To grow in faith, we encourage people to connect in community and live out the three words to describe our goals for people who attend Deep Water: Gather, Grow and Engage. While many of these may be informal, we do have several that meet informally. Of course, our “formal” ones are still very causal–just advertised better! And we have other groups to join now (and more in the future!) in order to be part of serving the community or the church.
The groups we form focus on one of these words as well–of course, if you’re in a group that gathers for community, you’re likely to grow and possibly engage the community too. Sometimes it is difficult to classify what a group is, but here are some definitions that you might find helpful:
What do groups do? What kinds of groups are there?
Gather: CommunityWhile personal disciplines of prayer, Bible reading, etc. are helpful, it is often easier to grow when connected to others in community. These groups are designed to help you grow in your faith–while getting connected and experiencing community. Sometimes they form along the lines of age-groups, stages of life, etc. They normally have anywhere from 3 to 12 people–although they sometimes grow a bit larger.
Grow: DiscipleshipThese are variants of community groups with normally 2-5 people (normally of the same gender) meeting for a defined period of time with a goal to to help people grow in their faith. These groups can take the form of getting together with someone for coffee and going thru some basic materials about what it means to follow Jesus–or sort out what it looks like to live a life following Jesus though answering questions and coaching. Sometimes members can use more intense forms or materials with homework to study and learn more in depth.Engage: ServeOther groups form to do a variety of things in serving at Deep Water or in the community. These groups may meet together to serve together or get together for support and exchanging ideas about how to serve others.
What if I decide a group isn’t a good fit?
It’s a good idea to go to a group a few times before you decide if it’s the right fit for you. If you don’t like a group, you don’t have to keep going.
How do I join or visit a group?
Since life and schedules can be unpredictable, if you find a group that interests you, contact the leader for more information or to find out exactly when & where they will meet next.
Are all the groups at Deep Water listed here?
Many groups will choose to be listed, however, many will not be. For example, if I meet with someone over coffee for 45 minutes a week to go through our 7 week course “First Steps, Learning to Follow Jesus”, we won’t list that as an official group because it meets short term and informally. Oh, and by the way, throwing that in there was a subtle way of letting you know that there are some of us here at Deep Water who would love to sit down and talk to you about what it means to follow Jesus and go through that 7 week course. 😉
Where can I find a list of groups?
A list of groups will be available Sunday. From the description of each, you’ll probably get an idea of what they do. If you’re not sure, feel free to contact the leader to ask. While we try to update this list, groups may form at any time. Go to here for the most recent list of groups.
Look for more groups in the near future! And if you’re interested in leading a group, talk to me on a Sunday, contact me or comment below. I’ll help guide you through the process of getting started.