FAQs

We have 2 types of groups at Rush Creek: Care Groups and Small Groups

Care Groups help people find freedom. All of our Care Groups operate from a prescribed curriculum around a felt need and varies in length. At Rush Creek we provide Re:Engage, Divorce Care, Divorce Care for Kids, Shiloh, Grief Share, and Re:Generation.

Small Groups are a group of people committed to following Christ in biblical community.

At Rush Creek, we provide our small groups with sermon-aligned curriculum. It is posted a week prior to the sermon being taught so that small group leaders may prepare for group discussion.

Our care groups use content owned by third party organizations which is licensed. This license prohibits Rush Creek from altering the content.

A person may join a Rush Creek group at anytime during the year (although during the summer groups typically practice a relaxed meeting schedule). On Sundays, at every Rush Creek campus, the Groups Minister or a volunteer is stationed at the Groups table in The Commons to answer questions about small groups, care groups, and to help connect group seekers. Additionally, at least twice per year all Rush Creek campuses will provide a corporate way to join a group but each campus at Rush Creek may provide a different method to join a group. For example, one campus might offer opportunities to meet leaders on a Sunday morning while another campus might provide a connection event in the evening with food and worship. A person can also join a group at any time by emailing the Groups Team at [email protected].

Small groups at Rush Creek are open to guests at any time. However, there may be instances where a small group can no longer allow guests due to size, in which case they would be in the process of birthing a new group. Another reason a small group may be closed to guests would be due to the nature of that particular season of group life. For example, if a group member recently experienced a medical emergency or sudden death of a loved one then that small group might close for a season until the emergency subsides.

Each group at Rush Creek is full of people who are in different places on their spiritual journey. We gather as small groups on a regular basis because we believe that we can go further faster in our spiritual journey if we’re together rather than on our own. Everyone has a voice in a Rush Creek small group. None of us are there yet, but together we’re on our way.

Typically, most small groups remain together for 18-24 months. While some meet for longer periods, we have found this timeframe to be the average.

At Rush Creek, the size of the group depends on the group. Some groups can experience healthy biblical community with up to 20 people, while others seem to thrive with a few as 3 people. The size of the group is not the focus, but how healthy is biblical community within the group.

We strongly encourage small groups to meet once per week. Meeting once per week allows relationships to be cultivated which builds community and allows accountability for spiritual progress to be maximized. However, the small group must decide what consistent meeting schedule is best for them.

Many small groups at Rush Creek do meet throughout the summer. However, guests should expect the format to be more relaxed than during the school year. In addition, there are some small groups that do not meet at all during the summer due to vacation schedules. It’s always best to check with the group leader prior to visiting the group.

We would love to discuss your interest in group leadership! Simply let us know which campus you attend along with your contact information via email at [email protected] and your campus Groups Minister will contact you within a week.

As a small group, you can decide how to approach this. However, it does need to be the group’s responsibility to agree on their child care arrangements. The church does provide childcare for small groups on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. You can rsvp your child for your next small group meeting here.

There are numerous options for service on Sundays. A couple of options are:

Serve! Find a ministry to get involved in such as children, pre-school, worship team, greeters, ushers, parking lot, media etc.

As a group, you may want to make this a time of ministry and service. Such as two times a month, your group might serve as ushers or greeters. To facilitate this process, please contact your campus Connections Minister or Groups Minister.

Click here to view a list of small groups that are available at Rush Creek. While they are diverse, they all seek to provide an environment to help one another learn to follow Jesus in the context of community. Please note that it may be the case that not every type of small group is available at all times.

We feel that small groups develop genuine relationships in the atmosphere of the home or some other environment outside of the church walls.

We want people to feel welcome in a small group, no matter the level of understanding a person may have of God or the Bible. It is our desire that your experience in a small group would enhance your understanding of both.

You may be involved as much or as little as desired. Our hope, over time, is that you will feel comfortable joining in discussions and sharing your experiences.

We give small group leaders a lot of flexibility in how they lead their meetings; however, we ask our leaders to incorporate these elements regularly; eating together, casual conversation, Bible study, and prayer.

We recommend that meetings last no longer than 2 ½ hours. However, the average group meeting lasts 90-120 minutes.