A Sense of Belonging
The purpose of Small Group Ministries is to offer each person who attends our worship services a place where they can develop lasting relationships based on the love God has for each of His family members. Each Small Group is comprised of about a dozen members who meet weekly in area homes to fellowship and grow in Christ together. Although each small group is unique, they share some common components:

Worship Music and Singing
Music, in the form of praise and worship choruses, offers the opportunity for people to focus on God and grow by participating in the worship experience. In the Small Group setting, corporate worship can be a special experience.

Sharing Questions
Sharing questions give the Small Group members an opportunity to tell their story. The questions are of five different types. Past-tense questions ask people to share something about their personal history. Present-tense questions invite people to share what is happening in their lives at the present time. Future-tense questions focus on what is ahead. Affirmation questions invite group members to say positive things about each other. Accountability questions are asked when group members promise to work actively at living out their faith.

Bible Studies
Bible Studies provide the group with the common element of meeting to be transformed into the image of God. Each week we meet together and share the experiences of God's Word instructing us on issues related to our faith in Him. Inductive Bible studies provide an opportunity to dig into the Scriptures and discover what God is saying to us directly through His Word. These interactive studies also give us the chance to build relationships with other group members. Learning and growing together facilitate fellowship as we apply Scriptures to our lives.

Sharing Prayer and Fellowship
Praying for one another every day is one of the major ways that we develop a sense of love and concern for each other. To facilitate this, we spend the last portion of our meeting listening to the reports of answered prayer from the last meeting and sharing our needs for the coming week. Following the Small Group meeting, time is spent in fellowship with one another. Special fun activities are planned periodically so that members are able to develop lasting relationships. Some groups plan special missions or activities where they band together to minister to others, sharing God's love with those who are in need.

Join a Small Group!
Learn from a study that goes along with our weekly sermon series, and join dozens of folks who are studying the same lessons! Our small groups are geographically based, and meet on weekday evenings. If you are interested in getting involved in our dynamic small group ministry, email us at office@stroudwater.org

 

Small Group Leadership Manual
Written by Pastor Bill Chadwick, this Small Group Leadership Manual has been used throughout the United States in the training of Small Group leaders and the formation of effective Small Groups. These Small Groups have been used to build fellowship into the lives of those who belong to both large and small churches alike, because they focus on building relationships so that people understand the value of being an active participant in a caring community.

INTENTIONAL	Very clear goals, purpose and objectives
FACE-TO-FACE	Designed for interpersonal relationships
3 TO 12 PEOPLE	Minimum and maximum number for really interpersonal communication and support
REGULAR TIME SCHEDULE	The group meets once a week, or at an agreed interval regularly
COMMON PURPOSE	Agreed upon goals and objectives with a contract that spells out these goals
DISCOVERING	The group is open to those who are not Christian but are open to spiritual things

The Small Group Leadership Manual was written by Rev. Dr. William H. Chadwick, Senior Pastor of Stroudwater Christian Church. Email us if you are interested in obtaining a copy of this manual.