New Covenant is a Church of Small Groups

Our Vision for Small Group Ministry: We are a community of spiritually connected Christians of all ages whose small group relationships with one antoher encourage deeper relationships with Jesus Christ.

The Purpose of the Small Group Ministry: To glorify God by uniting Christians through study, fellowship, and discipleship; equipping and encouraging them to develop a caring environment with in the group; and to develop apprentice leaders for birthing new small groups.

Our Goal: To make Small Groups a conduit to church life, Christian support, and intentional spiritual development within our New Covenant Congregation.

SMALL GROUPS MINISTRY
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION

WHAT IS A SMALL GROUP AND WHAT CAN IT OFFER?
A Small Group is a group of six to twelve people who meet outside the doors of the church to come together for the common purpose of intentional spiritual development and to deepen their relationships with one another and with Jesus Christ.

SMALL GROUPS OFFER:
Connection – a comfortable environment for developing fellowship, building relationships, for encouraging openness and participation, and for laughter and fun

Community – a safe and confidential environment for the sharing of ideas, thoughts, and concerns; a place for significant discussions about real life; opportunities to contribute to the lives of others; and a place to serve and use spiritual gifts.

Caring – an environment to care for one another in tangible ways as an integral part of meeting each other’s needs and sharing life in a caring environment.

Spiritual Formation – a safe but challenging environment to grow personally and spiritually, to better understand the Bible, to invite others wanting to grow in Christ, and to raise new facilitators as they grow through the Belonging-Becoming-Being stages of spiritual development.

WHEN AND WHERE DO SMALL GROUPS MEET?
Each small group decides together how often (weekly, every other week, monthly) and the time of their gathering. They also determine where they will meet (one home regularly or rotate through the group.

WHAT WILL WE STUDY?
Each Small group decides together their study focus. The Small Group Ministry will provide a list of studies available and assist in the procuring of these studies.

Each small Group is encouraged to develop a ‘GROUP COVENANT’. This COVENANT helps the group members take ‘OWNERSHIP’ of their Small Group. As a group, the decisions of ‘when, where, what’ are made.

WHAT IS THE ROLL OF THE GROUP AND ITS LEADER?
The functions of the group, i.e. host, snack, prayer requests, should be shared by the entire group. This could be part of the GROUP COVENANT!
The leaders will be the primary contact between the group and the Small Group Ministry. They are encouraged to attend informational workshops.
However, we prefer to use the term ‘FACILITATOR’ to define this roll.

   Facilitate – Don’t be a teacher of the Bible Study. Guide the discussion.
   A ctively Love – Accept people where they and let the Holy Spirit do the changing!
   C omfort – Be there with prayer and friendship when necessary!
   Identify – Be one of the group, not apart from it or above it!
   Listen – Focus on what people are trying to say and forget what you want to say   in  response!
   Integrity – Be honest! This is a most important attribute for group growing together.
   Take Time – Make sure that any concerns and/or issues are addressed.
   Acknowledge – All opinions, views, and questions need to be validated as important
   Trust – The group must be able to trust that what they share is ‘safe’ within the group.
   Encourage – Be an encourager, especially in the area of ministry direction.