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The Essentials of Caregroup
What is Caregroup?
A caregroup is a small unit of the larger church body. Gatherings with the wholechurch are good, but they cannot provide the personal closeness of a caregroup.Caregroup is where much of the actual work of the church occurs. People learn, grow,worship God, get trained, care for one another, and share the Gospel with their friends inthe caregroup.
The Jerusalem church
When you read the description of the Jerusalem church in Acts 2, the Bibledescribes the Christians meeting in a large gathering in the temple courts. At this time, thechurch numbered more than three thousand. Besides the daily gathering at the temple, wecan also see that the life of the church was carried out in small groups in people’s homes.The term “broke bread” refers to the communion meal, where the early church membersate and fellowshipped together, remembered Jesus’ sacrifice, and celebrated His return.
 Acts2:46-47 
 Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.
Caregroups replicate this type of small group ministry in our church today,forming the close bonds between members in their everyday lives. Just like in theJerusalem church, these small group communities are integral to the health of the larger church community. Without this commitment to one another, the church is simply a largegathering of believers on Sunday.
Caregroups are like small churches
Caregroups are like small churches. Sometimes people think that a church needs a building, name, and organization, but the Bible says that a church is simply a localgathering of believers who are committed to one another. In this sense, a caregroup is asmall church, but part of a larger church that is headed by the pastor and elders. The Biblemakes several mentions of churches meeting in people’s homes:
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Aquila and Pricilla.
This faithful husband and wife hosted a church in their homewhen they were in Ephesus (according to 1 Corinthians 16:19) and again whenthey migrated to Italy just a few years later (according to Romans 16:5). It seemsthat wherever this faithful couple traveled, they established a Christian fellowshipin their home.
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Philemon.
Paul’s letter to Philemon says that a church met in his home (Philemonv. 2).
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Nympha.
In Colossians 4:15, Paul greets the church that meets at this woman’shouse.
 
Activities of Caregroup
Some people might confuse caregroups with Bible study. Others might think it ismerely a gathering for Christians to fellowship. Others see it as a place to evangelize totheir friends. In fact, caregroup is all of these and much more. Caregroup provides anopportunity for people to:
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Evangelize
to friends and family through personal relationships formed outside of church. Caregroups can team together for evangelistic activities, such as Christianmovies, hikes, cooking classes, or dinners.
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Fellowship
and encourage one another to continue their walk with God
.
AsProverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
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Study the Bible
on a regular basis to make the Word of God part of their everyday lives.
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Worship
God through songs and prayer to strengthen their relationship with Godand refresh their spirits.
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Pray
for one another’s needs, and also for the church and God’s work. The goal isto see God’s power manifest in our lives.
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Testify
about what God is doing in their lives, and what they’ve learned andexperienced in their Christian walk. The goal is to give God praise and also toencourage one another spiritually.
Benefits of Caregroup
Caregroups as described in this lesson provide many benefits to individualmembers and the church as a whole.
1. Members receive pastoral care
Caregroup helps make sure that everyone in the church is cared for physically,spiritually, and emotionally. In Exodus 18, we can see from the example of Moses thatdelegated pastoral care is an effective way to make sure that people’s needs are met. Inthe same way, the pastor delegates pastoral care to leaders in the church, includingcaregroup leaders. These leaders care for people on behalf of the pastor.
 Exodus 18:17-26 
Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. You and these people whocome to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him.Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they areto perform. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthymen who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have thembring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God socommands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied." 
 
Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases theybrought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.
Jesus’ desire is that everyone is cared for. The word “pastor” is connected to theword “shepherd.” To provide pastoral care is to take care of people like a shepherd takescare of sheep. Jesus told Peter that he could show his love for Jesus by taking care of younger believers. Through caregroups, we can ensure that everyone is cared for spiritually.
 John 21:15-17 
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do youtruly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."  Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.
2. Members have close fellowship
Caregroup also allows church members to have a closer fellowship than is practical in the larger meeting. When you see the same small group of people on a regular  basis, you can know what is going on in their lives and share one another’s burdens. Thisis difficult if you only greet people briefly on Sundays.
Galatians 6:2
Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Also, the setting of the caregroup is better for getting to know people than thechurch service. Often, people eat together before or after caregroup. Eating together encourages conversation. We can share one another’s joy and sadness.
 Romans 12:15
 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Meeting in people’s homes makes caregroups more private and comfortable thanthe Sunday service in church. When Jesus shared information to His disciples, it wasoften in someone’s home during or after a meal. Caregroups take advantage of the homesetting and food for close fellowship between believers.
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