Groups in the Church have always been a way to cultivate spiritual growth. You’ve maybe experienced them coined as “small groups”, “life groups”, or even the classic “study groups". Each name originated out of a focus that the particular church wanted to emphasize. At Kingship, our decision to name it “Group Life” was carefully decided. We wanted to communicate an important emphasis out of our church value to “Gather”. Part of the make up of Kingship Church is a commitment to “doing life together”. Group Life is about creating dedicated space to encourage that habit; gathering to bond, pray, and be equipped for life through discipleship and God’s Word.
Jumping into Group life cold turkey can be overwhelming. To feel a sense of camaraderie and commitment to each other, you first have to have some shared experience. A layer of experiences can help mold friendships and community where you there is a foreseeable hope of a life done together.
This is our intent with our Social Hangouts. It is a space that continues the hopes of a Friday Night Gathering and provides more opportunity for relationships to be strengthen before diving in to heavier, but healing, conversations.
For men especially, guys need time to get to know each other before they will feel comfortable enough to join a bible study. This doesn’t mean men have a problem with sharing or even being emotionally vulnerable, as the stereotypical goes. But, men don’t open up because there is the opportunity for discussion. Men respond to the promise of brothers. The term “Iron sharpens iron” from the bible indicates there is a recognition that they are both cut from the same rock. Give men the opportunity to see that we are all just normal guys trying to navigate this crazy life and they’ll starting looking to each other for strength.
This is where we then have opportunity to show whose strength we rely on and they can too.
Men and women connect, share, and are vulnerable in different ways, but both remove hesitations in joining a group when they know they have a friend they can trust. Instead of launching right into a study, Social Hangouts is an opportunity to gather the week leading into our Group Life so friendships can deepen or maybe make a new one. This is a perfect opportunity to invite the friend we all have on our hearts right now. There is no study, no prayer at the end, just time to show the joy of “doing life together”.
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17
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