Be encouraged
Why Life Groups?
Jesus is ‘life’ and he came to bring life to the full. That’s why we gather regularly to reflect on what it looks like in the everyday to practice living like Jesus did. Life is also meant to be done alongside other people, and these small groups offer us an experience of this. We eat together, we laugh, we pray for one another and we share life’s highs and lows. Slowly over time we realise we’re becoming a little more like Jesus. It’s here that the majority of our pastoral care takes place and we view life groups as the beating heart of our church.
These groups tend to meet weekly or fortnightly. As we grow we hope there will be more groups spread across the city and beyond.
If you’re exploring being a part of Hope Vineyard we’d highly recommend you try one or more of them out.
Being transformed
Formational Pods (Groups of 2s/3s)
We are all in the process of being formed, by the people we spend time with, the activities we engage in and the culture and society we live in. If we want to become more like Jesus we need to engage in a process of counter-formation. This involves being intentional about regularly returning to him, focusing our hearts, minds and bodies on who Jesus is.
(images adapted from https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/practicing-the-way)
We need rhythms and practices in our lives that support formation into the likeness of Jesus. There may be some things that we do by ourselves, such as spending time with Jesus in prayer, and things we do in relationship with other people. Equally, Sunday gatherings and Life Groups are great, but these alone cannot support our formation into Jesus-like people who make a real difference in the world. Jesus modelled close friendships, where deeper questions can be asked, and our inner lives shared.
‘Formational Pods’, or ‘Pods’ for short, are groups of 2 to 3 women or men who commit to meeting at least monthly. Pod gatherings will feel different from a social ‘catch up’ or even prayer support. The goal is to become like Jesus, and these meetings are structured in such a way to enable this as much as possible. We’d encourage you to commit to what is a tried and tested format of story, practice and personal prayer, even if it feels a bit unnatural at first.
The process
Story: (15 minutes per person)
During a Pod gathering each person is invited to answer questions designed to help them clarify and articulate their personal walk with Jesus. We generally allow each other to speak uninterrupted, so as to allow them to share what they want to and to experience being well listened to.
Questions that form the story:
- Below the surface, how am I actually doing?
- What have been my successes and struggles?
- What has God been revealing to me through the Bible and God’s Holy Spirit?
- Are there any ways I’ve stepped away from God through sin? Or things I desire to keep secret that are holding me back?
- How has the chosen spiritual practice been forming me since we last met?
- And is this one we want to continue with or are we ready to choose another spiritual practice (see resource library) to collectively engage in until the next gathering?
Practice: (5-10 minutes as a group)
Personal Prayer: (15 minutes – Spirit-led prayer)
Pray for each person to be re- filled with the Holy Spirit enabling them to become more like Jesus.
A note on prayer: Within Vineyard Churches we encourage those praying to keep their eyes open so they can see what the Holy Spirit might be doing. Often, we offer to lay hands on the person and use simple prayers eg. ‘Come Holy Spirit’. We quietly wait for the Lord to move and speak to us, tentatively offering words of knowledge/prophetic words/ or Bible passages that come to mind if relevant for the person’s encouragement. Our aim is always to honour the person being prayed for and allow God’s Holy Spirit to do what he wants to in their life.
Tips for forming a pod
Find 1 or 2 others who are interested in forming a male or female pod. Meet to discuss the structure of gatherings, logistical issues and your hopes and expectations. During this first meeting invite each person to share something of their story of apprenticeship to Jesus and what they’d like it to look like going forward.
We’d suggest you meet for around 1 hour to 1.5 hours. Keep an eye on the time to ensure everyone has the same opportunity to tell their story and receive prayer. We’ve found 15 minutes per person works well, with a further 15 minutes for prayer at the end.
