Bible Reading

3 Ideas To Help Your Group Grow Spiritually & Relationally

Hi Group Leaders,

We are on the home stretch of the fall Community Group Trimester. 3 more weeks until the winter break begins (November 18).

As you look to make the most of your last 3 weeks, here are 3 ideas to help your group grow spiritually and relationally.

1. Prayer Partners

I've seen several groups, including my own, recently hand out 3x5 cards in the prayer time. Everyone takes a moment to write down their name and prayer requests before sharing them.

Then they exchange their card with another person in the group.

For those who have never prayed out loud, this is a great tool to make it easier to pray. All they have to do is read what their partner wrote.

To make sure that we don't forget to pray during the week, each group member is asked to reach out to their partner at least 1x during the week via text, phone call, or in-person to check on how their partner is doing and pray for them.

They can also put the 3x5 card in a visible place as a daily reminder to pray for them.

2. Acts Plan

As a Church we are teaching through the beginning of the book of Acts. Acts is 28 chapters long.

The book of Acts is perfect 4-week Bible reading plan to do with your group. We have 5 weeks left of the series.

Why not invite your group to do the Bible Project 28-Day Acts Reading Plan in YouVersion?

Each day my group has been reading this together, and sharing our takeaways in the YouVersion app so we can see what we are learning.

3. Celebrate Communion & Meal

This Sunday we are taking a look at what the first church looked like in Acts 2:41-47.

A huge part of the early church was eating in homes together and using bread and juice to celebrate communion.

Either this week, or before the group trimester is out, set up a meal and spend time meditating on the Gospel together through communion.

How Can We Help You?

How is your group going? Are there any challenges or issues you or your group are struggling with? Reach out to your coach to setup a meeting. We'd love to help!

8 Ideas To Help Your Group Engage The Bible

Several years ago, the Willow Creek Church Association did a massive study to examine how churches were doing at developing mature disciples.

They found that the number one influence on a person's spiritual growth was engaging the Bible for personal application.

While God grows our faith through a variety of influences (private disciplines, providential relationships, personal ministry, practical teaching, pivotal circumstances), engaging the Bible is at the top of the list.

The first goal of Community Groups at Northridge is to Apply the Bible.

If helping your group engage the Bible personally will influence their faith more than anything else, how is that going?

Here are 8 ideas to help your group engage with God's word.

  • Starting Point - (Sunday mornings in-person, Thursday evenings online)

    • Do your group members have questions about the Bible you don't know how to answer?

    • Starting Point is designed for those who are newer to faith, exploring faith, or reengaging with faith, to ask any questions they have about God, faith, and the Bible.

    • Invite a group member to join you in a Starting Point Group (online or in-person). They'll have an opportunity to engage the Bible and ask any question they have!

  • Equip Class "How to Read the Bible" - (Sunday mornings Online & In-Person, February 7 - March 28)

    • Many of the people in your group have tried to read the Bible but found it confusing and discouraging as they struggle to understand it.

    • Invite your group members to join you for this class so you can learn together how to not just read the Bible, but understand and apply it.

  • RightNow Media

    • Pick a RightNow Media study on a Book of the Bible and watch and discuss it with your group each week.

    • Many of the studies include free discussion guides to help you walk through the Biblical text together, understand it and apply it.

  • Shared YouVersion Bible Reading Plan

    • The Bible has never been more accessible than now with the YouVersion Bible app.

    • Search through a list of Bible reading plans and invite your Group Members to join you.

    • You can see each other's progress, and even share takeaways as you engage the Biblical text together.

  • Bible Project Home Study

    • Sign up for the Bible Project weekly Home Study email.

    • Each email includes a short video (you can watch together with your group), Scripture readings, a short audio message, and discussion questions.

    • Your group members can watch, listen, and read before the group, and watch the video and discuss the questions in your weekly meeting.

  • Book of the Bible Study Guides

    • Here is a list of recommended study guides to read and discuss a book of the Bible together as a group.

    • Have your group members purchase a study guide, and then read the Bible passage during the week and answer the questions in the guide. You can use the guide to discuss what you learned in your next meeting.

    • You could also pair one of these study guides along with RightNow Media series on the same book of the Bible.

    • Here are some best practices from other Group Leaders who have done this.

  • Sermon Discussion

    • Help your group not only hear God's Words taught on Sunday, but read them together in group, and learn how to apply them.

    • Have you had mixed success with this? Review these sermon discussion tips.

    • Find Sermon Discussion Questions HERE.

  • Set Bible Engagement Growth Goals

    • Make Growth Goals a regular rhythm each group trimester.

    • Set goals on when, where, and what to read in the Bible.

    • Set scripture memorization goals.

    • Ask each other about your progress regularly.

Which one of these 8 ideas can you try this winter to help your group engage the Bible?

Upcoming Sermon Series

Here are the tentative dates for our upcoming sermon series:

  • Silver Linings - (January 10-31)

  • How to Be Rich (February 7-21)

  • Amazing Grace (February 28-March 7)

  • The Courtroom (March 14-April 4)

Trimester Dates

  • Winter: January 17 - March 27 (10 weeks)

  • Spring: April 11 - May 29 (7 weeks)

Additional Resources