HCC SALT Groups
Heritage Community Church SALT Groups - Connecting people...Transforming lives! "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality." (Ro 12:10-13, NASB)
WHAT IS A SALT GROUP?
SALT is an acronym for Sharing Abundant Life Together and is the term we use at HCC for our Small Group Ministry.
The Christian life was not meant to be lived alone in a vacuum; Jesus promised us a life beyond mediocre, getting by, making it, or just hanging in there, he promised the abundant life.
John 10:10b sates “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN HCC SALT GROUP?
The acrostic SALT will be used to define the attributes of an HCC SALT Group.
HCC SALT Groups are:
Safe: Leaders, facilitators, hosts are responsible to create a safe place where trust can be built, connections are made, and people feel safe! If you don’t do anything else, you must do this!
Salubrious means “favorable to or promoting health or well-being” This part of the HCC Culture and a necessary ingredient for spiritual growth.
“People don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care!” (John Maxwell)
Authentic: Having sustained growth in a small group requires a level of trust that will in turn foster transparency; being unauthentic, fake, or dishonest will not get the results expected for spiritual maturity. True growth happens when we take risks and step out of our comfort zone and tr God has for us.
2 Corinthians 6:11-13 (NASB) “11 Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide. 12 You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections. 13 Now in a like exchange—I speak as to children—open wide to us also.”
James 5:16 (NASB) "16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
1 John 1:8-10 (NASB) "8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us."
Loyal to HCC: The Great Commandment and the Great Commission is our call and is why it is important that our members reinforce the mission of HCC; loyalty to the mission encourages membership. It is not healthy if our small groups invest in studying materials that are not inline or agrees with what HCC believes and teaches.
Amos 3:3 (NLT) – “Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?”
1 Corinthians 12:24b-26 (NIV) – “24b But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
John 17:20-21 (NLT) – “20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”
Transformational: Spiritual growth is the goal of our SALT Groups. God uses people to bring grace and transformation to one another.
Romans 12:2 (NASB) – “2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
2 Corinthians 4:16 (NASB) – “16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”
Ephesians 4:16 (NLT) – “16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.“
Ephesians 4:21-24 (NASB) – “21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
WHAT ARE THE PRACTICES OF AN HCC SALT GROUP?
The acrostic GROUPS will be used to define the practices of HCC SALT Groups.
HCC SALT Groups practice:
Grace and Truth over Time: Grace is the understanding that God is for you and there are certain abilities we can only exhibit with God’s grace. In the context of a small group setting, there will be times when we must come along side of each other and give grace in the form of an ability the other can’t provide for themselves. Experiencing total grace comes in the form of acceptance and forgiveness—a SALT Group should never be the source of shame, guilt, judgment, or condemnation.
Truth is provided through the word of truth God’s Holy Word and when we are open and honest with one another telling the truth in love when it might be hard to say, but you know someone needs to hear it.
Ephesians 4:14-15 (NLT) – “14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”
Time is the ingredient that ties all of this together. None of this will happen overnight but will happen over time provided that the groups are kept safe and people feel free to open up and share without feeling condemned or threatened.
Reconciliation: We have been given the ministry of reconciliation with the goal of reconciling man to God and man to each other. The group helps bring people closer to God and the life that he wants them to live. SALT Groups should help reconnect through real relationships to God and through experiencing connections with others within the group.
Ownership: people will need to own their issues and take responsibility for their own spiritual growth; no more excuses. In a healthy SALT Group, people learn to confess their shortcomings, failures, and fears in the confines of safety and acceptance. Confrontation is not meant to be negative, confront means to “face front;” we learn how to face our problems head on and not run away or hide from them.
Unity of mind: Connecting within the SALT Group and connecting outside of the group leads to closer connections with God. You learn behaviors within the small group that transfer to other parts of your life as you grow and become more spiritually mature. Maturity doesn’t come through knowledge it comes through application of what is learned. We no longer live compartmented lives separated by sacred or secular; they both become one.
James 1:5-8 (NKJV) – “5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James 4:2-8 (NKJV) – “2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"? 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
Purpose: The opening line of the first chapter of the Purpose Driven Life states that “It’s not about you” (Warren 2002 p. 17). And then goes on to say “The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose” (Warren 2002 p. 17).
One of the most effective ways of discipleship or evangelism is placing new believers or non-believers in a small group with seasoned believers, this is known as the “empty chair” philosophy.
Romans 12:3 (NKJV) – “3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”
Service Projects: A Cup of Cold Water ministry and other Community Outreach programs provide ways in which HCC can serve the outside community as a Social Center of God’s Kindness through Service Projects. HCC SALT Groups are expected to schedule time within their groups to serve the community. SALT Groups manage their own project according to their availability and time commitments.
1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) – “10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.”
Current SALT Groups listing is being revised; thank you for your patience.
You may sign-up for a SALT Group here
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| HCC SALT Connection Guide 2011.pdf | 397.24 KB |