{"id":15325,"date":"2014-05-06T12:19:20","date_gmt":"2014-05-06T17:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/megaphonedesigns.com\/~pathway\/?p=15325"},"modified":"2014-05-02T12:53:44","modified_gmt":"2014-05-02T17:53:44","slug":"lifeway-challenges-churches-start-100000-new-bible-study-groups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2014\/05\/06\/lifeway-challenges-churches-start-100000-new-bible-study-groups\/","title":{"rendered":"LifeWay challenges churches to start 100,000 new Bible study groups"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><em><span class=\"s1\">Bob Smietana\/<\/span><span class=\"s2\">LifeWay Christian Resources<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">NASHVILLE (BP) \u2013 LifeWay Christian Resources is challenging churches to start 100,000 new Bible study groups by the end of this year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">The new groups initiative is a partnership between churches, state conventions and LifeWay.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">It\u2019s designed to help longtime churchgoers jumpstart their faith and to help new believers grow spiritually, Bruce Raley, director of church education ministry for LifeWay, said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Whether they meet on Sunday mornings or during the week, small groups are the best way to learn the habits of faith, such as prayer, Bible study and serving others, Raley said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cDiscipleship takes place best in the context of a relationship,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd relationships are most likely to develop in a small group.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">So far, about 17,000 new groups have been registered at GroupsMatter.com, which includes guides for starting new groups, resources for new leaders, and promotional materials.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Raley and other organizers say the new groups can be started at any point in the year. But they suggest the first Sunday in September as one of the best options. That way, he said, churches can spend the summer months getting ready.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cWe believe thousands of new groups will kick off on that day,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">The idea of starting 100,000 new groups began as a grassroots effort.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">About three years ago, Bob Mayfield, a small groups expert at the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, and some other state small groups leaders were having breakfast at a denominational meeting and talking about ways to draw more people into groups.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cWe needed something dynamic \u2013something our people could grab hold of,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Not long afterwards, Mayfield and the others met with Raley, who brought up the idea of starting 100,000 new groups, as part of the Groups Matter campaign. It was just what they needed to hear, Mayfield said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cThis is something people have been waiting to do,\u201d he said. \u201cBut nobody had said, \u2018This is what we are going to do.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">The new initiative piggybacks on existing small group ministries that most churches already provide, Mayfield said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s3\">\u201cIt\u2019s the one strategy virtually all of our churches have \u2013 either they call it Sunday School, life groups or community groups,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s already the largest organization in most churches.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">And small groups are often their most effective discipleship program. Small group members read the Bible more, give more and are usually more spiritually mature.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">A study of 3,500 Protestant churchgoers in North America from LifeWay Research found that those who belong to a Bible study group are more likely to go to church at least four times a month (79 percent) and to read the Bible daily (28 percent). Being in a group helps them feel closer to God (69 percent) and understand the Bible better (74 percent), and become more loving in their relationships (47 percent).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Group members also develop deep friendships, often staying together for years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">The LifeWay Research study, which was published in a new book called <i>Transformational Groups,<\/i> found that half of current group attendees have been in the same group for at least two years. A quarter (27 percent) have been in the same group for more than five years. But having tight-knit groups has a downside, Raley said. It\u2019s often hard for new people to join.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cThe reality is that many groups close after a few years,\u201d he said. \u201cRelationships in a group go from being social to being personal. That\u2019s good for the group but bad for people trying to get in the door.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Launching new groups means more space for new people, Raley said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Mayfield agrees. A good small group will form a tight social circle, he said. That\u2019s hard for newcomers to break into.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cBut in a new group, the social circle is wide open,\u201d Mayfield said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">That was the case for Tommy \u201cTJ\u201d Thresher of First Baptist Church in Moore, Okla. Being part of a small group has been crucial in helping him learn the Christian faith, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Thresher, a sergeant in the Oklahoma National Guard, didn\u2019t grow up in a church-going family, and had little interest in faith. In the summer of 2012, he said his wife decided to give church a try.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cShe woke up one day and said, \u2018I\u2019m going to church. You can go if you want to,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Thresher did, and said he was hooked from the first Sunday. A few weeks later, he gave his life to Christ. That fall, he decided to help start a small group \u2013 which his church refers to as a \u201clife group\u201d \u2013 on Sunday mornings, with other newcomers to the church.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cThe best way for a follower of Christ to learn is to really get in there with believers,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s4\">Churches will find a welcome audience for new groups, according to LifeWay Research. The LifeWay small groups study found that many churchgoers who aren\u2019t part of a group are open to joining one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Two out of three (63 percent) of those not currently in a small group said they\u2019d been part of one in the past. Most of those left their group either because of a change in their life situation (51 percent) or because the class ended (32 percent).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Among the types of changes in life situation that lead to no longer attending are family responsibilities (26 percent), general busyness (26 percent) or work responsibilities (25 percent).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">To find out more about the 100,000 groups initiative, log onto <a href=\"http:\/\/www.GroupsMatter.com\" target=\"_blank\">GroupsMatter.com<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LifeWay Christian Resources is challenging churches to start 100,000 new Bible study groups by the end of this year. The new groups initiative is a partnership between churches, state conventions and LifeWay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":15330,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_selected_social_profile":[]},"categories":[40,42,8,19,31],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>LifeWay challenges churches to start 100,000 new Bible study groups<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"LifeWay Christian Resources is challenging churches to start 100,000 new Bible study groups by the end of this year. 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