Growth Groups
Calling all people to be fully devoted followers of Jesus bringing His love to life!
Growth Groups:
Growth Groups are groups that can range anywhere from 8-15 people that meet in homes or at the church. Growth Groups are geared toward making relational connections with others at Encounter - especially for those relatively new to the church - while growing together through study of God’s Word.
Through Bible Study Groups studying God’s word, to Connect Groups focused on connecting those new to Encounter or not yet plugged find community, to Interest Groups where kids and adults can foster intergenerational relationships though similar activities, to Hope Groups that offer support through life’s most difficult days, there is one aspect that unites them all: Discipleship. Discipleship comes in many shapes and forms, yet its purpose remains the same, to call all people to be fully devoted followers of Jesus and bring His love to life!
Our prayer is that you grow more deeply in your relationship with the Lord while finding life-long connections and friendships through these groups. To sign up for a Growth Group, go to encounterchurchofpalmyra.org/growth-groups and click the green tab to sign up!
Going Deeper Into Our Faith
As Christ’s followers, our call is to move beyond the basics of our faith into a deeper understanding of God’s word that brings about spiritual maturity. As Hebrews 5:14 says, “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”
That is where our Discipleship Groups (triads and quads) and our Discipleship Classes come into play.
Discipleship Groups:
Discipleship Groups are naturally occurring, formed from relationships made and fostered within Growth Groups, other ministries within the church, or from personal invitation. These groups are intentionally smaller in size, a triad (three people) or a quad (four people), in order to walk hand-in-hand through life and an in-depth study of God’s word.
Whether you follow the book Discipleship Essentials by Greg Ogdon, a guided study or commentary on a specific book of the Bible, the goal of Discipleship Groups is the same: to go and make fully devoted followers of Christ who will then disciple others. Matthew 28:16-20 (The Great Commission)
*If you are interested in learning more or in leading a Discipleship Group, please contact [email protected]
Discipleship Classes:
Another aspect of Discipleship here at Encounter are our Discipleship Classes [101-401]. These classes were designed with the goal of aiding the believer on their path to spiritual maturity in Christ. There are four main categories within the Discipleship Class track.
Discovering Our Church Family (101) is where you will learn more about our mission & vision, but also about who we are as a Brethren in Christ denomination and how our core beliefs shape who we are as a Church. This is also a time where we will also talk about membership and the importance of actively belonging to a Church.
Once 101 is completed, Discovering My Spiritual Maturity (201) takes a closer look into the daily habits of a disciple, such as an active prayer life, quiet time spent with the Lord in His word, and giving back to the Lord out of what He has given us.
After understanding the signs of a healthy spiritual life marked by signs of growth, we then progress to Discovering My Ministry (301). This class will not only dive deeper into the Spiritual Gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit, but will help you discover how your own unique spiritual gifts can be used to plug into one of the various ministries here at Encounter!
After you discover your spiritual gift(s) and how to use them for God’s kingdom, we then move to Discovering My Life Mission (401). Here we will discover how your life’s story (testimony), shaped by the circumstances and choices in your life, can be used to share the Good News with those in your sphere of influence. “The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me - to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.” Acts 20:24
*If you are interested in learning more about our Discipleship Classes, or to find out when our next classes will be held, please contact [email protected].