peer groups

peer groups

Peer groups are groups of three senior students who are ready to begin learning the life-long skills of developing themselves and each other as peers. We think it's important that you transition from being in a traditional "leader-led" Bible study to a peer group during your senior year. The reason is, after graduation it's unlikely that you'll find structures similar to those you enjoyed when you were a younger student. We'd like to help you learn a new set of skills now, while you're still here, so you can continue to use them and flourish for years to come.

We suggest groups of three because we think that at work, in your neighborhood, or at church you'll probably be able to find one or two other believers in your life stage with whom to process and grow. It may be hard to find more than that. We also suggest you keep the groups small so that everyone feels comfortable participating, and has the opportunity to do so.

We don't provide peer groups with a curriculum like we do for our leader-led studies; rather, we'll equip you with a Bible study method we call SORT. SORT will teach you how to study any passage of Scripture in a way that will help you to discover how Christ meets your deepest needs. SORT will also help you talk about what you are learning with both believing and unbelieving friends.

Here's how to get started:

  1. Please use our sign up form to let us know if you have a whole group, a partial group, or would like to join a group.
  2. Once the members of your peer group are determined, figure out a time that you can all meet for about an hour each week.
  3. At your first peer group meeting, you and your fellow peer group members should read the article Hearing the Music of the Gospel and talk through the week 1 discussion questions together. Please print out both PDFs and come ready to read and discuss.
  4. At your second meeting, listen to the audio file describing how a peer group works. Make sure you have something with speakers to listen to the MP3 on. It will also help you to have this description of SORT during that meeting. When you are done listening, discuss the week 2 discussion questions with your group and choose a passage of Scripture that you will begin to read in preparation for next week.
  5. At your third meeting, please invite a staff member to join your group (just this once) to help you get the hang of using the SORT method in your peer group. By that meeting you'll need to have a SORT booklet which you can pick up at the plug in table at the large group meeting.

From there on you should be ready to grow on your own and in small groups until graduation and long after.