Spiritual Formation Groups

Whereas weekly Chapel and Church services provide students with an opportunity to gather and worship together in a large corporate setting, LCC also provides an opportunity for students to share life together in small groups for a more intimate time of spiritual connection. Spiritual Formation Groups may be led by faculty, staff, or upperclassmen, and they usually consist of 6-8 students. Though each group will have a different focus, all will have the same goal, and each will contain elements of accountability, encouragement, devotion, and prayer. The ultimate goal of Spiritual Formation Groups at LCC is simply to have Christ formed in us. As Richard Foster has written,

Becoming Like Christ
For the Christian, heaven is not a goal; it is a destination. The goal is that “Christ be formed in you,” to use the words of the apostle Paul (Gal. 4:19). To the Romans, he declares, “Those whom [God] foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son” (8:29). And to the Corinthians, he says, “All of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image” (2 Cor. 3:18). Thus the daring goal of the Christian life could be summarized as our being formed, conformed, and transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. And the wonder in all this is that Jesus Christ has come among his people as our ever-living Savior, Teacher, Lord, and Friend.

Spiritual Formation groups meet weekly, usually on Thursdays at 9:30 AM. Participation in a Spiritual Formation Group (SFG) is required for all full-time students.

Contact
Andrew Fitzgibbon, Spiritual Formation Coordinator
afitz@lccs.edu
(217) 732-7788 ext. 2324

Information for Leaders

What is Required of the SFG Leader?

Attend Chapel every week and track the attendance of your SFG.
Meet with your SFG for at least one hour each week and track their attendance.
Be prepared to meet with your group. Have a long-range plan, something more than to just get you through the first couple of weeks. Don’t “wing it.”
Remember that you are there to serve God and serve the students in your SFG.
Know your style and focus. Keep the group on track.
Don’t counsel beyond your competence.
Pray for your students.
Relax and enjoy it. If you have frustrations or questions please contact the Coordinator of Spiritual Formation Groups and seek help if necessary. Remember, we are just beggars showing other beggars where to find food. It’s bound to be messy at times.

So here’s our part as leaders of groups with the goal of Spiritual Formation. We are to partner with God in the work and process of helping students conform to his image, be transformed into his likeness, while Christ is formed in them. This is the process of maturation, of attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Eph. 4.11-13, 14-16) Our role in the spiritual formation process with others is discipleship and mentoring. (Matt. 28.18-20; II Tim. 2.1-2 “

This is a multiplication process. We had others invest in us, so we invest in others and train them to then invest in others. Here’s the biblical model – follow a mentor, join with peers and mentor one another, and then invest in and mentor others – simultaneously.

Get them to imitate you (I Cor. 4.16) as you imitate Christ, but not as a selfish, prideful endeavor. They look to you as you look beyond yourself to Christ. (I Cor. 1.11-13)

What is Recommended of the SFG Leader?

Meet with your SFG at least once per semester at a time outside the regular meeting time.
Meet one-on-one with the individuals from your group at least once aside from the regular meeting time.
Take members of your SFG with you on pulpit supply, speaking engagements, etc…
Invite your SFG to have dinner with you/your family.
Take members of your SFG (grocery) shopping with you.
Take a weekend or a day to serve together at a Habitat house, breadline, mission, etc…
Take members of your group with you on evangelistic mentoring appointments at Lincoln College.
Invite your group to attend church with you.
Invite your group to join you at a movie (at home or at the theater).
Send your group members an encouraging note through campus mail.
Take your group camping, hiking, biking, etc…
Invite your group to make cookies together.
Be creative….

SFG Leader Description

SFG Models and Approaches

Fall Attendance 07

Information for Students

What is Required of Students in SFG?

Attend chapel every week (no more than three absensces allowed)
Attend and participate in SFG every week (no more than three absences allowed)
Give of yourself to the group and the process.
REMEMBER: You will get out of SFG what you put into it.

Finding an SFG:

There are a few ways to find and get plugged into a Spiritual Formation Group.

At the beginning of the fall semester you can attend a four week introduction to SFG, where you will be able to meet different leaders and try new groups.
Ask around. Talk to friends and leaders of other groups to find groups that have openings and are willing to take you.
Ask the Coordinator of Spiritual Formation Groups to help you find a group.
Contact Andrew Fitzgibbon: Coordinator of Spiritual Formation
afitz@lccs.edu
ext. 2324

SFG Exemption Form

Student SFG Leader Application