A life group is a community of disciples intent on loving God, loving others and serving both in order to connect people to Jesus.

Life groups typically meet weekly to eat together, share their lives, maintain loving accountability, pursue discipleship to Jesus, and journey through the provided resources created by Hillview. This looks different for each group. The activities of a life group should serve to deepen relationships with Jesus and with one another.

At Hillview we want to move beyond casual relationships to committed relationships to covenant relationships, and we do this for the sake of being formed into Christlikeness. Covenant community is achieved when we go beyond casual friendship to urging one another to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did. The reason we sign a covenant is to memorialize the commitments we are making to the life group.

Rooted is the typical pathway for connecting to life groups. The Rooted experience provides an introduction to covenant community and lays a foundation for life groups to launch well. You can find out more information about the next Rooted session HERE.

Life group meeting times and locations vary depending on the group. Most groups meet weekly in the evenings on different nights of the week and usually meet in the home of the group members. The schedule is determined by the group when they launch after Rooted.

The content provided for life groups consists of the sermon time during worship gatherings, group discussion guides, and daily devotional material. Our hope is that by aligning all three of these things, we are able to allow the Word of God preached to us to soak deeper into our hearts and minds - and by doing that, transforming us from the inside out. There are seasons when life groups choose to incorporate an outside book or study instead of or in addition to sermon curriculum. As long as the content contains sound doctrine and furthers the formation of the group’s members, this is fine. Keep the Formation Team in the loop on what you are studying and seek them out when discerning if material is aligned with what Hillview believes. We are here to help you!

If a group grows too big that it can no longer achieve its purpose, then that group is too big. This typically happens at around 16 -17 people.

Yes! We trust life group leaders to decide when and how to add new members to the group. The Formation Team is available to help you discern what is wise in these situations. Our desire is for everyone to have a solid foundation for covenant community, which is why we recommend experiencing Rooted before joining a life group. However, when an organic relationship already exists, we can help you fold new members into your group.

As a best practice, we suggest that life groups secure childcare during meeting times. There are times when it is appropriate and encouraged to include children in life group activities, but we advise leaders to have regular time that is adults only. Having time set aside for adults to meet without children present eliminates distraction and creates a safe space for deeper vulnerability in sharing. That being said, we acknowledge that securing childcare can be an obstacle for some families and we would love to help you explore options. Many groups have gotten creative in their solutions and we’d love to share those ideas with you.