Since we put most of our ministries under the Community Groups banner, we have to be able to measure whether our groups are healthy or not. To do that, we have identified 3 things that every community group should have:

1. Community

Our groups are ultimately about doing life together. This does not mean that every person in the group needs to have a deep, personal relationship with each other. It simply means that relationships are being formed that are built on more than just the study.

Questions to ask:

• Are people getting together sometimes outside of the group?
• Are people engaging in conversation before and after group starts? 
• Is there a lot of laughter at the group? Laughter is a healthy sign.

2. Study

Community is important, but without a study, it might as well just be a social club. People can get that from other places in their lives. Our groups exist to help people take their next spiritual steps in the context of community. We have a list of suggested studies for groups to use. A good study simply starts a conversation that leads to action.

Questions to ask:

• Are people in the group growing spiritually?
• Can you see a difference in their lives?
• Are they serving in the church? Are they giving their time, resources and talents?

3. Mission

We believe that every group at Cross Point should be engaging the community around them. We do this by partnering with organizations that are already making a difference in the city. We also do it with simple acts of service. Our groups did an amazing job of this during our Serve 4 Seven week before Easter. Each quarter, we also offer a Serving Saturday where all of our groups serve on the same day around the city. It is a powerful reminder of what the Church should be.

Questions to ask:

• Has the group served somewhere in the community this semester?
• Are the group members understanding the importance of serving their neighbors?

One of the questions that people often ask when they find out that I am the Ministries Pastors at Cross Point is, “How many ministries do you oversee?” Usually the question is accompanied by a look of horror and disbelief at the idea that one person could possibly oversee the hundreds of ministries that a church should be offering. After all, that’s what the church is supposed to do…right? We are in the ministries business…correct?

Here are just a few of the ministries that every church should have on the menu:

• Men’s Ministry
• Women’s Ministry
• Single’s Ministry
• Adult’s Ministry
• Older Adult’s Ministry
• Younger Adult’s ministry
• Kid’s Ministry
• Older Adults That Feel Like Younger Adults And Have Kid’s Ministry