We want Recovery to be a helpful resource for you as a LifeGroup Leader, to the extent that we have designed and tweaked the ministry to supplement and serve LifeGroups as much as possible.
The analogy that we use is that LifeGroups are like our highway. They are what we want everyone in—the way we do life and biblical community together. Recovery is like a rest stop—an intentional atmosphere to help by adding some intentional focus and support when certain issues feel unbeatable. However, when you are taking a road trip, the goal is not to pull off at the rest stop and stay there forever. In the same way, the goal of Recovery is to help get people in a healthier place so that they can transition back onto the highway of LifeGroups. This is why it is designed as a cycle that only lasts for a few months, happening twice a year.
Because of this philosophy, we desire to keep Recovery and LifeGroups strongly linked. Every week at Recovery we encourage people to get into LifeGroups if they are not already. We encourage them to be honest & transparent about what is going on with them in LifeGroup if they aren’t already. We encourage them to choose a sponsor (a Christian friend who will go through the personal inventories with them) from their LifeGroup to keep that connection strong.
In light of this, here are some ways you can use Recovery as a resource:
- Have conversations with your group about Recovery. Make sure your people know that it is available and that it is helpful. Ask if anyone is feeling led to go. If anyone has been in the past, ask them to share some of what Jesus taught them.
- Approach specific people you think would be greatly helped by it. If there is anyone you think would benefit from it, tell them!
- If anyone does choose to go, see if they’d like someone from LifeGroup to go with them. A lot of times people may want some support and accountability, and we welcome friends who are there to support someone. This also keeps the connection to LifeGroup strong.
- Consistently ask anyone who attends what they are learning, how Jesus is growing them, etc. Because Recovery is an environment specifically designed to open up deep areas of life, it is sometimes the case that people will be more honest and transparent about what they are struggling with at Recovery than they have been with LifeGroup. There is much power in being fully known and deeply loved by others in light of the gospel, and many are blessed by this experience. The challenge with this, of course, is that Recovery is not the highway. The relationships formed in Recovery are not designed to be permanent relationships like the relationships in LifeGroups are. We constantly encourage people at Recovery to make sure they are being as transparent with their LifeGroup as they are at Recovery, and to think of the experience like training wheels to continue to use in their permanent relationships with their LifeGroup. Many times people just don’t know the right time to open up and lay out their deepest fears and secrets, so asking them about it gives them opportunities to do so. Don’t think you are pestering them by doing this…you are serving them!
- If you ever feel like it would benefit your group to go through Recovery together, that is an option. You can come on Monday nights to Recovery and be a part of the big group for worship and teaching, and then break off into your own group to discuss when we separate into small groups. For help or questions about this, contact Brandon Clements.
We desire Recovery to come alongside and serve you guys well as you are leading on the front lines of making disciples in our city, so let us know if you have any questions about how this ministry can be a resource for you as a leader.