Our Ministry Goals & Strategy
For many churches in America, the 'center' of church life is the Sunday morning service. Over time, once the preaching is sharp enough, the sound system loud enough, and crowd consistent enough, the church will begin to more intentionally encourage its congregants to get involved with other church programs such as small groups, volunteering, etc.
At Antioch, we like to say that we aren't a church with small groups, but that we are a church made up of small groups. Our small groups (which we call lifegroups) that meet in homes throughout the week are truly the center of where church happens.
At Antioch, we like to say that we aren't a church with small groups, but that we are a church made up of small groups. Our small groups (which we call lifegroups) that meet in homes throughout the week are truly the center of where church happens.
In a practical sense, this means our strategy is to focus on our lifegroups and grow from there. Some ministry people describe this as being a 'cell-based' church. We're beginning our church with 2 or 3 community groups according to life stage (college, young adult, family) that each meet on a weekly basis. As we live our day-to-day lives and meet people in the city, visiting a lifegroup is the go-to invitation that we extend. And once living rooms get too crowded, we split lifegroups in half to create then two separate lifegroups, which continue to grow and multiply from there (like a cell!). The emphasis is that every lifegroup reflects the values described in Acts 2:42-47.
Our aim is to disciple every person that's involved in a lifegroup - meaning to meet with them on a consistent basis outside of lifegroup night to more specifically help them grow in their faith. It is often in this even smaller group setting that people feel safe to open up about their struggles and find the personal breakthroughs that they've been longing for. That much has proven to be true not only in our own lives, but also in the lives of so many that we've had the honor of investing in.
Our aim is to disciple every person that's involved in a lifegroup - meaning to meet with them on a consistent basis outside of lifegroup night to more specifically help them grow in their faith. It is often in this even smaller group setting that people feel safe to open up about their struggles and find the personal breakthroughs that they've been longing for. That much has proven to be true not only in our own lives, but also in the lives of so many that we've had the honor of investing in.
