Cornerstone Groups are mid-week gatherings of small groups of members of The Church of the Good Shepherd, for mutual encouragement in living out the Christian faith. They provide an environment in which the on-going discipleship of each member is nurtured:
- in relationship to God (‘upward’ to the Father)
- in character and self-awareness together with other disciples of Jesus (‘inward' to Christ in us)
- in relation to the world (‘outward' in the power of the Holy Spirit)
There is the opportunity to respond to the Sunday sermons and apply this to the lives of group members. Sometimes the groups all engage with common material pertinent to the life of the whole church; at other times each group decides themselves what aspect of the faith they wish to explore together. Just as each individual has a unique gifting and calling from the Lord, so each Cornerstone Group has its own identity and purpose within the whole. The aim is not to create uniformity across groups, rather to have unity in diversity within a commonly held vision, mission, purpose and set of values. Group leaders are seen as facilitators not as ’the expert’ who does all the work, so that every person can contribute their gift and grow in the Lord. Each group is encouraged prayerfully to seek the Lord to engage with at least one aspect of the vision, mission and purpose of the whole church.
Small groups are an important part of the life, mission and ministry of The Church of the Good Shepherd. They are dynamic and evolving. This is according to membership of the church and God’s calling on us, as the Lord reveals His plans for us to co-work with Him for His coming Kingdom.
If you would like to join a group, please contact admin@thegoodshepherd.co.uk for more information.