What is a Life Group?

A Life Group is a small gathering of people from all stages of life and spiritual maturity who regularly meet to love and encourage one another. It is a community that seeks the presence of Jesus, grows spiritually together, prays and  devotes themselves to scripture, serves others, and encourages new leaders.

When and where do groups meet?

Every night of the week there is a Life Group meeting in the Abilene area, with most favoring Sunday evenings. The  majority of groups meet in a constant location (the home of a group member), though some prefer to take turns meeting  in different members' homes.

How often do Life Groups meet?

Most groups meet weekly. Some groups meet for three weeks out of the month and either take off the fourth week or do a social activity together. Due to vacation schedules, some groups will meet less often or not at all during the summer.

How long does each group meeting last?

Each Life Group picks the length of time they will meet. Most groups meet for an hour and a half to two hours.

What goes on at a meeting?

Though each group differs in how they do things, all groups are encouraged to foster intentional times of fellowship and fun as well as times of vision-casting, biblical discussion, and ministry to one another. Outside of specific meeting times, groups often gather to assist particular ministries of the church and/or to serve the surrounding community.

Is Childcare provided for each group meeting?

Childcare is not provided by the church. Each group is charged to care for the children within their own group, though Beltway Park does offer Childcare Reimbursement ($15 per gathering to the group as a whole) to help offset childcare expenses.  For Life Group leaders, click the following link to be directed to the reimbursement form:

(http://www.beltway.org/mediafiles/resources/lifegroups/Childcare-Voucher-2012-2.pdf)

What do Life Groups study?

Each group picks their own material or curriculum to study with the help of the Life Group pastoral staff. Most groups choose to use the Sermon Discussion Questions, written by the Life Group team each week, to further process Sunday morning messages.  Life Groups that take on new people at GroupLink often choose a study called "Community" that helps build foundational relationships within the group.

How do I join a Life Group?

The primary way to join a group at Beltway Park is to participate in a GroupLink event. GroupLink is a specific,  two hour event in which those who are trying to find a Life Group can come and connect to a group. Existing Life Group leaders are present at the event that either want to start a brand new group altogether - a leader that has been raised up within another Life Group - or who simply want to add to their existing group. Those seeking a group are given time to find leaders during the GroupLink event with whom they have a natural connection and chemistry.

On a much smaller scale, we also offer several GroupLink Mixers throughout the year that are typically hosted on a Sunday morning during one of our regular service times.  During these events, we take time to get to know each other, to hear about the Life Group Ministry, to watch a video of what folks have experienced in a Life Group, and to connect you with an existing group (and its leaders) to check out. 

During the life cycle of a group, a Life Group leader is encouraged to train an apprentice that is equipped to launch their own group at the appropriate time. By doing this, both the existing group and the new group can add members, allowing others to join groups with seasoned leaders.