We want to cultivate deep relationships that are rooted in authenticity.

Life groups are the place where we go beyond the surface. At Harvest, we want deeper relationships. We want to be real.

It’s easy to stay on the surface or withdraw when we feel uncomfortable. Sharing our lives means we are committed to deepening relationships over the long haul.

Being authentic gives us the opportunity to invite people into our lives and reveal our true selves. Although it’s challenging, it is one of the most life-giving traits of life group. Life group is a safe place where we can open up, acknowledge weakness, confess sin, risk being vulnerable and ask others for prayer.

The first word describing the church in the book of Acts

is the word devoted. Although the early Christians were poor, persecuted and had little social influence, they were “devoted to one another” (Acts 2:42). At Harvest, we want to be men and women who are devoted to one another. We hope to center our lives around a small group of people who are devoted to a common purpose and share similar priorities.

At its most basic level, serving one another is about staying aware of what’s going on in each other’s lives and caring for one another in big and small ways. This is what we call “mutual ministry.”

Mutual ministry is loving, encouraging, praying, forgiving, submitting to and being hospitable to others. As a life group, there are endless ways to minister to one another.

We want to be doers of the Word because Scripture is our authority.

We worship a God who speaks. God not only spoke in the beginning of time to create all things out of nothing; but also, He continues to communicate with us through Scripture. God is not silent. By reading God’s Word, we know His character, what’s important to Him, how He has moved in this world, how people have interacted with Him and what will happen at the end of time. Through Scripture, we can know God.

In small group, we want to gather around God’s Word and know what the Bible says. This is where we see that His promises are real. His wisdom is beyond this world. His Word has the power to transform and change lives. His truth can bring hope and healing. Life’s greatest questions are answered in the pages of the Bible.

We want to lean on God’s supernatural work to bring spiritual maturity.

Life groups help our church grow in spiritual maturity and Christlikeness. Spiritual growth is our number one priority.

We can’t do this on our own. We can’t generate spiritual growth by simply doing the right thing. We can’t manufacture change on our own. It doesn’t work that way. Only God can transform our lives. This means we need the power and presence of God to show up and work in our lives.

His work is supernatural.

This is why prayer is a vital part of life groups. Through prayer, we can lean into the Lord and ask God to work on our behalf. Prayer shifts our perspective from the things we can do to what God can do. When we depend on God, we are not trusting our own wisdom or abilities. Instead, we are placing our trust in the Lord, regardless of the circumstances we are facing. All things are possible for God.

God’s plan for His children is for them to move beyond elementary teachings and grow more into the image of Christ. In the book of Hebrews, the author describes new believers as feeding on “milk.” The maturing Christian becomes a spiritual adult as they move from milk to meat. This happens when the believer abides in Christ through prayer and Bible study, lives in community with other believers, and lives a life on mission for the Gospel. The ultimate goal of Life Groups is to spur one another on and to “go onto maturity” together.

Life Groups will study Scripture using the How to Study the Bible Resource and journal using the HEAR Method

Members will hold one another accountable to “milk-to-meat” goals

Questions to help form “milk-to-meat” goals and to guide accountability time:

How can I grow in godliness now?

Personal disciplines (prayer, study, memorization)

Displaying fruit of the Spirit

Stewardship of resources

Sharing the Gospel

How does my godliness compare with where I was a year ago?

What has hindered my growth?

What has produced growth?

Life groups meet weekly on a day/time determined by the individual group. Each group meeting will be structured to include the following elements:

Arrive and Connect (approx. 15 min)

This is a time to catch up and to fix our attention on our time together.

Discussion of God’s Word using the HEAR method (approx. 45 min)

This time is discussion-driven, not taught by a single person. In this way, we will exhort one another to move on to maturity.

This time is word-focused. The focus of our discussion is Scripture, drawing from what we have learned using the HEAR method.

Accountability Time/ Milk-to-Meat Goal Check In/Prayer (approx. 45 min)

This is a time to take specific steps to apply God’s word to our daily lives. Group members should be transparent in confessing sin, spurring one another on to greater abiding in Christ, and offering each other encouragement in community.

Life groups typically meet in homes in the Muskoka area. At their discretion, groups are free to select the day of the week and time they will gather.

Life groups are for all believers who call Harvest Church home and desire to mature in their faith. Co-ed Groups typically consist of up to 12 people while groups of men or women consist of up to 6. Members may be added at the discretion of church leadership.