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Journeys 201. Growing

In 101, most groups are continuously open to attend at any time. There is seldom any demanding homework, and no requirements for a graduation.

Are you ready for a step of commitment beyond 101 groups? It’s well over a hundred people at The Fellowship who have taken the forty-week journey called Growth Group. To move on to Growth Group means you are ready to make a commitment to pursue deeper growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ. It’s best to wait until:

  • You have the spiritual hunger to give Growth Group the priority it needs.
  • You can arrange the other commitments and schedule of your busy life.

A Growth Group is a community of 7-15 people committed to help one another grow in areas basic to the spiritual life:

  • Daily quiet time of prayer and reflection on God’s Word. Daily.
  • Learning how to use the Bible in reading, memorization, study, and meditation.
  • Deeper community with other Christians in sharing & accountability for spiritual life.
  • How to share the faith winsomely with non-believers.
  • Learning to watch for where God is working and then joining Him in His work.
  • Several aspects of prayer, including worship, group prayer, and prayer retreat.
  • Beginning to discern and to use your unique spiritual gifting in serving others.

The initial commitment is for 12 weeks. Then you may decide whether to continue for all forty. The Growth Group commitment includes regular attendance, spiritual practice and preparation between group sessions, and an active involvement in group time to help one another grow.

One caveat: Please do not imagine that Growth Group is intellectually more demanding than 101 groups. (Our various groups show a wide variety in knowledge content at all levels). This 201 group is a step up in commitment, not a step up in intellect. Intellectually, Growth Group is relative basic, but spiritually it is a challenge. All the Grace Journeys are arranged for advancement in spiritual life and service, not merely advancement in knowledge (1 Cor. 8:1c). While growth in godly knowledge is a significant factor, we want to respect the spiritual life of each person, regardless of their intellectual or academic ability. Esteeming people solely on the basis of intellect is an unfortunate habit left over from public school experience. Or even from a church background that is structured around classes solely for Bible knowledge. It’s not our way at The Fellowship.

Yet knowledge is spiritually important, especially as we seek to find our way around the Bible. Two more 201 experiences may prove helpful:

Firm Foundations*

Weekly sessions for about eight weeks are devoted to the affirmations in The Fellowship's Statement of Faith, discussed from the standpoint of the Bible basis and a comparison to other traditions. Soon available on tape, too.

Bible Overview*

Six weeks devoted to gaining a strategic grasp of the overall flow of the Bible and the major content of each of its parts.

* These are under development and will be available later.

Tree

Previous Journeys 101: Discovering Journeys 301: Serving Next