A Lightwave Group lives out God's mission locally, as a small Christian community. Each group has five simple practices - All Involved, Becoming Discip;es, Creating Community, Doing Evangelism and Encountering God.
Starting a Lightwave group begins with prayer together to explore God's call to mission. We recommend small group materials above which are designed for any small group who want to share God's love. They help the group to listen to God and the community and discern God's call in mission. As part of this, the materials encourage the group to work with incumbent and your wider benefice and church(es) locally.
The Suffolk Discipleship Pathway is a tried and tested way of helping congregations and small groups identify how they can help people as they explore faith and become disciples of Jesus. Training for Lightwave Group Leaders is also very helpful as you start a new group.
If you would like further help, please contact archdeacon.sally@cofsuffolk.org
The Suffolk Discipleship Pathway
How your group can join the Lightwave Community and create a Growth Plan. Plus Information about being Anglican, grants and Rural Outreach Pioneers
GROWTH PLANS FOR FRESH EXPRESSIONS OF CHURCH AND SMALL MISSIONAL GROUPS IN A CHURCH OF ENGLAND BENEFICE
The Church of England’s research into church growth suggests that
“churches that intend to grow, tend to grow”.
The Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich diocese recommends all fresh expressions of Church and the small groups behind them create a Plan for Growth to help them flourish in your own unique context.
BENEFICE GROWTH PLANS
Most Lightwave Groups are part of a wider benefice. The Diocesan Website explains three simple steps to help benefices create a Benefice Plan for Growth:
1) Listen to your communities -
2) Choose your three main priorities
3) Plan your next steps
The listening stage involves the whole benefice community coming to listen and discern together. The plans of a small missional group can feed into this discernment and become part of a benefice plan. Or a Lightwave Group may come out of such a discernment process. Sometimes a small missional group will be at the very heart of the benefice discernment process - praying and listening across a all the parishes. With a little adaptation, some of the materials above can be used to resource a team who were leading a wider discernment process in the benefice. Feel free to adapt and select from them as you find most helpful.
