Different churches and traditions call them by a variety of names – small groups, cell groups, fellowship groups, Bible study groups, house groups, clusters. I like the name connect group because I think it sounds more welcoming. But that’s just my preference and it really doesn’t matter too much what we call them.

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Connect Groups in the Bible

The idea is not a new one. In fact, this is how the early church originally met. The word church is a translation from the Greek word ekklesia. (The New Testament was written in Greek, which was the lingua franca of the day; much like English is the dominant language in the West today.) Ekklesia was the common word for a meeting or gathering of people. So, in the New Testament, a church was a gathering of Christians and did not mean a particular type of building or a denomination.

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I believe that this is also how we should view the church today; not as a building, as nice and awe-inspiring as many church buildings are, but the gathering together of Christians.

The New Testament book of Acts records how Christianity spread throughout the Mediterranean region. Communities of believers sprang up in many cities. St Paul wrote letters to some of these churches and it is recorded several times in his letters that the church would meet in someone’s home (see Romans 16:3-5, Colossians 4:15, Philemon 2).

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The purpose of a Connect Group

Home groups are therefore the church in microcosm, an expression of the wider church. As such they should then reflect what happens in the wider church. This will include:

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• Worship

• Support for one another in the group

• Focus on building real & lasting relationships