Circles

We believe that God created us to be in relationship with one another and that life is meant to be done in community.  For us to have a thriving and healthy relationship with Christ, we need to have other Christians around us to encourage, advise, and correct us as we journey through life.  We believe that having a small circle of people in our lives to build spiritual relationships with helps us to not just survive, but thrive in life and our relationship with God.

Most of us have circles of people in our lives…people that we go to for help, counseling, and encouragement.  People we lean on.  Jesus had a large following of disciples, but He handpicked 12 to be His closest followers, and within that 12, He had a small circle of 3 that He would often take off to the side to have more intimate conversation.

The idea behind circles is simply that we want people to disciple and be discipled, and that this is more than a Bible study or a ‘program’, but a way of doing life.  

If you’ve already got a small circle (1-3 other people) who you interact with regularly, that's great.  We encourage you to keep meeting.  If you are part of a large group that meets, but you’re looking for something smaller and more intimate, consider meeting with a few of those in that large group at a separate time.  Maybe you’ve got a circle that meets, but there isn’t a lot of spiritual conversation.  We encourage you to be intentional and bring Christ and the Gospel into that circle.  

If you don’t have a circle, but are interested in joining one, you can click this LINK and it will direct you to a form to fill out.  We will be sure to get you connected to some people who you can walk alongside with and grow your relationship with Christ.

We encourage those in our congregation to prayerfully consider being ‘Circle Makers’ as well.  A Circle Maker is someone who helps to oversee and initiate the development of a circle.  We need Circle Makers in the Church in order to not just disciple others, but also to reach those who may not yet have a relationship with Christ.  If you are interested in being a circle maker, you can click this LINK here for more information.

We will upload resources and/or discussion questions approximately every other week in order to provide topics to discuss in your circles if you are in need of something.  We hope these resources can be beneficial even if you don’t need them for you circles!

And just remember…we don’t want this to be a burden for anyone.  Be flexible and work it in to your schedule however best you can.  We simply know that God calls us to have spiritual relationships with people and we can so often go through life without any support or connections.  We hope you’ll join a circle so that you can LIVE LOVE alongside other brothers and sisters in Christ!

For Circle Makers Getting Started:

We are so thankful for those who are willing to step up, serve, and lead in our church.  We believe being a ‘Circle Maker’ is a critical way to help build the Kingdom in our community.  While we do not want the responsibility of being a ‘Circle Maker’ to be a burden, we recognize that there are some things that will be required of you in order to make your circle as effective as it can be.  

The following things are expectations we have for our Circle Makers:

•          To have a growing relationship with Christ
•         To communicate consistently with other members of the circle
•         To be willing to be transparent and honest with members of the circle
•         To be intentional in planning and facilitating meeting times (at least once a month, and ideally to meet 2-4 times a month)
•         To be flexible when necessary to accommodate other members of the circle
•         To be encouraging and uplifting to others
•         Give your circle at least 2-3 months of meeting before suggesting any changes

Never led a circle or not sure what to do?  Here are some suggestions:

•           Do a check-in to start things out.  How is everyone doing?  Highlights? Struggles?  Prayer needs?
•           Always allow for space for the Holy Spirit to work.  It’s good to have a plan, but sometimes what someone else needs during your time is to share a struggle, cry, or process through something.  
•           When it comes to discussion-type questions, use open-ended ones instead of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions.  Things like “What does that look like to you?” or “Share a time when…”  
•           Utilize the resources on the website under the Circles section.  These will be uploaded every other week.
•           Don’t put an added burden on yourself.  If you’re going through a devotional in your personal time, use what you might learn in that time as what you want to share.
•           Talk about life and bring Jesus into the conversation.  This is NOT a program, a Bible Study, or something where we are checking boxes…this is about walking alongside others in life and developing our relationships with Jesus.
•           With the above being stated, it is always important to bring in Scripture.  God's word transforms lives and it is vital to make it a part of each meeting time.  If we come prayed up, God will open up doors to bring the truth of His word to the forefront.    

If it’s not working for you, there are other options!

If the circle isn’t working for you, let us know why and how we might be able to help.  Sometimes certain people aren’t great fits for a particular circle.  Sometimes schedules aren’t lining up, and sometimes personalities or wirings just don’t mesh.  We can try and match you and/or others in your circle with a different circle of people if necessary.