Growth Groups
Here at Elim, we believe spiritual growth develops from two basic commitments:
- A commitment to God and the Bible
- A commitment to significant Christian relationships
To help people develop these relationships, we host Growth Groups within our church family. These weekly home based Bible study groups will be based on the previous Sunday’s message. These “sermon-based” Growth Groups will meet each week to share, study God’s word, ask questions and support one another spiritually.
A Growth Group is a home fellowship made up of 10-12 people who meet weekly to study, to share, and to support one another in their Christian lives. A trained leader and a host lead each group. A typical meeting lasts for an hour and a half, followed by light refreshments.
The importance of growth groups cannot be overstated. They are the place where the real ministry of the church takes place as we encourage, support, and challenge one another. God doesn’t want any of us to be left to walk alone – we need each other. We want to be a church, not a crowd!
Each Growth Group will determine what day and time works best for them. They will meet in the home of the host.
Each Growth Group semester lasts 6-10 weeks. The fall session will run from late September to November. A Winter/Spring session will run from February to April and a 6 week Spring semester starts after Easter. At the end of each session, you have the choice of staying in the same group, trying a new group, or even taking a break. Most groups stay together throughout the entire year.
Our Growth Groups will follow a “sermon-based” model, however some groups choose to follow a different topic. Sermon-based groups will be based on the previous Sunday’s sermon. Each week there will be a series of Bible passages and questions to study and complete before your meeting. The homework is included on the back of the sermon note sheet found in your bulletin.
We suggest you join a group based on your “station in life” rather than on geography or the most convenient night of the week. We’ve found that a group works best when you share common interests, backgrounds, marital status or similar aged children.
Church wide sign-ups begin at the start of each new session. You can also sign up before or after any Sunday worship service or by calling the church office. Our pastors and staff will be happy to help you find just the right group for you.
Those who are new to the church (start attending in the middle of a session) can sign-up and join any group that has openings without waiting for the start of a new session.
