#3 Meet

When the church was birthed in the book of Acts, they were meeting in homes out of necessity. The church began as a movement of groups!

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).

These four elements made up a group meeting: God’s Word, Fellowship, Communion and Prayer. “You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.” (Acts 20:20)

The 4 W’s of a Winning Group

Throughout the Bible we see that God uses two things to guide His people: a leader and a team. Without a leader, the group will not succeed. Without a team, the leader will grow tired and burn out. As you gather your group, look for people you can delegate responsibility to and allow others to take ownership of the group. In doing this, you not only share the load, you also ensure that you will have at least 3-5 people every week at your group!

The Fellowship of the Believers (Acts 2:42-47, ESV)

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Key Group Roles

• Apprentice Leader - someone who has the character qualities listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7
• Host/Hospitality - someone who has the gift of hospitality and making people feel welcome
• GPS Coordinator - someone who can follow up with people and help them take their next step (takes attendance and follows up on mentoring)

1. WELCOME (10-15 minutes)

The host welcomes people and makes sure everything smells good, sounds good, tastes good, looks good, feels good.

2. WORSHIP (10-15 minutes)

Don’t take prayer requests first! Play a CD or use a YouTube worship playlist to help people focus their hearts and minds on God.

3. WORKS (10-15 minutes)

Ask each person to share what steps they are taking in their faith. Remind the group about upcoming events or announcements.

4. WORD (30-45 minutes)

Get people talking and opening up. Use an icebreaker question to get started and then ask open-ended questions for people to discuss the Bible together. No preaching!