Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Life Group?
What is holistic Biblical community?
Why do I need to be involved in a Life Group?
Is each group identical?
What if the Life Group I joined, doesn’t really fit who I am?
Do I have to join The Vineyard Church of Houston to be in a Life Group?
What happens in a Life Group?
How do I join a Life Group?
Can I start my own Life Group?
Can I host a Life Group?

What is a Life Group?
A Life Group is a close-nit, small community of friends and fellow believers who have committed their lives to one another for community. This community involves personal healing and discipleship, small group devotional and worship life and edification to grow in service and ministry to others. A Life Group is marked by: meeting at least twice a month; sharing life together outside the meeting times; having at least 5 people involved in the group; be committed to holistic Biblical community.

What is holistic Biblical community?
Holistic Biblical Community is a community that prioritizes God's goal for our lives. Being a holistic Biblical community means that the group values our life with Jesus and expresses it in these distinct ways:

1. Life with God: developing the prayer, worship and devotional lives of the group and its individuals
2. Life with the People of God: developing the life of the group as a community of close, intimate friends who minister to one another, care for one another and hold each other accountable for their life with God.
3. Life in the World: developing the value the group members have on evangelism and the discipline of opening the group to others as an extension of the great commission as well as serving and loving our neighbors as an extension of the great commandments. It may manifest itself in areas such as missions, evangelism, the poor, outreach, and social justice.
4. Life Transformed: God’s expressed will for us is that we begin a process that conforms us to his nature. This process is comprised of both discipleship and healing.

Why do I need to be involved in a Life Group?
Why is it that Jesus calls us to have life and yet as participants in church “life” we find ourselves just too busy to enjoy simple things like our families, our friends, a nice dinner with close-nit surrogate families in our lives? We all have our jobs. We have our ministry groups. Some of us have our home groups or small groups that we attend. Our weekly schedule ends up looking like the Metro bus going from place to place, putting in our time, hoping we don’t run out of gas along the way, and at the end of the week, finishing up fairly empty on the inside. We want the Vineyard Church of Houston to be marked by real relationship…not just another series of meetings. Meetings can drain us, but relationship creates life. Life is what we are called to share with one another.

Is each group identical?
Each group is unique in that each group has different people who bring different social, spiritual and personality characteristics to the group, but each group should have the same DNA. Each group should be marked by the description of holistic Biblical community and the evidences of their commitment to each of those four areas listed above (Life with God, Life with the People of God, Life in the World and Life Transformed). While each Life Group should carry each of those traits, each group will (in one way or another) manifest it differently. Each group will have its own distinct personality.

What if the Life Group I joined, doesn’t really fit who I am?
We encourage you to visit a variety of Life Groups to find the one that best suits you. If the group you are currently attending doesn’t fit you, then a few things should probably happen. First, keep in mind that God might have led you to your current group for a specific reason. You should probably speak with your Life Group leader and find out if there may be any unresolved issues that might be causing uneasiness, or if this is just a new season of your life that may need a new community. There is no obligation to stay in a group, but we suggest you give your group a few weeks to see if it will work.

Do I have to join The Vineyard Church of Houston to be in a Life Group?
Not at all. We encourage new guests to visit our Life Groups! It’s a great way to get to know who we really are, on an intimate level. It’s a low-threat way to find out more about our community as well as a wonderful way to make new friends. Attending a Life Group at The Vineyard Church of Houston doesn’t commit you to the church, but it does put you in a place for us to commit ourselves to you. We want you to grow in your life with God and we will do what we can to help you become the person He created you to be.

What happens in a Life Group?
Since each Life Group is different, each Life Group meeting may look slightly different. While all of them encourage growth in Life with God, Life with the People of God, Life in the World and Life Transformed, each group goes about that growth in different ways. Some groups focus more on group ministry and prayer time, while others may focus more on worship or Bible Study. The important thing to remember is that a Life Group is about more than the weekly meeting. The meeting is just a central time for everyone to get together. The real growth and community comes out of the day to day life the Life Group members share with one another.

How do I join a Life Group?
Joining a Life Group is easy. We encourage you to visit several different groups to find the one that fits you best. Once you think you’ve found that group, just notify the Life Group leader that you would like to formally join their group. They will be excited to know you are wanting to be a part of their community and will be willing to help you in any way the Group can help you.

Can I start my own Life Group?
Yes! We love to see new groups started. We also want to make sure that we equip you for success in this wonderful endeavor. To do that, the best way to begin is to get involved in a current Life Group and work towards apprenticing under the current leader. For more information on how to start your own Life Group, check out our brochure entitled “How Do I Start A New Life Group?”

Can I host a Life Group?
Absolutely. Some Life Groups like to meet in one place on a regular basis, others prefer to move quite frequently. The best thing for you to do is to get involved in a current Life Group and let them know you would love to host them some time. You never know what may happen!