We’ve now covered two of the most important characteristics of a healthy Life Group. A vibrant group is CONNECTING with one another and they are constantly CHANGING. The third key characteristic of a group is that they are developing a missional pattern.

CULTIVATING

The other two characteristics are very exclusive. They focus on the group and the individuals within the group. This third attribute is inclusive and focused on others. You might call it service, outreach, mission, or evangelism. At CFCC we like to use agricultural metaphors, so we like to use the term “cultivating.” As you cultivate hearts for other people you are turning up the soil in your life (and hopefully in others).

Think about it in terms of your own family. A healthy family moves outward. My family doesn’t always eat at the dinner table, but we do our best to do it a few times per week. My wife and I have two children so we sit at a small kitchen table to eat our meals. At that table, we pray before our meal, and then while we eat we talk about our day. Sometimes discuss the things that we’re struggling with.

At 10 and 13, it won’t be long until both of my kids graduate and go to college. I love family time around the table. They’ll then begin their careers, get married and start their own families. At that point, our kitchen table will need just two chairs. But that is exactly how it should be. If in 25 years, my kids were playing with Legos and snuggling up on the couch for movie night that would be weird.

Right now it's cute; 25 years from now, it's gross.

A small group that is only focused on keeping the band together will actually ruin the very thing they are attempting to protect. If you want to have a healthy, vibrant group, you need to have a mission beyond caring for the people in your family room.

Simple things you can do to develop the cultivating pattern in your group:

Set the expectation from the beginning that you want your group to be missional.
Identify a potential leader in your group that you can begin mentoring to lead their own group one day.
Study evangelism and spiritual gifts in the group with the purpose of practicing what you learn.
Have each person identify at least two non-Christians they are praying for an opportunity to witness to them (and ask for a progress report every week).
Adopt a one of CFCC’s Global Mission Partners. Learn about what they do, pray for their country (or countries) and consider supporting them financially.
Serve locally at least quarterly as a group or encourage every group member to serve regularly at CFCC.