God told us to Love Him with everything and to love others (Matthew 22:37-40). All of this starts with Love for God and belief in Christ. If you’re not sure if you’re starting there, ask your Small Group Leader how you can!

The goal of Mutual Ministry Breakouts each week is to encourage one another’s faith by discussing our personal habits with God and relational goals with others.

HABITS: The first 2 weeks, help new members start spiritual habits of getting into God’s Word, praying and memorizing Scripture, and looking for God at Work in our lives.

SPIRITUAL GOALS: Then take 3 weeks to develop spiritual goals with new members. These provide accountability and encouragement to grow in our walk with Christ and relationships with others.

Just like our physical health requires consistent investment, our spiritual health requires investments in the spiritual disciplines. We are going to call those our “Habits”. We talk about 4 main habits to develop in our walk with Christ: Reading Scripture, Praying, Memorizing Scripture, and Seeing God at Work.

ESTABLISH TIME: Each member should decide for themselves how much time they want to try to spend in prayer, reading, and memorizing each day. Help them determine a specific and achievable time. A healthy framework to aim for is an equal amount of time for reading and prayer, to “breathe in” (reading) and “breathe out” (prayer) equally.

MEMBERS SHARE WITH LEADER: Have the Small Group Members share their set habits with the Small Group Leader or Mutual Ministry Leader. This is an opportunity for support and trusted counsel! The exact habits don’t need to be shared with anyone except that leader.

INTRODUCE TOOL: Have everyone use a GROW Sheet to observe when they spend time with the Lord in Scripture, prayer, and memorization. For accountability, have each person show the leader their GROW Sheet when sharing in Mutual Ministry. Enjoy the growth experienced as your group deepens their relationship with Christ.

INTRODUCE FINAL HABIT: One last habit to practice. Tell your group that every time the group shares in Mutual Ministry, each person will be asked how God has been in encouraging their soul (not others, them). Enjoy the habit of seeing God at Work.
For the first two weeks, do the full Mutual Ministry rhythm with those who have habits and goals set up. Do the following with those just starting their habits:

1. Share GROW Sheet with your Leader
2. Answer: How has God encouraged you? (Your heart, not others!)
3. Have someone in the group pray for that person

Habits help us regularly build our relationship with God. We are also told to put off sin, put on righteousness, and love others. This is where goals come into play. Habits include the spiritual disciplines required to walk with Christ. Now, start developing spiritual goals that will help your group further apply God’s Word to their lives.

Use the “Making Your Goals” resource to start exploring how you can “Put on” and “Put off” (start in Scripture!). Help your new group members establish 3 specific and measurable goals that they want to work toward.

Advise them that they can ask a friend, spouse, or Small Group Leader for advice, but they are the ones setting these goals for themselves. Aim for SMART Goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. It’s best that you and the Small Group Members have their goals written down and named so you can recall them easily.

RHYTHM: Each week in mutual ministry, ask two questions: 1) What are your three goals? & 2) What stood out as the main one this week, whether good or bad? The target is to see relationships with God and others grow by applying the gospel to everyday life!

Each week, you’ll follow this rhythm with each person for Mutual Ministry:

1. Share GROW Sheet with your Leader
2. Answer: How has God encouraged you? (Your heart, not others!)
3. Briefly review goals
4. Answer: What was the main one that stood out this week, good or bad?
5. Have someone in the group pray for that person

Helpful Suggestions:

• Have each person set a timer for themselves as they begin to share to end the meeting by the planned time.
• Pair people up with someone new each week to connect and pray between meetings
• Don’t forget that these are just tools to help disciples grow their relationships with God and others! This assumes that these relationships are already initiated and devoted.