CARAVANS

We are all invited to walk God’s Great Road with one another – and at Great Road Church, we do that in CARAVANS.

What are CARAVANS? CARAVANS are discipleship communities that journey together in the everyday rhythms of life and grow together in loving like Jesus.

In groups formed by 3-4 families (or 8-12 individuals), folks at Great Road Church would walk in their faith journey together through their personal rhythms of everyday life and spiritual rhythms of loving God, loving one another, and loving our neighbors.

In CARAVANS, our aim is to see that Jesus is already in our everyday rhythms of work, school, relationships, parenting, and beyond – and God calls us to do this with “travel companions” through life’s ups and downs.

We believe abundant life in Jesus can permeate our existing life rhythms, which means there is great diversity and freedom in how we do community with one another. God’s Holy Spirit is already at work in believers’ lives to become a spiritual community with one another as well as a spiritual community that also meaningfully engages our neighborhoods, city, and world with mercy, compassion, and justice.

If you have any questions about CARAVANS, please reach out to HoJin (hojin@greatroadchurch.org).

FAQ:

• Why CARAVANS?
  • • Great Road Church is committed to being a church for people on a journey (a.k.a. sojourners). In this current season, we want to empower sojourners to practice their faith – loving like Jesus in their everyday lives – in the context of a small set of close and authentic relationships. Through CARAVANS, we are inviting everyone to find “travel companions” for their faith journey!
• CARAVANS sound like “small groups.” What is the difference?
  • • “Small groups” tend to be (but not always) a cookie-cutter programmatic approach to spiritual community and discipleship to Jesus, where the focus is on a midweek gathering to discuss God and/or the Bible. CARAVANS are more about journeying together with others to live out our faith in our everyday lives. CARAVANS might do some similar things as traditional small groups, but CARAVANS are more focused on how God might be moving where we already are. In CARAVANS, we are looking for the Holy Spirit wherever we go and whoever we are with – while walking alongside others at our church. CARAVANS also free the pastors from being managers of a small group program and instead be equippers and coaches for CARAVANS based on the unique needs of each one.
• What will CARAVANS do when they get together?
  • • CARAVANS will engage in activities and practices to help us grow in loving God, loving one another, and loving our neighbors. The specific activities and practices would be decided and crafted by each CARAVAN based on interest, bandwidth, etc. The pastors can provide guidance and recommendations for activities and practices if needed!
• My schedule is very busy/unpredictable. Does it make sense for me to join a CARAVAN?
  • • Because CARAVANS are journeying together in our existing everyday rhythms, we want them to be flexible and adaptable as possible, so that we have spiritual “travel companions” as we go through life’s ups and downs. We would do our best to connect you to others who might be in a similar situation and commit to gathering once a month while getting creative about staying connected in between those gatherings.
• How long would CARAVANS be together?
  • • Each CARAVAN will commit to journeying together for 3 or 6 months, depending on how frequently they gather. As the end of that commitment approaches, each CARAVAN will discuss and discern what would be best for each family/individual and the group (e.g. continue for another 3 or 6 months, start a new CARAVAN for inviting newcomers, multiply into two CARAVANS to invite others, etc.).