Small Groups at Bethel
Community is vital to our faith, and Life groups are a key part of our journey. Men and women of all ages grow together in belonging, encouragement, and worship around God’s Word and prayer.
Interested? Hit the button below, or email Reint-Jan if you have any questions!
To hold discipleship groups, committed to each other in love, and creating a place where small groups of believers meet together in community.
Why bother with a small group? In Acts 2, the new-born Church finds its identity in Christ, enlivened by the Holy Spirit, and worshipping together at large in the Temple, and together more closely at the Table.
You can think of Sundays as the TEMPLE, where all believers can come together once a week to worship, praise, hear the Word, and be sent out again. The small group is like a TABLE, where a select group of believers can meet together at a dedicated time to study, pray, eat, worship, plan, grow, etc. together, around a particular topic, as a tight-knit group. What does a small group value? Check out our values below
Small Group Values
Gospel-Identity: As followers of Jesus, our identity is found in who God says we are, in the good news of everything Jesus has accomplished for us in His life, death and resurrection. We recognize that we belong to him, and are growing in his love first as our new identity (Eph. 2:1-10). Small groups help us to explore the meaning of our gospel-identity.
Worship: Worship is more than just music; worship is giving our whole lives to God in honour, dedication and thanksgiving. It’s relearning life, God’s way! He has given us a new life; we can give back our live in love. This is studying Scripture together, praying, singing, listening to each other, good works, etc. Small groups help us to draw deeper into this ‘worship lifestyle’ (Rom. 12:1-2), with or without music!
Community: God created us not just to walk alone with Jesus, but in a community. This is the Church. On a smaller level, this can be the small group. We love Him by also loving others (1 John 4)
Mission: God has not just given us a new identity, committed to him and community, but also a mission to share this good news, inside and outside the walls of the church (Matthew 28:9-10). There are so many creative ways to do this individually and corporately, such as serving the church and city, missions, parents discipling children, and evangelism, and small groups can be great catalysts for this mission.
Current life group leaders
Interested in Becoming a Leader?
Use the sign-up form to register today! Life Group training is available for current and new leaders.
Interested in Getting Trained?
At Bethel, we love to train our leaders to lead effective groups, which includes giving them leadership training, an open form to talk with other group leaders, and resources to run their groups! To get connected with our leadership resources, check out the link below!
Models
Bible Study – Usually one person leading a Bible study, teaching, and others following with discussion and work, involving study together. This is typically education-oriented.
Life Group – Where a group can share leadership, study through the Bible or a book study, pray for one another, share struggles or sins, pray for each other, and ‘do life together’. This is intimate, missional and relationally-based.
Home Group – similar to a house church, this is led by a family or individual to foster deeper growth as disciples. This is more attractional and organically-based.
All these are valid expressions of what a small group can look like at Bethel Church, and we want great leaders who can lead a group effectively and with grace. Ideal small groups are sized 8-16 people (with 12 being the sweet-spot!)
What if I’m not ready for a Small Group?
In the Bible, Jesus didn’t call His disciples to join Him because they were ready – rather, it was journeying with Jesus that started their growth and discipleship!
Checking out a Short-Term Life Group is a great place to start your journey. There are no prerequisites for you to join; we simply ask that you be committed to respecting others, open to learning new things, and willing to participate in a safe space.
The only way to “get ready” is to get involved!
What if I’m unsure of this whole “Jesus” and “church” thing?
That’s ok! We are all on our individual journeys, but the best journey is one in community. We encourage you to check out one of our seeker or foundational Short-Term groups so you can explore and study your questions with others who probably have the same questions!
And if you’d like to talk to a Pastor about Jesus, church, or any other faith questions, please contact Pastor Daniel Critchlow