Name: Small Groups / "Flock Group"

Flock Groups at Hope Bible Church are small groups of about 8 to 20 adults who meet in homes around the greater Columbia-Laurel area. Some of the groups meet weekly and some every other week. They are led by members in our church who have gone through some leadership training and who have a desire to help with the shepherding of our people at HBC.

Flock Groups have different styles and formats to them, but the goals are the same. The goals are expressed as simple as ABC:

A = Apply the Scriptures to the lives of those in the group
B = Build meaningful and supportive relationships with other believers
C = Commit to a time of corporate prayer at each gathering.

Since our church provides many opportunities for solid Bible study and exposition, both on Sunday morning and other times during the week, we designed the Flock Groups to take care of another need in the Christian life. We designed them to be a caring and intimate environment where members and attendees of HBC could make sure they are applying the Scriptures they are learning. Christ wants us to be doers of the word and not merely hearers, James 1:22. So these Flock Groups are not Bible studies but groups focused on application, relationships, and prayer. These goals aid growth in the Christian life.

Often Flock Groups read materials during the week and come together to discuss what they read and how it applies in their lives. Also some choose to discuss the Sunday messages so they can better learn to live what they have heard. They also often keep prayer lists and pray for the other church requests from our church prayer list.