Community Groups exist to help people connect relationally and grow spiritually. We meet regionally across the greater Seattle area in homes every other week.
The four marks of our Community Groups are:
Meals
We eat together and catch up.
Maturity
We study and grow.
Ministry
We serve one another in practical ways.
Mission
We live out our faith daily and share the gospel
Community Groups & Discipleship
Our Vision:
We view community groups as a means of allowing the congregation to shepherd and disciple each other, within the bounds of pastoral and elder oversight (Eph. 4:11-13). They facilitate relationships for mutual edification.
They are not support or counseling groups, and they are not pure study groups. Rather, they are used to cultivate spiritual fellowship together, a fellowship informed by Scripture and pursued through prayer, study, and interpersonal reflection.
What role does community groups play in the church?
In thinking about discipleship, it’s helpful to think of a spectrum, with the whole congregation at one end, one on one relationships at the other, and community groups in the middle.
CONGREGATION — COMMUNITY GROUPS — ONE ON ONE RELATIONSHIPS
On the one hand, our church attempts to prioritize the gatherings of the whole congregation, because that’s where the primary teaching is done and where the entire body, with all its diverse parts, most reflects the gospel of Christ. On the other hand, we recognize how effective individual discipleship can be. In between these two ends of the spectrum, we have community groups working to connect the benefits of our ministry to the whole congregation and the ministry going on between individuals. Community groups provide the context in which what the church is learning as a whole can be applied more individually and deliberately. It’s the context in which Christians can pray and spur one another on to evangelism. It’s the context for facilitating discipleship relationships.
We take care to ensure that community groups are neither a substitute nor a competitor with the church as a whole. Rather, they are an extension of it, a particularization of the whole community. This is particularly important in today’s church culture, where many Christians are accustomed to thinking of the community group, rather than the church, as their primary spiritual community. It’s possible to be a biblical Christian without belonging to a community group. It’s impossible to be one without belonging to a church.
This is why we encourage individuals visiting or coming to the Well to attend Sunday services for a period of time (at least 1-2 months) or to commit to the church (becoming a regular attender and not visiting other churches) before joining a community group. Community groups are the next step after an individual decides to make the Well their home church. Being a part of a community group is one aspect of healthy Christian life.
How are community groups structured?
Community groups are location-based groups, meeting every other week in gender-specific groups across the greater Seattle area, in either a host’s home or another location. They exist to help people connect relationally and grow spiritually through four marks: meals, maturity, ministry, and mission. Groups will have facilitators who have the responsibility of gathering the group members together by setting a time and a place to meet, creating an agenda for each meeting which includes checking-in with group members, facilitating the discussion time through a specific study designated by the church, and leading the prayer time.
Discipleship Relationships
Discipling is critical for our Christian growth as individuals as well as for making the gospel visible in our life together as a church. So we do everything we can to cultivate a culture of discipling in our church.
What do we mean by “discipling”?
In one sense, almost everything we do as a local church is about being and making disciples. The songs we sing, the prayers we pray, and certainly the sermons that are preached all aim to grow us as God-glorifying disciples.
But for this handout we have something more specific in mind when we use the word “discipling.” We are thinking particularly about individual relationships. More formally, we are talking about the intentional encouragement and training of disciples of Jesus on the basis of deliberate, loving relationships.
Jesus tells us to pursue one another like this: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:17). How did Jesus love his disciples in ways that could be imitated? He loved them intentionally, purposefully, humbly, joyfully and normally. Let’s think about these descriptions.
Intentional: “You did not choose me but I chose you…” (John 15:16a). Jesus did not merely stumble across his disciples; he took loving initiative. He chose them. Christ-like love is not passive; it takes initiative. Loving other Christians like Christ love us means taking the initiative.
Purposeful: “…and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16b). Christ’s love for his disciples is purposeful. He called them to bear fruit for God’s glory. In other words, his love is not merely sentimental, but has a wonderful, God-glorifying agenda. If we are to love one-another as Christ has loved us, surely we will share Jesus’ goals for one another, namely, the spiritual good of our friend and God’s glory through their joy in the gospel.
Humble: Jesus says, “As the father has loved me, so have I loved you,” (John 15:9) and “Instead [of slaves], I have called you friends” (John 15:15a). Jesus condescends to be our friend, even though he is infinitely far above us in majesty, holiness, and honor. Surely, then, we must relate with all humility to our fellow fallen brothers and sisters. We treat them as friends whom we love, not as “projects” or “lessers.” We don’t lord it over, we honor and cherish.
