Group Ideas

Looking for some new materials or weekly questions for your group?  Looking for a change in your group's routine?  Or maybe you or members of your group are hungry for something deeper than what your current group can provide...I'd love to talk personally with you about any of this, but please peruse the below ideas for examples of what is being offered currently at Gateway or what other groups are involved in.


  • Questions for Group Discussion

    Check here weekly for questions based on the last Sunday sermon.



  • Study Materials


    Dedicated to the public reading of Scripture - 


    Group Reading Plans - There are so many great ways for us to read the Bible because of the latest technological advancements over the last couple of decades.  And there are great tools that are free for us to use so that we can read the Bible as a "virtual group".  There are websites and applications such as YouVersion that provides a way to login and invite friends to share in hundreds of different reading plans available.  The members of the group can see progress of others and messages can be sent to one another.  If you would like assistance with this, please email Pastor Gary at gary@gatewayweb.org or call/text to (503)407-1801.






  • Reading Partnerships


latest communication

Group Leader Letters:

  • October 2020 Letter - A challenge to seek God in the morning and to start each day with a mindset that God is the center of my life.  He is always present with us and is always actively working for our good - Seek God Letter
  • August 2020 Letter - Let us encourage one another!  Our God is not a God of discouragement...if we are feeling discouraged, that is coming from a different source.  Let us be encouraged and let us be an encouragement to others - Encouragement Letter
  • Find out more about something called "Build Sessions" and a very tentative schedule for Grow Group leaders to come together in 2020. Read about it in the latest letter here - Build Session Letter


COVID-19  Information:

  • Learn more about the re-opening of Grow Groups as Gateway and how we can prepare for this from an email sent on June 21, 2020 - Best Practice Small Groups


Group Talking Points

As a leader, you are always looking to point your group in the right direction - to stay on target. When you lead your group in spending time discussing and praying about these foundational subjects you can know you are on the right track. Returning every week to any of these themes will help your group build spiritual community.


1. BIBLE: What has God been teaching us lately? What scriptures have most captivated our attention this week?


2. FAITH: What challenges are we currently facing in life and how can we support one another in facing those situations with faith?


3. THANKFULNESS: What are we thanking God for today?


4. OIKOS: What opportunity is God currently giving you within your oikos relationships and how can we help you to invest, inform and invite?


5. SERMONS: How are we interacting with the content and applications from this week’s sermon at Gateway? (see the weekly Sermon Notes and the Spiritual Challenges listed below for additional primers)


You can also download the Foundational Discussion Guide here.

Or, the more detailed Weekly Meeting Planning Guide here.