Helping People to Get Involved in Home Groups

Perhaps you are already personally convinced of the biblical rationale for having Home Groups and the need to be involved in one yourself. However, it can be quite another matter to encourage others to get involved.

About 87% of the adults attending Xenos are also involved a home group. How do we help people toward this level of involvement? How do we communicate the importance of home groups to all who attend our Central Teachings?

Here are some of the ways people are made aware of the benefits of being in a home group at Xenos:

Taken by their host

Most new people at a Xenos meeting were brought by a member who shared about Christ with them. These hosts will also invite them to be their guest at their own home churches. Home churches typically grow relationally, not geographically.

Modeling from the leadership

Every Central Teaching teacher, every Xenos staff member, and every type of ministry team leader is involved in a home group.

Teachings

Central Teaching teachers and class teachers regularly highlight the importance of home group involvement for spiritual growth. They communicate this through direct instruction and through offering personal examples. This channel has been extremely helpful in raising people’s interest in home groups.

Spontaneous sharing in the larger meetings

After the teaching portion of every Central Teaching we have a time for questions and comments from the group. Members will often spontaneously share about a spiritual victory, an answered prayer, or an experience of love that occurred as a direct result of his involvement with others in a home group. The intimacy available through home groups becomes clearer.

Written communication

Xenos’ Weekly Update, handed out at the Central Teachings, includes a section that explains a little bit about home groups and how to get involved. In addition, every Update contains a card that can be filled out to request information about getting involved in a home group. We send those who fill out the card a mailing, followed up by a call. We also have regular stories in our newsletter of home church events.

Home Group Connection kiosk

The highly-visible Home Group Connection kiosk is located in the lobby of the meeting building. Here, curious individuals can view a video about home groups, interact with the home group section of the Xenos web site, and talk with Home Group Connection staff members.

Values:

Koinonia

As mentioned elsewhere, true biblical koinonia develops best in smaller groups.

• For one thing, smaller home groups provide a natural venue for building close, consistent relationships for giving and receiving biblical love. The home group context allows a profound level of intimacy to develop among the members, so that each person can truly play a vital role in the spiritual growth of others in the group. Home groups become even closer when they operate cell groups.

• Also, home groups provide a natural context for discovering and exercising spiritual gifts. People are more aware of each other’s needs in smaller groups, and opportunities to serve and step into new roles are most clearly seen in the context of a home group. Thus, home groups offer individuals an excellent opportunity to discover and then pursue God’s specific purpose for them.

Opportunity to practice what we learn

"Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1). God intends for biblical knowledge to be put into practice in the context of loving relationships. Home groups provide an ideal environment in which individuals can contribute to the meeting by sharing what they've learned (1 Corinthians 14:26), and they can use their growing biblical knowledge to apply truth with love to each others’ life situations.

Discipleship

One-on-one discipleship (or mentoring) relationships are common in Xenos, but normally only with people already involved in a home group and a cell group. Disciples can be mentored most effectively in the context of home groups and cell groups as they learn to love, serve, shepherd, teach, etc.

Xenos Classes

Some Xenos classes are available only to home group members. These include Christian Principles, as well as all other courses requiring Christian Principles as a prerequisite.

Ministry Opportunities

Some ministries require consistent home group involvement. Oasis, our children’s program, is one example.

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