Life Transformation Groups
Small Group Ministry at Third Church

The purpose of Life Transformation Groups (Small Group Ministry) is to connect people relationally in groups (ideally 4 - 10 persons) for the purpose of growing in Christ likeness, loving one another, and contributing to the work of the church, in order to glorify God and make disciples of all nations.

Our Vision Statement can be summarized in one simple phrase: Changing Lives Through Jesus' Love. 

That phrase implies two questions.  First, it requires us to ask: How am I being changed by Jesus' love?  That is, how am I becoming more and more like Jesus?Secondly, this phrase requires us to ask: Whose life am I impacting with the love of Christ?

Put simply, the essence of our purpose as a church comes down to two one-word questions: How? and Who?

The challenge for all of us is to build into our lives activities which help us, individually, to grow more like Christ and which help us express Christ's love toward others.

One great opportunity to address the How? and Who? questions is the small group ministry here at Third.  At their core, small groups are meant to provide, first, an environment in which we might grow more into the likeness of Christ; and second, an environment in which we might express the love of Christ toward others.  This whole idea of Christ-like transformation is so basic to small groups that we call them “Life Transformation Groups.”

If you would like more information about or wish to join a Life Transformation Group, please contact Pastor Kok.

What Are Life Transformation Groups Good For?

Spiritual Growth

Spiritual growth. according to the Bible, is to be a primary goal in every Christian's life. Early Christians were most often stimulated to spiritual growth through house meetings, where believers instructed each other. Luke reports of the earliest believers. "They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts" (Acts 2.46). Paul did his teaching "publicly and from house to house" (Acts 20:20) and suggested that his followers "teach and admonish one another with all wisdom" (Colossians 3: 16). Are we able to do this for each other? Paul firmly believed so: "I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another' (Romans 15.14). Small groups stimulate spiritual growth by getting people into God's Word. by encouraging. them to pray together. and by providing a secure place to talk about struggles, doubts, and concerns

Fellowship

The Christian life is meant to be a shared life. The New Testament emphasizes that Christians should know each other intimately enough to bear each other's burdens, confess faults, teach and admonish each other, forgive and comfort each other and so on. In small groups, believers come to know one another well enough to do this And in the process, we reach the point where we are 'like minded, having the same love being one in spirit and purpose" (Philippians 2:2).

Support and Encouragement

God did not intend Christians to stand alone He created the church as a community for support and encouragement. "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up," Paul wrote (I Thessalonians 5:11). "Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up'' (Romans 15:2). The writer to the Hebrews echoed Paul's concern: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds . Let us encourage one another'"(Romans10:24-25) The small group that studies the Word together, prays. and talks about problems and struggles has found the perfect opportunity to support and encourage each other.

Healing

Jesus' ministry reflected his great concern for healing. He stated clearly that he came not for the healthy but for the sick (Mark 2: 17). According to Morton Kelsey, one-fifth of all the verses in the first five books of the New Testament deal with healing (Healing and Christianity., p 14). Small groups provide an excellent context for the healing of persons - especially emotional and spiritual healing. Members can bring fears, resentment, guilt, and feelings of inadequacy out into the open and deal with them in the atmosphere of acceptance, members discover their importance to God and to each other. The caring relationship allows people to take off their masks and stop playing games with each other. Getting honest feedback from group members increases self-understanding

Evangelism

Small groups are an effective way to promote evangelism. Unchurched people who refuse to come a worship service are often open to joining a small-group Bible study. Howard Snyder suggests: A small group of eight to twelve people meeting together informally in homes is the most effective structure for the communication of the gospel in modem suburban society. Such groups are better suited to the mission of the church in today's urban world than our traditional church services, institutional programs or the mass communication media. ( The Problem of Wineskins, p. 139)

In a small group the unbeliever can hear the convicting voice of the Spirit through God's Word and at the same time see evidence of faith in the life of genuine believers. Evangelism takes root in an environment of trust and caring. Believers earn the right to press the claims of the gospel through their loving involvement in the lives of unbelievers.

Discovery of Gifts

Each member of the church has been given at least one spiritual gift. However, those who simply sit and soak in large public meetings aren't likely to discover their gifts Spiritual gifts are called forth in contexts where we know others well enough to sense their needs. When others' needs become known we are stirred by God's Spirit to meet those needs with the gifts He has given us. That makes sense, since the Bible clearly states that God gives us spiritual gifts to meet the needs of His body the Church.

Mutual Prayer

In small groups, people learn to pray together. They feel more free in a small gathering than they would in a large meeting. Sentence prayers reduce the pressure of praying longer prayers. Conversational prayer invites each person to contribute to a specific topic - either silently or aloud - and allows people to pray about what's on their hearts. Because of the intimacy of the smaller group, members are more likely to make their prayers very specific and life-related - and to enter into the intercessions, praise, or thanks of others

Taken from the booklet
Small Groups That Work.
Copyright © CRC Publications