Ready to Get Connected Into a Couples Small Group Now? Click Here!
Married Couples Groups are small groups of five to seven married couples who meet in someone’s home to do the following…
- Build meaningful friendships
- Study the Bible
- Pray for one another
- Mutually challenge one another in our priorities and relationships
They are closed groups who commit to meet together for 12-18 months. These groups meet in homes on a weekly or every-other week basis.
Why does NorthStar have Married Couples Groups?
Since NorthStar began in 1997, a decision was made to invest our financial resources in people and ministry more than buildings. By meeting in members’ homes, we have an unlimited number of facilities at our disposal for meeting together in small groups.
We believe that small groups are the place where significant life change occurs. Small groups are where real life and real issues are discussed. This is the place where we celebrate the good times and comfort one another during the tough times. It is a place to be encouraged, equipped, and challenged to grow more and more as a follower of Jesus Christ.
When do Married Couples Groups meet?
Each group decides when and where it wants to meet. Many of our groups have found Sunday evenings to be the best time to meet because it avoids conflicts with family activities and rush hour traffic. Other groups schedule their group meetings on different nights because it works better for them.
What happens at the end of the 12-18 month group journey?
During the first six months, group leaders are challenged to identify an apprentice who will be able to lead a group of their own when their group ends. We hope the group leader and the apprentice leader will both lead new groups once the current group ends. Group members will be free to join their group leader’s new group, their apprentice leader’s new group, or an entirely new group. Through this process of multiplication, we hope to connect every married couple at NorthStar into a life-changing community group!
What does it take to become a group leader?
We have three simple requirements for becoming a Married Couples Group leader:
- You and/or your spouse must be members of NorthStar Church. If you have not yet attended our membership class, you can register for the next class by clicking HERE.
- You and/or your spouse must complete the Leader Orientation packet, which covers everything you need to know (well, most everything) about leading a small group. Our Married Couples Pastor, C.A. Phillips, will meet with you privately to review this material.
- You must have prior experience in a couples group, either at NorthStar Church, or at another church in a small group setting.
Leaders are always in demand, so please contact us if you are willing to serve as a leader for a new group!
We launch new groups four times each year: January, March, August, and October. We will provide registration cards on those mornings that we are seeking to form new groups. We will let you know about when we are starting new groups in our NorthStar Navigator (Sunday morning announcement hand-out). Once you have been grouped with other couples according to your season of life, preferred meeting night, and geographic location, we look for a group leader to emerge to lead your group. Once a leader steps forward, you will be contacted about your first meeting. The group will come together for an “8-week date.”
We want you to try your new group on for size during the first eight weeks of the group to help you determine if the group, time, location, etc. is right for you. You may drop out of the group during this dating period with no feelings hurt and no harm done! We don’t want you to commit to an 18-month year journey on the first date! Over 90% of couples connect with their group and continue on the journey together!
The curriculum that each group uses is ultimately decided by the group leader with input from the group. We have a recommended list of resources that will help leaders find the right curriculum for their group. This list is available in email or printed format. Email ca.phillips@northstarchurch.org if you'd like to request a copy.
For more information about Couples Groups, contact our Married Couples Pastor, C.A. Phillips at ca.phillips@northstarchurch.org or call (770) 420-9808 x. 2558.