Essentials Of Caregroup

The Essentials of Caregroup What is Caregroup? A caregroup is a small unit of the larger church body. Gatherings with the whole church are good, but they cannot provide the personal closeness of a caregroup. Caregroup is where much of the actual work of the church occurs. People learn, grow, worship God, get trained, care for one another, and share the Gospel with their friends in the caregroup.

The Jerusalem church When you read the description of the Jerusalem church in Acts 2, the Bible describes the Christians meeting in a large gathering in the temple courts. At this time, the church numbered more than three thousand. Besides the daily gathering at the temple, we can also see that the life of the church was carried out in small groups in people’s homes. The term “broke bread” refers to the communion meal, where the early church members ate and fellowshipped together, remembered Jesus’ sacrifice, and celebrated His return. Acts 2:46-47 Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Caregroups replicate this type of small group ministry in our church today, forming the close bonds between members in their everyday lives. Just like in the Jerusalem church, these small group communities are integral to the health of the larger church community. Without this commitment to one another, the church is simply a large gathering of believers on Sunday.

Caregroups are like small churches Caregroups are like small churches. Sometimes people think that a church needs a building, name, and organization, but the Bible says that a church is simply a local gathering of believers who are committed to one another. In this sense, a caregroup is a small church, but part of a larger church that is headed by the pastor and elders. The Bible makes several mentions of churches meeting in people’s homes: • Aquila and Pricilla. This faithful husband and wife hosted a church in their home when they were in Ephesus (according to 1 Corinthians 16:19) and again when they migrated to Italy just a few years later (according to Romans 16:5). It seems that wherever this faithful couple traveled, they established a Christian fellowship in their home. • Philemon. Paul’s letter to Philemon says that a church met in his home (Philemon v. 2). • Nympha. In Colossians 4:15, Paul greets the church that meets at this woman’s house.

Activities of Caregroup Some people might confuse caregroups with Bible study. Others might think it is merely a gathering for Christians to fellowship. Others see it as a place to evangelize to their friends. In fact, caregroup is all of these and much more. Caregroup provides an opportunity for people to: • Evangelize to friends and family through personal relationships formed outside of church. Caregroups can team together for evangelistic activities, such as Christian movies, hikes, cooking classes, or dinners. • Fellowship and encourage one another to continue their walk with God. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” • Study the Bible on a regular basis to make the Word of God part of their everyday lives. • Worship God through songs and prayer to strengthen their relationship with God and refresh their spirits. • Pray for one another’s needs, and also for the church and God’s work. The goal is to see God’s power manifest in our lives. • Testify about what God is doing in their lives, and what they’ve learned and experienced in their Christian walk. The goal is to give God praise and also to encourage one another spiritually.

Benefits of Caregroup Caregroups as described in this lesson provide many benefits to individual members and the church as a whole.

1. Members receive pastoral care Caregroup helps make sure that everyone in the church is cared for physically, spiritually, and emotionally. In Exodus 18, we can see from the example of Moses that delegated pastoral care is an effective way to make sure that people’s needs are met. In the same way, the pastor delegates pastoral care to leaders in the church, including caregroup leaders. These leaders care for people on behalf of the pastor. Exodus 18:17-26 Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied."

Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves. Jesus’ desire is that everyone is cared for. The word “pastor” is connected to the word “shepherd.” To provide pastoral care is to take care of people like a shepherd takes care of sheep. Jesus told Peter that he could show his love for Jesus by taking care of younger believers. Through caregroups, we can ensure that everyone is cared for spiritually. John 21:15-17 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.

2. Members have close fellowship Caregroup also allows church members to have a closer fellowship than is practical in the larger meeting. When you see the same small group of people on a regular basis, you can know what is going on in their lives and share one another’s burdens. This is difficult if you only greet people briefly on Sundays. Galatians 6:2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Also, the setting of the caregroup is better for getting to know people than the church service. Often, people eat together before or after caregroup. Eating together encourages conversation. We can share one another’s joy and sadness. Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Meeting in people’s homes makes caregroups more private and comfortable than the Sunday service in church. When Jesus shared information to His disciples, it was often in someone’s home during or after a meal. Caregroups take advantage of the home setting and food for close fellowship between believers.

