Home Groups

A Home Group is a smaller group of people (usually between 6 and 12 people) that make up a mini-community of the big community at The Well. They meet weekly to connect over food and conversation, share about their lives, study the Bible, and serve their communities. These groups are called Home Groups because they always meet in some one’s home. This is where life and faith are actually lived out, so it makes sense to share life and faith together in the places we live.

Neighbourhood based Home Groups are meant to help us move beyond “going” to church, or even “doing” church-related activity, and instead to “be” the church together in the communities where we live. Meeting in neighbourhood-based groups will make it quicker and easier to get to your home group, but more importantly, it will open up opportunities to connect with other home group members outside of your official meeting night, interconnect with one another’s friends and neighbours and serve your community together.

Especially for those who have small children, committing to a Home Group may seem like a far stretch. As a church, we want to support you as much as possible to grow in your faith so you can be better equipped to raise your kids to have faith of their own. We have a small but growing list of youth and young adult babysitters that may be available to babysit your children on a weekly basis during your Home Group time. And not only that, we’ll pay for them! The Well will provide funds for you to cover all or part of your babysitting fees on your Home Group nights. We’re that committed to seeing you connected, growing and serving in community. If babysitters are not for you, please talk to your Home Group leader. It may work to bring your kids and have them play, watch a movie, or sleep in a separate room while the adults connect together. (Note: The names of babysitters we can provide you with are not necessarily endorsements or guarantees. You will be responsible for ensuring the suitability of any babysitter for your own family’s needs).

We live in a busy culture, with busy lives and families. Home Groups aren’t meant to be one more thing to add extra burden to your already heavy schedule. Instead, they’re meant to help you navigate through your busy life by offering supportive community and life-giving wisdom from God’s Word. But we also believe making schedules manageable is important, so our plan is to make our Home Groups’ rhythm fit well into most people’s lives. Our Home Groups will have three 8-week “semesters” with one-month breaks in between for you to catch your breath through the especially busy times of the year. Our fall “semester” is October-November, winter is January-February, and spring is “April-May”. December, March, and June are off months for Home Groups. And the summer time will be for your groups to connect socially and get involved in your communities together.