by Larry Short (updated January 17, 2020)

Larry expands on each of the following principles in “The Last Word,” Elim’s blog. Read the entire series here. This document constitutes Elim’s official policies and procedures for life groups and group leaders.

1) Groups are the local church in microcosm. They should be one of the key places where people truly connect to God and one another. A lot of life change (for the better!) happens in the context of small groups. Because groups are so important, we seek to:

  • Encourage as many friends and members at Elim as possible to be a part.
  • Recruit and raise up as many leaders as needed to lead as many groups as needed to accommodate all those who should be in a group.
  • Pray for, support, and help equip those leaders in whatever ways we can to be effective in using their gifts in group leadership.

In light of the above goals, we encourage groups to resist becoming “cliques” and to remain open to outsiders.

2) Leaders are primarily accountable to God for the function of the group, and rather than dictating exactly how groups should be run we therefore encourage leaders to seek wisdom from God for their groups. Every group is therefore different, and the group leader(s) are responsible to shepherd the group in accordance with God’s leading. As a church we encourage, exhort, and grant a great deal of freedom to validated group leaders to lead in a manner in which they feel called. We will resist any cookie-cutter approach to creating groups at Elim.

3) Biblical mentorship principles must underly how and why groups function.

  • All group leaders should have coaches or mentors who can encourage and help equip them. The Community Ministry is here to help connect leaders to mentors.
  • If you would like to become a leader, your first step should be to get connected to an existing group and mentor under its leader. Talk with Pastor Ryan for help with this.
  • Group leaders also need “Barnabases” in their lives — peer leaders who meet with for encouragement and prayer. This can’t be accomplished without spending time together, which the Community Ministry helps facilitate through “leader huddles.” Part of that process will be group leaders sharing their stories, their successes, their challenges, best practices, and dreams with one another.

4) In the most effective groups, people “live life in proximity.” That means they spend quality time together. They get to know each other beneath the surface. An effective group is a lot like a village. They don’t simply come together for “yet another meeting” one, two, or four times a month; rather, they truly live their lives together, in many contexts beyond simply a regularly scheduled group meeting. They stay connected. That’s what creates community. We will encourage this among Elim groups.

5) Elim embraces affinity groups, but also understand the power of being intergenerational and connecting people from diverse walks of life. There is a lot of wisdom and other benefits that flow across age, culture, race, gender and other “boundaries.” We believe this should be encouraged and maximized for the benefit of all.

6) All life groups should be open, inclusive and outward-focused. Official life groups at Elim never close their doors to newcomers, but rather invite them in. When they get that feeling of being “too full,” rather than close they seek to raise up and train new leadership and spin off new groups which can accommodate more people.

Also, the Community Ministry will seek to strategically equip and encourage groups to not simply be places of community and fellowship, but also to be the point of the spear for our church reaching out into the community and world around us. This will look very different for different groups at different times, but we challenge each group leader to be interacting with his or her members with outward-focused ministry in mind. We ask groups to prayerfully answer this question: “What is God placing upon your heart(s) to do to impact the world around us for Jesus?” We encourage groups to listen to God and work toward whatever vision He plants in their hearts.

7) Groups are a key place where certain things vital to the life of the Church can occur very effectively. For instance:

  • Small groups are often the place where a believer’s spiritual gifts first float to the surface. We will work with group leaders to hone a process for helping their group members discover and use their spiritual gifts effectively to minister to others.
  • Groups play an incredibly important part of the prayer life of the Church. This ministry will exhort, support, and encourage a vital prayer life within small groups.
  • Small groups are the place where the best care and shepherding occurs. In a traditional church model, the “professional” pastors are responsible to visit the sick and bereaved. But when tragedy strikes someone who is involved in a small group, many times the best care comes directly from other group members who are in community with that person. We will work with group leaders to help them become wise and caring shepherds of the little flocks God has entrusted to them.

Have a question or concern about life groups at Elim? Want to get connected? Contact Pastor Ryan.