The Purpose of LifeGroups
Human beings are social creatures. God created us to interact with one another and to need one another. We learn better together, laugh better together, think better together…we experience God better together. Being a Christian is not merely an internal choice, a personal and private decision. Christianity—following Christ— is about following Jesus into real relationship with God and with others.
We experience this relationship in part through our large worship services where we all gather on Sundays. But smaller groups provide the best way for us to connect with one another and grow spiritually. This is where LifeGroups come in.
In LifeGroups, you get to share life with a small group of people for three months of weekly get-togethers. Some groups do Bible studies. Others do service projects. Some read a book together. Others take on deep questions of life. Some focus on having fun and developing friendships, caring for each other. And others do a mix of all of these.
Through LifeGroups everyone who calls this church home, and even people who don’t, will learn to live a life full of purpose. We will grow and develop as disciples of Jesus by learning how to follow what Jesus taught. We will connect with each other in real and deep ways. Everyone will be equipped and challenged to use their gifts and abilities to serve others. And we’ll share God’s love with people who might never come to church, but who will visit someone’s home for a small gathering of friends.
The Process of Life Groups
LifeGroups are 10-12 week adventures that offer you two great benefits: One, they help you know God better. Two, they provide a great opportunity to develop friendships old and new. LifeGroups are the way we care for each other and grow spiritually at North Shore. Everyone should be In a LifeGroup!
LifeGroups run in three sessions every year. Winter (January – March), Spring (May – July), and Fall (September – November). The months in between each session are when we celebrate the testimonies of what God has done, train Group Leaders, and invite people to join the new groups.
Within LifeGroups there is a backbone of repeating “courses” that we believe are essential to every Christian. In addition to these we have groups forming around all different types of ideas that our group leaders come up with. We want LifeGroups that are birthed from the talents, skills, and burdens of the people who call this church home. We believe that the groups the Holy Spirit will lead people to start will have the greatest impact on the lives of the people in our church and in our community. So we are always working hard to find and train Group Leaders.
Group Leaders are people who have participated in a LifeGroup or two, been through one of our Group Leader Trainings and been approved to lead a LifeGroup. Some Group Leaders are personally invited to lead, many volunteer. If you’re interested in leading a group, e-mail the LifeGroups Leadership Team at lifegroups@northshoreag.org.
If you have any questions about LifeGroups, please talk to someone on the LG leadership team or email lifegroups@northshoreag.org or call the church office at 781-321-2121.
LifeGroup Leadership Team
Pastor Anders Eliason
Cheryl Auterio
Rosemond Boadu
Sam Boadu
Calvin Patten
Maryann Patten
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