Joyful: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Jesus commands us to love one another so that we would know his joy. Setting out to care for other Christians, encouraging their growth in grace, can be hard work. But it is wonderful work, and Jesus says it is joy-producing work!
Normal: Jesus makes this kind of loving discipling his basic command to all his people and, thus, normal for all Christians. Listen again: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” Not surprisingly, you will find talk of basic Christian discipleship throughout God’s Word:
- “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Heb. 3:13).
- “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Rom. 12:10).
- “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thess. 5:11).
The New Testament is filled with such exhortations. Jesus and the apostles did not mean for discipling between Christians to be exceptional, but normal.
As a Christian that is a part of the Well, we want you to be intentional, purposeful, humble, and joyful as we work together at making these kinds of one-on-one relationships normal. Do this by letting people get to know you. Do this by working to know them. Really, it is all of our work to cultivate a culture of discipleship in this place.
What do we mean by a “culture of discipling”?
You will probably hear that phrase a lot around us. Most dictionaries define a “culture” as something like “the shared values, goals and practices that characterize a group.” That is pretty much what we have in mind when it comes to discipling at our church. We don’t want just a program, we want mutual love and encouragement to be a value, goal, and practice that increasingly characterizes all of us.
Formal programs are not necessarily bad, but we want to make sure we do not fall short of the biblical ideal. And the biblical ideal, we have said, is to become a place where it is normal to take initiative in doing one another spiritual good. You don’t have to sign up for anything or get permission before loving fellow Christians this way. Nor do you want a church where discipling only happens when the staff sustain it. That’s not a healthy church! No, we want you to pray and think about how you can jump in.
What should I do in a discipling relationship?
The most significant aspect of any discipling relationship, often, is not exactly what you do when you meet, but that you build a relationship with biblical truth at its core. As such, there is no “set program” for discipling relationships in our church. Individuals can do a number of things:
- Connect over the phone, in-person, over coffee, or a meal to discuss the prior Sunday’s sermon, a podcast episode, a book, or a book of the Bible.
- Invite other church members over to hang out, schedule play dates, help with errands or chores to create channels for spiritual conversations.
- Find opportunities to connect over hobbies or activities as well as shared interest that could open doors to pray for one another and to share what God has been doing in your life.
Examples abound, and the venues are flexible. What’s important, again, is that you pursue something, something where you have time to relate to another Christian with the intentional aim of encouraging and being encouraged by the truth from God’s Word.
So be creative! But be intentional about loving one another in the best, the highest, the most biblical way—by aiming to do the other person spiritual good.
How can I get into a discipling relationship?
There are four ways to establish a discipling relationship at The Well:
First, take the personal initiative to try to work out a discipling relationship with another person. No staff permission needed! Instead, show up to church early. Stick around late. Start getting to know other people. Over time we hope you will begin to build the kind of relationships where these things happen naturally.
Second, talk to your facilitator or someone in your group for suggestions and assistance if you happen to join a community group. They may not be free to meet up with you regularly, but as they get to know you, chances are they can help connect you with another member who would.
Third, the church will create opportunities from time to time for people to connect through our men’s, women’s, and professional fellowship groups. This will open more channels for connection and relationships to be established.
Fourth, if neither of these avenues result in a regular discipling relationship, feel free to contact one of the church staff, pastors, or elders for help. There are always a number of individuals who, because of schedules, geography, or other reasons, find it difficult to connect with another person one-on-one. In those cases, the church is happy to help.
We also have a resource page on our church website that has Bible study material, articles, podcasts, and websites to ministries that we recommend to help foster discipleship relationship.
Here is a link to that page: https://www.thewellcc.org/resources
We do encourage you to start with your own initiative. It just might cause you to flex and even develop the discipline and evangelism muscles that will serve you and others for years to come. You might find that doing so becomes one of the most satisfying experiences of your life as a Christian. And you might find yourself understanding more clearly what Jesus meant when he said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
*Taken and adapted from 9Marks Ministries articles, “Using Small Groups to Cultivate Fellowship” by Michael Lawrence and “Member Handout: Plugging into Discipling Relationships.”
If you have any questions, please email cg@thewellcc.org.