EM Growth Groups                                     

Matthew Lo

A core aspect of our vision for 2026 is to see Growth Groups grow as communities centred on the study of God’s Word. Communities can gather around all sorts of common things but we are convinced that what makes a community distinctly Christian is for that common sharing to be hearing from and engaging with God Himself. Key to this goal’s success is engaging the hearts and minds of our members to delight in reading the Bible and be confidently competent to. We separately considered that no matter what goal or cultural shift we seek to achieve at the EM level, they are all the result of people being deeply transformed by God’s Word. So often we can pursue an aim in ministry and neglect this fundamental truth! We are convinced more and more deeply and liberatingly that God’s Word does God’s work.

Our year began with a series called ‘God’s Word and Us’ which saw groups cover a biblical and systematic theology of Scripture. We learned what it means to be truly blessed, how our sin twists God’s Word, that Jesus is God’s Word revealed in flesh, that the Holy Spirit works in us to understand and speak it, how we might meditate on it, delight in it and engage with it in church life. In the second half of the year, we turn our focus to studying the Bible as its various genres – equipping members with tools custom-fit for each genre and growing our intimacy with the Author’s intention. Learning from God’s Word is a lifelong exercise. So our prayer, this year and in the years to come, is for the ministry to bear much fruit in members who are captivated by God’s gospel to live in zealous obedience to His glory alone. Would you join us in this prayer?