Growth
Through
New
Groups!
Bruce Raley
Director Church Education Ministry
LifeWay Christian Resources
Commonalities…and Distinct Differences
FADS
If Churches desire:
More people reached for Christ
More people matured in Christ
Start New
Groups
What Types
of Groups?
Connecting people through
Bible study groups living
and sharing the Gospel.
Realities
1. Discipleship takes places
best in the context of
relationships (group)
What is discipleship?
1.Discipleship is not information.
2.Discipleship is not behavior modification.
3.Discipleship is transformation.
A disciple is being transformed
into Christlikeness so that he/she
thinks and acts like Christ.
Realities
2. The Word of God is the
focal point of life
transformational groups
Realities
3.Barriers must be overcome
4.Time and location no longer
define groups
5.Need for Sunday and
weekday groups
Realities
6.Catalysts are essential for
the creation of new
groups
7.New groups are created
proactively
Realities
8. Organization attendance
will increase
approximately 10 for
every new adult groups
properly started.
New groups are offensive!
HOPE!
What are the possibilities
of uniting in a vision to
Grow through Groups?
• More people accepting Christ and
being baptized
• More people maturing in Christ
• More people engaged in ministry
• More people giving to kingdom
causes
A dream of State/National Sunday
School Directors…
200,000 new groups in 5 years
Resulting in 2 million more people in ongoing Bible study
and Hundreds of thousands of new church
leaders
and thousands accepting Christ and
following him in Baptism.
A dream fulfilled…
Every church begins at least
one new Sunday School
class each year … one group
for every hundred people in
attendance.
Watch For The Breaks in the Sandbar