3. Members are involved in ministry Church ministry occurs on two levels: in the large congregation and in the small group fellowship. The large congregation activities pull people in from the community, but the caregroups pushes the church out to the community. Both types of ministry are needed in a healthy church. We should have excellent church services, classes, and events, and also vibrant small groups throughout the city. Not everyone in the church can be involved in the church-level ministry because there are limited opportunities for people to serve in functions such as preaching, teaching, or worship. But these people can get involved on a caregroup level. This means that everyone in the church can be devoted full time to ministry, not just the people who are experts. 1 Peter 4:10 says that we all have a spiritual gift from God, and that He intends that we use it to serve others in the church. 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT) God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

4. Members develop their gifts The Bible says that each Christian is like a part of the body, each one with a unique and important function. Romans 12 lists seven different gifts that are all extremely important: 1. Prophesying 2. Serving 3. Teaching 4. Encouraging 5. Giving 6. Leadership 7. Showing mercy Romans 12:4-8 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Caregroup provides an opportunity for members to practice and develop their gifts. Because it is a small group, each caregroup relies heavily on the active participation of its members, helping them to discover and develop their God-given gifts and abilities. People who would not have considered themselves teachers may find a unique style that suits them, for example. Others may similarly discover and have an opportunity to prophesy in the caregroups. We should always encourage caregroup members to try new things and develop their gifts.

5. Members are trained for missions Jesus’ last instructions to His disciples were to evangelize the entire world. Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Not only do caregroups allow more people to serve and develop their God-given spiritual gifts, they also are great preparation for missions. Missionaries need to know how to teach, evangelize, practice hospitality, pray, and care for people—all things that they can learn in caregroup. In fact, if anyone wants to prepare to become a missionary, they would do better to successfully build a caregroup in their home city than go to Bible school where they are taught theory. Caregroup equips people with the practical experience for starting a church. Caregroups also prepares people spiritually for missions. Each caregroup member is responsible for the growth and spiritual health of their own caregroup.

6. Members grow in commitment Important relationships between people require commitment from both sides. It is important for the people in the caregroup to share interests and enjoy the company of one another. But these things should not be the basis of the fellowship. Instead, the members of the caregroup should be committed to one another because of brotherly love. None of these other benefits can happen if caregroup members are not committed to one another. The commitment of caregroup members to each other is important: without it, then relationships in the church are based on personal preference or temporary acquaintance. John 15:13 (NLT) There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 1 John 3:16 (NLT) We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

7. The church can expand on a solid foundation The Jerusalem church in Acts 2 grew for many reasons, and one of those reasons was because its members had close Christian fellowship in their homes. The majority of the church life took part in people’s homes—not isolated to just in the large gatherings in the temple courts. The vitality of the church remained in the small group fellowship. In fact, in Acts 8:3, we can see that as Paul (who was still an unbeliever named Saul) began

to destroy the church, he had to go from house to house to find and arrest people. That was probably because the church stopped meeting in large gatherings during that persecution. Acts 8:1-3 On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. Again and again throughout church history, when it was impossible to meet together in large numbers, the church did not disappear because their foundation was in the small groups. We can learn an important lesson from this example. If our church ministry is primarily built on a large gathering, then it is vulnerable to collapse due to loss of a building, programs, or popular preacher. A church built on small groups will have a more solid foundation based on commitment to one another and Jesus.

Conclusion Caregroups are an extremely important part of our church life. Without caregroups, we have no way of ensuring the pastoral care of members in the church. Also, members of caregroups have a unique opportunity to love and serve one another in a close fellowship. Caregroups are a place where Christians can get trained and practice ministry.

Discussion Questions 1. 2. 3. 4.

Please share one thing that you learned from this lesson. What are some of the activities that take place in a caregroup? How do caregroups benefit individual members? How do caregroups benefit the church?