Growth Groups

The mission of Lakeshore Church is Living for Jesus by Making, Maturing and Mobilising Disciples of Christ for His Glory. Growth Groups exist to help us live out this mission.

There are three main parts of church life at Lakeshore that we ask everyone to commit to. The first is regular attendance at a Sunday gathering, and the second is membership of a Growth Group and the third is serving through a ministry team. This means Growth Groups are a crucial and central part of church life. They are where relationships are developed. They are the primary place of care and support for each member. They form a network of relationships where people can grow in their understanding of Jesus, love each other and help each other in sharing Jesus with non-Christian friends and family.

What does a Growth Group look like? They usually consist of 8-10 people who gather together once a week. Each group has a designated leader. There are different groups for different ages and stages of life. For example, there is a young Mums group that meets from 10am to 12 noon on a week day with crèche facilities provided. Some groups are made up of people of the same life stage (e.g. teenagers, families, retirees) or the same sex, whereas others have a mixtures of ages and stages. Some growth groups meet in homes, some in coffee shops and some at the church. Groups meet on most nights of the week, plus some during the day and some on weekends.

The basic features of group life include:

• Bible study;
• Leaders developing other leaders in the group;
• Prayer;
• Mission (local and global);
• Caring for the needs of each other;
• Social relationships.

Life@Lakeshore

If you are new to Lakeshore Church, the first step towards joining a growth group is to complete the Life@Lakeshore course. Life@Lakeshore is an introduction to our church which provides all the basic information you need to know to feel at home and get more significantly involved in our church. Life@Lakeshore runs for four weeks at the beginning of each term. We ask everyone to complete this course before they join a growth group.

Making Disciples

Each growth group aims to encourage each member to be involved in the lives of those who don’t yet know Jesus. The group is a network of relationships that people can be invited into to see the love of disciples of Christ.

Maturing Disciples

The main way Christians grow is by getting to know God better as He has revealed himself in his Son Jesus Christ. We do this by reading and studying His Word, the Bible, in fellowship with other Christians.

Your relationship with Jesus will grow each week as you hear a talk on a passage of Scripture on Sunday and then meet with other Christians during the week to discuss that passage in more depth. You will have the opportunity to consider your specific questions about the passage and have your questions answered by fellow believers. By doing this we grow as Christians. For each major teaching series, we prepare a study booklet which contains a small group study for each sermon plus extra resources.

Mobilising Disciples

As members of growth groups, we give of ourselves to each other in prayer, as well as serving by encouraging one another and loving one another in the practical needs we have in life. These groups are a great way to develop relationships. The groups provide a place to serve each other and the wider church by using our gifts from God.