Small Groups

There is already such a wonderful sense of community in this church, and we are excited and hopeful that the small groups program will enrich your relationships at CHUMC and further your exploration of your faith and relationship with God.

What is a small group?

Small groups originated with the founder of United Methodism, John Wesley. Wesley encouraged “class meetings,” or small groups of people who would gather in each other’s homes to focus on their spiritual well-being. Many people even view Jesus and his disciples as the first small group.

In today’s world, small groups come in all shapes and sizes. They could be a casual group of people gathering in God’s name, a highly-structured group that follows the Covenant Discipleship model, or a group of church members who come together for worship, accountability, and spiritual growth.

Here at CHUMC, we envision small groups as a time for participants to come together in God’s name and support one another as we continue along our journeys of faith. With CHUMC increasing in size, small groups also present an opportunity to form deeper bonds with members of our growing congregation.

Ideally, each small group will act as a church in miniature, with all aspects of the Discipleship Adventure: celebrate, connect, develop, serve and share. A typical meeting might run as follows (although feel free to change the emphasis and timing based on the preferences and needs of your group).

Suggested format:

• Social gathering (5-10 minutes)
  This is an informal time to catch up with others, nibble on snacks, etc. Might be a good time to try a few icebreaker questions, if necessary.
• Formally begin with prayer
  Begin each meeting remembering that God is with us, and seek guidance in opening ourselves to Him and to each other.
• Study-based discussion (20-30 minutes)
  Choose any subject matter that interests you. Suggestions: The lectionary material for the following week, The Discipleship Adventure Guide (a collection of daily scripture readings and questions available in the Narthex), books such as The Purpose-Drive Life or Traveling Mercies, certain chapters of the Bible, the Washington Post’s religion section. The discussion could also be mission-based or evangelism-based, if that’s where the group’s interests lie.
• Personal discussion (20-30 minutes)
  Focus on each member’s development as a Christian – your struggles, goals, etc.
• Close with prayer
  Give everyone the opportunity to pray out.

Mutual accountability

Mutual accountability is one of the most important facets of a small group. You will all help create an encouraging environment where everyone can focus and benefit from the support of their peers. Advise members of your goals (e.g.: volunteerism, prayer, work-life balance, reading the Bible regularly, family-related issues, etc.), and try to be honest about your progress. Remember that you’re among fellow Christians in a supportive and empowering setting. Don’t feel like a failure if you don’t instantly achieve success. Developing relationships takes time, effort, and usually a huge leap of faith.

Covenants

Groups should create and sign a covenant at their first meeting. The scriptural meaning of covenant is “to enter willingly into a binding agreement with God.” It’s an intentional way to commit to the group and describe how you hope to come together in God’s name. Briefly write what you hope to gain from your small group and/or your general goals, and when and where you will meet. There are sample covenants in the attached document – feel free to choose or modify any of them, or draft your own.

Leadership

Small groups should be a group-led activity with everyone sharing the weight of leadership equally. Someone should serve as an initial “organizational” leader, just to help make initial communication and pull the first meeting together. At your meetings themselves, there will likely need to be some level of facilitation at each meeting. Choose a different person to serve as “facilitator” each week. By rotating the leadership, everyone participates equally and no one has the weight of being “in charge.”

Facilitator responsibilities: keep an eye on the time, ensure that the discussion is balanced and everyone has a chance to speak. Utilize the “Mutual Invitation” method if necessary (attached). Also choose the leader for the next week before the close of the meeting.

What happens next?

Groups should covenant to meet at least six times, and at some point stop to focus on where they are and where they want to go. You could of course keep the same format, or opt to follow the “Covenant Discipleship” model, which is more intense, focused, and structured.