Gospel Communities Reset

We are currently in a “Season of Listening” for our Gospel Communities at Plentylife. You can find out more about what a Gospel Community is here.

After a recent review, we’ve closed our morning GCs to make space for a reset — a time to listen, pray, and discern what healthy, sustainable Gospel Communities could look like moving forward.

Throughout August, small groups have gathered in homes and community spaces to pray, reflect on Scripture, and name hopes for the future of our GCs as we ask the Holy Spirit for clarity, unity, and fresh energy.

If you’ve been sensing anything — whether through our gatherings or in your own prayer and reflection — that might help shape Gospel Communities into the next season, we’d love to hear it. Whether it’s a seed of an idea, a group of people you feel drawn to, a natural rhythm, or a missional space on your heart, please share it using the form below.

Your reflections help us notice together what God may be growing among us.

August Prayer Gatherings - What we heard

Thank you to everyone who took part in our August prayer and fasting gatherings.

Across the different groups, several themes emerged, including:

Sharing life together matters — relational connection, honesty and vulnerability, loving one another as Jesus loves us. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” John 13:35

Renewed joy and excitement — longing for fresh joy in following Jesus and pointing others to Him

Welcoming spaces are essential — gentle, low‑pressure environments help newcomers and those on the fringes to connect

Desire for going deeper together — strong desire to read and engage with God’s word and grow as disciples together. Smaller gatherings are valuable for this.

Respecting choice — sense of the need to allow individuals and households to engage gently or deeply depending on their season

Simplicity rather than ease — GCs should be simple, sustainable, and shared, but not at the expense of those who are harder to include.

Clarity about Gospel Communities — there are still some questions about what Gospel Communities are, their purpose and what the invitation is.

Different ways of following Jesus — people connect with God differently, so varied expressions of community are helpful

These reflections, and others from our season of listening, will shape the formation of Gospel Communities in the next season.

What’s next?

In the coming weeks we will begin to share more about the Gospel Community ideas that are ready to launch. This will be a gradual process as ideas gain clarity and core teams form. More Gospel Community ideas are definitely welcome. You can speak to Kylie or use the form below to share your idea.

Gospel Community Ideas

Of the seeds of ideas that have already been shared, there are two ideas that feel less like seeds and more like “saplings”. These ideas have developed enough to hopefully get started in Term 3 and continue to grow and evolve as Gospel Communities that embody our seven GC aims. These ideas are:

Whole of Household Gospel Community

A space where whole households — of any shape or size — can gather to follow Jesus together in everyday life.

This GC has grown out of the earlier idea for a men’s‑focused group, recognising that households flourish when they are encouraged together, and when there are also dedicated spaces for adults to be discipled.

Meets: Monthly as whole community, in homes or at a local park, with a short, all‑ages Bible moment and time to pray for one another. This gathering is aimed at being an easy space to invite friends into.

Includes identifying opportunites to show God’s love to those in our communtiy through practical service

Emerging rhythm: Exploring ways to also create spaces for intentional discipleship at other points through the month.

If you’re drawn to either of these ideas and would like to be involved, please indicate your interest on the form below and we will be in touch.

If neither of these ideas fit you — that’s okay. These are not the only GCs we will have. There will be others that develop that may suit you better.

These ideas, or some of the GC example ideas below, might spark an idea for you. If that’s the case, Kylie would love to hear from you and discuss it further.

What might a new Gospel Community look like?

In this new season, we could see each Gospel Community take on quite a different shape.

We recently shared a few GC example ideas which you can find below — these are not not fixed formats, but starting points to spark imagination, conversation, prayer, and discernment.

Our hope is that every GC becomes a simple, life‑giving space where we follow Jesus together, share life together, and join God in loving the people around us.

Flexible Rhythms

Simple, spacious rhythms that fit real life.

A Flexible Rhythms GC gathers around one main anchor point each month — a shared meal with a short, all‑ages Bible moment and time to pray for one another. This meal is open for invitation, making it an easy space to bring friends, neighbours, or school families.

Across the rest of the month, the group offers optional connection points that people can join as they’re able, for example a fortnightly daytime Bible study, or a weekly early morning prayer call - no one is expected to be at everything.

The group stays connected through a WhatsApp chat, sharing prayer needs, encouragement, and small stories of everyday mission.

Neighbourhood-Centred

Sharing life and faith where you live.

A Neighbourhood‑Centred GC gathers with a focus on a neighbourhood, or other local spaces such as parks, schools, clubs, and community spaces. Once a month, the group meets in a local park for a relaxed hangout where kids can play, adults can chat, and neighbours can join in naturally.

Twice a month, the group meets in homes for simple Bible and prayer moments, perhaps one of these gatherings often includes a shared meal. Along the way, the group pays attention to what’s happening locally — supporting a school community, encouraging a local club, or blessing neighbours in small, practical ways. A built‑in rest week gives space for families to breathe or connect informally.

Slow-Paced

Gentle, spacious rhythms for people who prefer morning and/or weekend gatherings

A Slow‑Paced GC meets on Saturday mornings, offering a relaxed alternative for people who find evenings tricky. Once a month, the group shares brunch or morning tea, followed by a short, accessible Bible reflection that kids and adults can engage with together.

On the alternate fortnight, the group gathers for a simple “walk and pray” — a gentle stroll through a local park or neighbourhood, noticing what God might be doing and praying quietly for the people and places they pass.

There’s also room for small acts of care: helping someone with a task, writing encouragement notes, or checking in on someone doing it tough.

Share your reflections and ideas or express interest in a new GC idea

At a recent GC Sunday we gathered as a whole community to spend some time identifying and naming some simple UP / IN / OUT practices that help Gospel Communities to:

Stay connected to Jesus

Build real, authentic relationships

Create welcoming spaces for those who don’t yet know Jesus

The word clouds depicted here capture the main themes of what came out of this activity (the bigger the word the more times it was mentioned). These practices and ideas can help to shape our Gospel Communities in the season ahead.

Where Plentylife Meets

Our Sunday church gatherings are in a multipurpose building at the rear end of Mernda Central College (do not go to the front entrance of the school), accessed from Trevi Drive, Mernda. You can enter via the Trevi Drive car park or pedestrian gate.

The building that we meet in is not easily visible from the street. We setup a trail of Plentylife banners between the carpark and the entrance to help you find your way.

There are bus stops about a 4 minute walk away, serviced by routes 387, 388, 389, and 390.