What Is Church 242?
242 Groups represent our vision to motivate people toward deliberate and meaningful relationships, similar to the early church in Acts 2:42. By using the acronym HELP (below) as a framework, it is our hope to encourage the grassroots formation of small groups toward this purpose. This vision assumes that the same DNA found every time our church is gathered on Sunday morning is vibrantly dispersed throughout our community when our church is scattered during the week.
Hanging together
Eating together
Learning together
Praying together
In effect, 242 Groups represent smaller and unique expressions of the body of Christ that are flexible enough to meet anywhere/anytime for the purpose of encouraging and strengthening one another. Where a 242 Group chooses to “hang,” what they “eat,” what they “learn” and how they “pray” together is up to each group.
Possible 242 Discussion Questions:
- How are you growing in your walk with Jesus right now?
- What seems to be your greatest challenge right now?
- What is something you’re grateful for?
- Are there any issues you need to confess today?
- How can we pray for you today?
242 Tips and Suggestions
- Have fun. Keep it simple.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment.
- Give yourself time to see what works.
- Start small and simple before expanding and/or getting more complicated.
- Be sure the format, food or location is helping the group.
- Don’t feel like you have to meet indefinitely.
- If things start getting dull or routine, change it up—take a break or try something new!
242 Considerations (for people interested in starting a group)
- Who are you interested in getting to know better?
- What time and how often will you meet?
- Where will you meet? (park, restaurant, office, home…)
- What will you eat? (coffee, veggies, snacks, dinner…)
- What is a current interest or need? (parenting, accountability…)
- What will be the focus of your learning? (LIFE Journaling, Bible study, topical study, book…)
- How will you practice praying together?
If you have questions about starting a 242 Group, you may contact us at (541) 632-4182 or info@citysalt.org for more information.
“All the believers devoted
themselves to the apostles’
teaching [Learning],
and to fellowship [Hanging],
and to sharing in meals [Eating],
and to prayer [Praying]”
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. ”
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. ”
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”