What is a LifeGroup?

LifeGroups are friends you grow and serve with. They’re the people you invite into your life, letting your guard down, growing closer to God, and investing in your community together. A LifeGroup typically consist of 10-15 adults that meet every other week throughout the school year.

In its simplest form, a LifeGroup is defined as a group of believers coming around one another to live life together. A small group is a subset of the church body that meets on Sunday. Small groups meet at NMC and in homes across the North Metro area. They typically meet in the evening during the week and weekends. This follows the pattern of the early church in Acts 2:46 - "Day after day, in the temple courts (weekend celebration) and from house to house (small group fellowships), they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ." [NIV]

What is the format for LifeGroups?

People connect in new small groups consisting of 8 to 12 people who provide love, support, friendship, connection and spiritual strength. The format is an informal and comfortable 1½-2 hour gathering at the home of a host.

Participants are comprised of people from our church who are invited to join in the adventure. Most groups are guided through the study series using the Bible, DVD programs and study guides and /or NMC Sermon Series (depending on availability).

How do you join a group?

It’s really easy to get connected here at NMC. We have two easy steps to help you find the best LifeGroup for you.

First, we have Existing LifeGroups that are open to NMC members and second - we have Equipping Classes (medium sized group environments) – Foundations – Financial Peace University – Starting Point – Exchanged Life - that serve as a building block to launch new LifeGroups.

Existing LifeGroups 

If you’re a LifeGroup veteran and ready to jump in, this may be our best option to get connected right away.  To find an existing Life Group, please visit NMC Connect.

Equipping Classes

A little larger than a small group, these medium sized group environments meet Wednesday evenings from 7:00 – 8:30pm for 6 weeks. The classes are more than a Discipleship class, it's a community experience, where you'll have an opportunity to study the word of God with other NMC members, form new friendships and, at the end of the 6 week period, join a new small group together. 

What happens after I submit the request to “join a group” online?

The request goes directly to the group leader. The group leader should follow up with you via email or a phone call within a few days. If for any reason you don’t hear back from the group leader within a week’s time, please email us at groups@northmetro.org  and we will help you get connected.

What types of small groups do you have?

We have five different types of groups: LifeGroups, Singles LifeGroups, Men’s groups, Women’s groups and Starting Point Groups.

LifeGroups are ongoing long-term groups focused on living out the mission of our church “Celebrate the Gospel, Equip Families and Go Wherever” together.

Bible study groups are short-term groups typically meeting for 6-12 weeks and are focused on a particular topic or bible study.

Starting Point Groups are short-term groups that meet for 8 weeks and are seekers or new believers in the Christian faith.

What does a typical small group meeting look like?

While each group differs in how they approach the small group ministry the five core components (connection – worship – study – sharing – prayer) are the same, the groups have a social time in the beginning, share a meal then transition to a time where they discuss questions from the selected curriculum and pray for each other. At the very beginning of the group, the whole group decides how much time they will spend on social, discussion, and prayer time (as well as the order in which they take place).

What if I don't like the group I visit?

Sometimes joining a group is like trying on shoes. You may have to try a couple of groups out to see which group is the best fit for you and your family. It is ok to visit multiple groups before deciding on which one to join.

Will I be called on to pray at the group meeting?

Don’t worry: we won’t call on you to pray during a group meeting. You may always volunteer to pray but we won’t require you to pray out loud in front of other people.

Do I have to know a lot about the bible to attend a group?

No. People that attend groups are at all different levels of their spiritual journey. We don’t expect you to know everything about the Bible. It is always ok to ask a question related to the Bible in your group time if you don’t know the answer.

When and where do the groups meet?

Our groups meet every other week and follow the NMC LifeGroup calendar. However, we encourage our groups to “do life together” because it's hard to build relationships only seeing each other a couple times a month. Groups choose to meet when and where they want: in homes, at the church, weekdays or weekends.

Is childcare provided for each group meeting?

Some groups offer childcare, while others do not. You can request to be part of a group that offers childcare or that participates in the NMC Childcare program. Each group determines how it will handle their own childcare needs (either find their own childcare or participate in the NMC Childcare Program).

What is the NMC Childcare Program?

NMC provides free childcare for LifeGroups that follow the LifeGroup calendar. They meet Sunday evenings from 4:30 to 6:30pm, every other week. While the childcare is free, there is a requirement that each group that participates in the program, serves a minimum of 1 Sunday per semester.

How often do groups meet?

Our LifeGroups groups meet every other week. However, there are groups that meet weekly. It is up to each group to determine the frequency of group meetings (Weekly or Bi-weekly).

How long does each group meeting last?

Each small group picks the length of time they will meet. However, most groups meet for an hour and a half to two hours.

What do groups study?

We have LifeGroup approved curriculum to guide group members through the vision and values of NMC.

What if we already have a small group … how do we become a NMC LifeGroup?

If you currently have a small group please check out Start A Group or contact Bud Darr at bdarr@northmetro.org to get set up as a NMC small group.