Small Group Ministry
Small Groups Ministry
Frequently Asked Questions
• What are Small Groups?
o They are groups that could consist of up to as many as 14-15 people that meet mostly in homes on Sunday evenings with a greater focus on fellowship while studying God’s Word.
• What are the goals of the Small Groups Ministry at Tates Creek?
o To enable our congregation to grow deeper in fellowship and in the Word of God, creating a more deeply committed Christian community as seen in Acts 2:42-47. The Small Groups Ministry is intended to help Tates Creek Christian Church Grow In Fellowship Together.
• What will be studied?
o At the beginning, all groups will study the same curriculum. However, after that point, all groups will be able to decide the studies they would like to pursue, provided that those studies are doctrinally sound and have been approved by the Small Group Ministry Team, which is under the purview of the Elders of Tates Creek.
• How are the Small Groups formed?
o Everyone who fills out the “GIFT” form indicating a desire to participate in a small group will be contacted via mail with information regarding the location and leader of each particular group offered, along with what the groups will be studying (see above). The recipients of those letters will then, in turn, be asked to select their first, second, and third choices as to the group they prefer to be a part of, and send that information back to the church. From that, the Small Group Ministry Team will work as much as possible to get everyone into the group that is their first choice. This way, we hope that everyone will be able to participate in a group that they want to be a part of.
• Will anything else be offered at the church building for adults on Sunday evenings?
o Yes. There will be a Bible study here at the church for those desiring that format.
• What about childcare?
o In order to be flexible to the needs of each individual group and group member, each small group will set up their own means for childcare. This also will apply to the Bible study that will be meeting at the church building.
o Each host home for a small group with children will be large enough to accommodate children in a separate area of the home, under supervision. Groups (and those in the Bible study at the church building) may decide to pool together to hire a sitter, or sitters, for the group. They may also decide to rotate this responsibility among their own group week to week, so that group members don’t have to miss out on most of the group time and study.
o On top of the flexibility this offers each group, another reason that we are taking this approach is to also provide our Children’s Ministry’s volunteers an opportunity to participate and be fed spiritually through these groups as well.
o Currently, the Children’s Ministry plans to move the children’s activities currently taking place on Sunday evenings (i.e. children’s choirs) to Wednesday evenings during Oasis classes. If you have any questions about Children’s Ministry programming, please see Tyler Johnson or a member of the Children’s Ministry Team.
• What about Student Ministry activities?
o Since the middle school and high school youth group schedules are so very fluid throughout the summer, please see Dan Robinson or a member of the Youth Ministry Team for more information.
o Details for the fall schedule will be coming soon.
• What will be the relationship between Small Groups and Sunday School?
o The Small Groups Ministry and the Sunday School Ministry are two distinct ministries under the Evangelism/Discipleship Ministry of Tates Creek Christian Church. While ultimately the same in their goal of discipleship, they are both very unique in their approach to it and will remain as such – two distinct ministries within the E/D Ministry.
o The great emphasis in our Sunday School Ministry is on Bible study, which, without saying, is vitally important to our congregation. The majority of time in each Sunday School class is devoted to Bible study, with a very brief amount of time usually available for fellowship. Classes meet in “classrooms” here at the church, and can range in size from less than 10 in a class to over 70. Some classes are more lecture-centered, and others, more discussion-centered. This format has always provided a great environment for new people to be able to get their “foot in the door” in both their relationship with God and with other believers at Tates Creek. We don’t want to change that at all! And we won’t.
o In comparison, the Small Groups Ministry, while also including Bible study, seeks to make a much greater emphasis on fellowship and developing a real sense of Christian “community” within the congregation. Acts 2:42-47 highlights some aspects of how essential this type of “community” was to the first Christians. This ministry seeks to help those in our congregation grow deeper together as we study God’s Word, pray with each other, support each other, and celebrate as we go through life together. By meeting in homes, these groups meet in comfortable, relaxing settings. Each group will also have time devoted to fellowship with food and conversation that precedes their time together in God’s Word. These groups are primarily discussion-based.
o Both the Small Groups Ministry and Sunday School Ministry are essential in their own unique ways to our discipleship program here at Tates Creek, and will remain unique.
