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Homegroups |
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"Homegroups" are the foundation of our church, and our philosophy of
ministry. They are not merely a good program within the Great Commission Church
of Denton, homegroups are GCCD. That is to say, GCCD is seen by the
leadership as a body of "cells". These "cells" are the homegroups. Since
homegroups are so important to us, it is important to have a clear understanding
of what they're all about.
What
is a Homegroup?
Why Homegroups?
What
exactly goes on in a Homegroup?
How do I visit a Homegroup?
What others have to say about Homegroup
What Is A Homegroup?
A homegroup is a subset of the church. Practically speaking, this means
each homegroup operates under the church's doctrinal statement shares and works
toward the bigger purpose, core objectives, vision, goals and strategies of the
church. Each homegroup works interdependently with the other homegroups.
A
homegroup is a basic Christian community of 8-20 believers. The Bible gives
several important metaphors that help explain what a basic Christian community
should look like.
A Family.
- A homegroup is a group where relationships are built; support,
encouragement and admonishment are lovingly shared; mature believers help the
less mature grow; friends see each other as Christian brothers and sisters and
interact regularly.
A Body.
- A homegroup is a group where every member has an important function! Each
member has an opportunity and a responsibility to serve using his/her
spiritual gifts, strengths, and resources to build up the others in the group
and to help the group fulfill its purpose and vision.
An
Army.
- A homegroup is a group that is aggressively pursuing the expansion of
God's kingdom! The group therefore has a purpose higher than itself.
Evangelism and discipleship are central to this God-given purpose and should
be normal activities of the group.
Why Homegroups?
At GCCD, we see homegroups as vital to fulfilling the purpose and the
mission of the church.
The purpose of GCCD is stated as follows:
- Exalt God
Encourage Christians To Spiritual Maturity
Equip
Christians For Ministry
Evangelize The Lost
The mission of
the church is given in Matthew 28:19-20:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you."
Our
mission is to make mature followers of Christ, disciples who obey everything
Jesus commands; and, to make as many disciples as possible, i.e. "of all the
nations". Our desire is to maximize quality growth and quantity growth with the
gifts, resources and opportunities God has given us! Homegroups are vital to the
fulfillment of this purpose and mission for the following
reasons:
Quality Growth:
- We believe for there to be growth in believers' lives there must be an
effective one-to-another ministry taking place in the church. That is,
believers must be involved intimately with one another to the point of truly
loving, bearing with, forgiving, reproving, teaching, encouraging, serving,
confessing sins to, praying for, contributing to the needs of one another. Our
desire is for this one-to-another ministry to be occurring in every single
member's life! We see the size (10-25) as important in facilitating this.
-
- We believe for there to be growth in believers' lives there must be
effective pastoral care and equipping. Believers need quality examples,
oversight, leading, teaching, guiding, and equipping to grow properly.
Although these are the responsibilities of the elders of the church, the
homegroup servants greatly assist in personalizing and practically
implementing these care and training functions in the life of each and every
member of the church.
-
- We believe that quality relationships glorify God and are essential to
healthy Christian growth. Today's society is "disconnected" and impersonal.
People tend to be very mobile and private. Homegroups work against these
trends by providing a network of close spiritual family
members.
Quantity Growth:
- As for numerical growth, we believe God desires all His people to be
involved in reaching the lost. Homegroups as a philosophy of ministry
de-emphasize "big event" evangelism. Instead, attention is given to providing
personal evangelism tools, opportunities, and encouragement for each believer
with a stress on every believer being an everyday witness.
-
- Homegroups are easily reproducible; are an effective model for church
planting; are able to reach diverse people groups through various ministry
foci; and, are able to handle unlimited growth without sacrificing quality. It
is our desire to consistently "multiply" homegroups on a regular basis in
order to reach UNT and Denton.
-
- Homegroups have an atmosphere conducive to inspiring, recruiting and
training ones for short-term mission trips, church plants, full-time ministry,
and fulfilling Eagle Life Campus Fellowship's "train-and-send" objective.
What Exactly Goes On In A
homegroup?
In answering this question it is very important to keep in mind questions 1
& 2, for although the homegroup may do certain activities, no activity can
define what a homegroup is. For example, although a homegroup may study the
Bible, a homegroup is not a Bible study. Also, each homegroup is unique just as
each family or body is unique. They have different foci, different strengths,
different goals. Finally, what goes on in a homegroup depends on the needs of
that homegroup at that particular point in time. For example, one semester a
homegroup may focus on building relationships within its members and the next
semester it may focus on evangelism. Generally speaking, therefore, this is some
of what goes on in a homegroup.
A weekly meeting that usually includes:
- "Catching up"
- Sharing Bible verses and testimonies
- Worship
- Communion
- Prayer for needs
- Topical Bible study
- Times of accountability
- Making plans for outreach and fun times
In addition to this
weekly meeting, homegroups often engage in:
- Evangelistic outreaches
- Weekend fun times
- Accountability groups
- In-depth Bible studies
- Out-of-town trips
- Sharing meals together
- Helping to meet one another's needs
- Service projects
- Sports Teams
These are some of the group activities that go on
in a homegroup. However, this still only describes a part of what goes on, for
the life of the homegroup is the dozens of interactions that regularly happen
between individual members each week.
How can I visit a
Homegroup?
Each Denton homegroup is a family of college students at the University of
North Texas who meet together for reqular prayer, worship, sharing of our
lives, and the study of God's Word. We meet in different peoples'
homes and apartments on Wednesday nights from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
What
others have to say about Homegroup:
Q. "How would you describe homegroup?
A. "I see our homegroup as the place where authentic, real-life
relationships happen. As a small group of 8-15 people, we are a spiritual
family who seeks to love God and others" Susan Bullinger
A. "Homegoup is a time for people to be encouraged and to encourage
one another" Michael Terry
A. "My new family" Glen
A. "A group of people who want to love and serve each other even in
the yucky stuff" Scott Olson
A. "Time to be open, real and build quality friendships with others
in a cozy, homey environment. Discuss things that matter, but the zany is
by no means excluded!" Rebecca Evans
Q. What difference does homegroup make in your spiritual life?
A. "Homegroup gives me support, accountability and good deep
relationships that have changed the direction and focus of my life"
Susan Bullinger
A. "Homegroup challenges me to grow in my walk with God" Michael
Terry
A. "Consistency in an inconsistent world" Glen
A. "One word - refreshing! Forget stress and worry and enjoy
being with others who love the Lord. Fill my mind with truth and
contemplate things that are praiseworthy and beautiful" Rebecca Evans
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