Who
Two to five South Side members of the same gender who desire to more faithfully follow Jesus in all of life.
When
Every week or every other week for 45-90 minutes.
Where
Wherever. Coffee shop, over lunch, living room.
What
Regular, intentionally Christ-centered relationships that meet to discuss a book of the Bible or a solid Christian book. See this list for several books we recommend. An average meeting will include catching up, asking questions of the Bible or book being read (see below for tips on reading together), updates on prayer requests, and prayer.
Why
To help one another follow Jesus, to build a culture of one on one discipleship, to work towards meaningful church membership, to hold one another accountable, to encourage our hearts, to build deep Christian friendships. Ultimately, to become more like Jesus for the glory of God.
How
Simply ask a friend or member if they would like to meet together and go through a book. Make it a goal to find another person once you are finished with that group. An easy way to start is by asking a fellow Home Group member or Bible Study member if you are in one.
Tips
If you're reading through a book together, ask questions like:
Was there anything insightful, new, unclear, challenging, convicting, disagreements, applications from the chapter you read?
Were there any key verses unpacked that we could read together?
What were the top three most impactful truths?
Was there anything insightful, new, unclear, challenging, convicting, disagreements, applications from the chapter you read?
Were there any key verses unpacked that we could read together?
What were the top three most impactful truths?
If you're reading through a book of the Bible together, the following three methods can be used as tools to help you prayerfully engage the Word of God together:
The Swedish Method
Read 5-10 verses beforehand or while together and note 1-3 light bulbs, question marks, crosses, and arrows. A light bulb is for insights. Question marks for confusions or questions. A cross is for how the passage points or relates to Jesus. An arrow is how we can apply the passage to our lives.
The COMA Method
COMA stands for context, observation, meaning, and application. Start with the context and note the immediate and surrounding context. Make several observations about the passage. What do you see? What stands out? What is the meaning of the passage? Then how can we apply it to our lives.
O. I. A.
OIA stands for observation, interpretation, and application.
Observation - What does it say?
Who wrote it and why (author, purpose, situation)?
What is the context (immediate -before and after, book, epoch, canon)?
What are the key words?
Who/What/When/Where/Why
Interpretation - What does it mean?
What are the sections/subsections?
Are there any connecting words?
What is the main point(s)?
Anything unclear?
Key cross-references?
Are there any Old Testament quotations?
How does this passage relate to Jesus?
What do we learn about God?
What do we learn about people?
What do we learn about relating to God?
What do we learn about relating to people?
Application - What does it mean to me?
What does God want me to understand and believe?
What does God want me to desire?
Do I need to change my attitude?
What does God want me to do?
Head, Hands, Heart
Observation - What does it say?
Who wrote it and why (author, purpose, situation)?
What is the context (immediate -before and after, book, epoch, canon)?
What are the key words?
Who/What/When/Where/Why
Interpretation - What does it mean?
What are the sections/subsections?
Are there any connecting words?
What is the main point(s)?
Anything unclear?
Key cross-references?
Are there any Old Testament quotations?
How does this passage relate to Jesus?
What do we learn about God?
What do we learn about people?
What do we learn about relating to God?
What do we learn about relating to people?
Application - What does it mean to me?
What does God want me to understand and believe?
What does God want me to desire?
Do I need to change my attitude?
What does God want me to do?
Head, Hands, Heart
" Imagine if all Christians, as a normal part of their discipleship, were caught up in a web of regular Bible reading – not only digging into the word privately, but reading it with their children before bed, with their spouse over breakfast, with a non-Christian colleague at work once a week over lunch, with a new Christian for follow-up once a fortnight for mutual encouragement, and with a mature Christian friend once a month for mutual encouragement. It would be a chaotic web of personal relationships, prayer and Bible reading – more of a movement than a program – but at another level it would be profoundly simple and within reach of all. It’s an exciting thought!"
(The Trellis and the Vine, 57).
(The Trellis and the Vine, 57).