Grow Groups

Grow Groups, which will launch in Fall 2024, are small, gender-specific groups of three to six believers who gather weekly to encourage and challenge one another in discipleship and engage daily with Christ through His Word and prayer.

Grow Groups are one aspect of Richland Creek’s Discipleship Pathway, our corporate strategy for accomplishing our vision of gathering to grow as disciples of Jesus. Grow Groups will focus on relational commitment, offering group members the opportunity to genuinely help one another trust, follow, and obey Jesus from a heart of love.

Anyone who has professed faith in Christ. Growing in Christ is a whole-life endeavor. We invite everyone to participate, whether you are a new believer or someone who has been a Christian for many years. Members of the Creek are strongly encouraged to consider joining a Grow Group.

Most Grow Groups will emerge from existing relationships, particularly within the Creek’s Life Groups. If you already know of a group you'd like to be a part of, you can tell us the name of your leader when you sign up. We can also help you find a group after you register.

Life Groups and Grow Groups differ in terms of their purpose, size, makeup, content, and timeframe. They are both elements of the larger Richland Creek Discipleship Pathway. We would encourage members to, whenever possible, participate in both a Life Group and a Grow Group. Life Groups are ongoing, open communities that emphasize growth by taking a balanced approach to teaching, relationships, and giftedness. Anyone can join at any time. Grow Groups are circles of encouragement and honesty that emphasize growth by promoting spiritual disciplines and commitment in a more intimate atmosphere.

Life Groups 

Mid-sized communities, from 10-100 members 

Most are for men or women, couples participate together 

All follow the same curriculum, teacher-led 

Ongoing, meeting year-round

Grow Groups

Small circles of 3-6 members

All gender-specific

Emphasize commitment; all members participate, facilitator-led

Meet seasonally, starting fall and ending late spring, starting again each fall

Each Grow Group can decide what day and time work best for its members. We expect many groups will choose to meet on Sunday evenings from 5 to 6:15 at the church, as that is when our Creek Students will also meet in Grow Groups, and our Creek Kids will have Discovery Point. Creek Special Needs will have classes for elementary through adults.

Most Grow Groups will meet weekly, as weekly meetings are best for developing the habit of gathering with brothers and sisters for encouragement and growth. The weekly schedule will occasionally be interrupted by major churchwide gatherings or holidays. While weekly meetings are normative, we will discuss meetings every other week when necessary.

Grow Group meetings will focus on discussions about Scripture, prayer, and accountability. We believe that a regular schedule helps us to make good use of our time and be focused on encouraging one another in Christ. So, each Grow Group will follow a similar pattern: opening prayer (5 minutes), Follow-up and Scripture discussion (30-40 minutes), Scripture memory (5 minutes), Accountability (15 minutes), and Closing Prayer (10 minutes).

Scripture engagement is the foundational expectation of Grow Groups. It will often be the habit that drives other habits, and it is where we will spend most of our group time together. Each group member is expected to read the Word, according to a reading plan, and journal along with the group each week following the group’s reading schedule. This is not in addition to your own time in the Word—this is intended to be your personal time in the Word each week.

Reading plans foster greater consistency in reading and help provide necessary context when trying to understand what we read. For our Grow Groups, they also ensure that everyone reads and studies together. Most plans will follow a schedule that includes five-day-a-week and three-day-a-week options. The goal is to offer people the best tool for developing and sustaining the Bible intake habit.

For every day that people engage the Word by reading, they engage the Word by journaling. The two practices go together in the Grow Group ecosystem. We’re not talking about a “dear diary” kind of journaling that reflects solely on our feelings. Journaling will take us deeper into the meaning of God’s Word and its significance in our lives. Journaling does not need, nor should it be, a lengthy discipline. A paragraph or two is fine. Some will do more, but the basic practice does not need to be long and involved. There will be a handful of helpful journaling methods outlined in the Grow Group manual, but these will all engage with the text’s meaning, encourage meditation and application of the Word to my heart and life, and encourage some kind of response to the Word through prayer and action.

Memorization can be hard for some folks, but (and we can’t say this enough) it is worth the effort. The goal of memorization is not just knowing a bunch of words but meditating on the meaning of God’s Word. Author and pastor Andy Davis has said, “There is no more useful discipline to the careful process of verse-by-verse meditation than memorization.”

We LOVE the practice of bringing people to church, especially those who don’t know Jesus. But, since Grow Groups are intended for believers and are spaces for deeper honesty and openness, they’re not the best place for first-time guests. We would encourage you to bring them to worship services and Life Groups, both of which are open and welcoming to guests, including those who don’t know Christ.

If your friend is a member or frequent attender of Richland Creek, then encourage them to fill out an interest form for more info about Grow Groups.

We realize the circumstances of life sometimes prevent consistent attendance. However, it is not helpful to you or the group to have regular absences. Grow Group members are committing to consistent attendance, barring illness, traveling, or emergencies. If you feel like your schedule will not allow consistent attendance, consider waiting to join a Grow Group until your schedule permits

Yes! Grow Groups are a perfect environment for growing in your faith. Grow Groups are for all believers, whether you are new to the faith or have been walking with the Lord for decades. We often say that growing in Christ is a whole-life endeavor.

Our goal is for every group to maintain confidentiality. Forming trust between members is essential to group dynamics and is foundational to building relationships.

We believe that Grow Groups are a tremendous opportunity and bring enormous value to your Christian walk, but they are also entirely voluntary. These groups are open to all believers who attend our church, yet we realize not all will be able to join during certain seasons of their lives. We encourage you to be in a group as you are able, and when you are—we would love to have you join us.

Starting in September, we will not have weekly churchwide activities for all ages on Wednesday nights. Creek Students will continue to have a Wednesday evening worship service from 6:30-7:45. Creek Kids will now offer their Discovery Point activities for preschool and elementary, along with Creek Special Needs ministry, from 5-6:15 on Sunday evenings while adults and students meet in Grow Groups.

Adult Equipping classes, which used to meet weekly on Wednesday nights, will now be offered at various times and in various formats throughout the year. These will include some weeknights, weekend intensives and workshops, conferences, men’s and women’s events, and even e-learning opportunities.

Yes. Creek Kids will offer Discovery Point for preschool and elementary students, Creek Special Needs will have classes for elementary through adults, and Creek Students will have Grow Groups for middle and high schoolers.