Connect Groups

Connect Groups

Connect with God.

Connect with each other.

Connect with our community.

Connect Groups are essential to the mission of GWAC making, maturing and mobilising disciples. Connect groups are our network of small groups at GWAC. Smaller gatherings are vital for connecting deeply in community, experiencing care and the core place for discipleship and mission.

Our vision for Connect Groups

Each Connect Group will look different but we want to see each groups promoting discipleship. As they gather regularly, most groups will involve a mixture of the following things.

Hospitality

We want hospitality as a key feature of our CGs. Some groups will meet in the leaders’ home, others will meet in the home of a host. Either way, a safe welcoming environment is a key ingredient to the success of every group.

Food

Meals are a key part of healthy communities. Meals slow things down and force us to be people oriented instead of task oriented, and allow us to take the time to share ourselves, rather than our to-do lists.

The Word

We want our CGs to study the Bible to ensure that the group is fed on a regular diet of Scripture, rather than merely human opinion. To assist group leaders, staff continue to provide Bible study resources that follow the Sunday sermons, and provide training for existing and potential CG leaders.

Prayer

We want our CG meetings to be soaked with prayer, before dinner, before the Bible discussion and after the Bible discussion. We want to see the group praying together, in a variety of ways, for each other, others outside the group, our church, community and the world.

Care

Good groups care about the individuals of their group. We want to see people willing to meet up 1-1 if necessary, or arrange pastoral staff to do so. Healthy groups check in on people who have been missing from the CG to see if they are okay. To help with care, the pastoral staff are also be available to visit groups.

Fun

Groups go through different stages, and different levels of effectiveness. However, over time, a group should be a life-giving place, where celebration and laughter are regular features of the group. We want to see groups socialise together, whether on their regular meeting night, or another time during the week, purely for the sake of building relationships, and enjoying one another.

Multiplication

We want to be a growing church. In order to grow, we want to continue to welcome new people into CGs - we want our CGs to be always open. Over time, we hope and pray that each of our groups is moving toward the point of multiplying - sending out new groups to reach new people and form new CGs.