation-Application” model. We gather on Sundays to hear the proclamation or teaching of the Bible. Then, we get together in Life Groups to discuss and live out the applications from what we hear on Sundays by digging deeper into the Bible.
Life Groups are intended for adults. (Exceptions can be made for nursing newborns, up to six months.) We leave it up to each family to work out their own child care. Sometimes it works best for families to share a sitter or to swap childcare with another family whose Life Group meets on a different evening.
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Leader
Tools
We believe in the authority of Scripture and that reading and studying the Word of God is an essential piece of the Christian life. Here are some great resources to help you read and study.
There are many excellent Bible reading plans available online. Whether you are just getting started making consistent time in the Word a habit, or you are striving to read through the Bible 4 times this year, doing a simple search online is easy to do. Here are a few plans or resources we recommend:
- Read the New Testament in 90 days (YouVersion Bible app - search for “The Cell Rule of Optina”)
- Bible in a Year - 1 OT and 1 NT reading per day (YouVersion Bible app - search “Bible in a Year”)
- Bible in a Year - a book at a time
- 5x5x5 - Read the New Testament 5 days a week, for 5 minutes a day
- YouVersion Bible app - hundreds of plans available
- The Bible Recap with Tara-Leigh Cobble (Apple Podcast, Spotify Podcast)
- Scripture Typer Bible memorization app
- New City Catechism (book or app)
- How Do I Grow booklet by Pastor Josh Hanson
- The Daily Bread - available for free at the Resource Center
- Tabletalk
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