Rooted is our primary on-ramp to getting involved in a group at White Stone, and it is the first step in our discipleship pathway.

Rooted is a 10-week, high-commitment group experience designed for launching new, vibrant, meaningful groups. Now before you freak out, note that we didn't say that it's hard; we said that it's high-commitment. We've found that when it comes to groups, the only real requirement is consistency. It's much easier in the long run to start with the bar a little bit higher, than it is to start with the bar low and try to raise it gradually over time.

Rooted is based on the 7 Rhythms of discipleship that should be present in every follower of Jesus, and it's all about instilling those rhythms in our daily lives. You can read more about those rhythms below:

We love Bible Studies, and gaining a deep knowledge of the scriptures is necessary for every follower of Jesus.

But Rooted is not a Bible Study, and it's not Christian education; it's spiritual formation.

Rooted is experiential. It's a catalyst for creating rhythms that will set you up to thrive in your faith, and it's designed to create deep community among group members quickly. There are several components and experiences built into the 10 weeks of Rooted that encourage growth and transformation, and it goes beyond just learning more facts about the Bible.  It's designed to get groups to go out and experience the faith that they are learning about.

In addition to that, Rooted isn't "just another 10 week study." It's actually meant to set the stage so that your experience in groups after Rooted is successful. Because of that, Rooted is the main on-ramp to getting connected in our small groups. After experiencing Rooted, your group may decide to continue as an ongoing group, or your next step would be to join another existing small group.

Although it may vary from group to group, the basic framework for what you can expect from a Rooted group in regards to the time you will be expected to put in is as follows:

• 10 weeks of in-person group meetings with your Rooted group. These meetings are similar to what you would expect from a traditional small group meeting. They typically last 1.5-2 hours.
  • Of those 10 meetings, 2 of them will be large group gatherings, where all the groups currently going through Rooted will gather together as one. This occurs at week 1 and week 8.
• 2 outside of group experiences. In addition to your group meetings, there will be 2 times during Rooted where your group will meet outside of your regular group meeting time. Once will be for the Prayer Experience, and the other will be for the Serve Experience. Both of these experiences will last around 2 hours. The Prayer Experience typically occurs between weeks 3 and 4, and the Serve Experience occurs between weeks 6 and 7. 
• 1 Celebration at the end of Rooted. After the 10th week, all of the Rooted groups will gather together to celebrate all that we have seen God do over the last 10 weeks. It will be a great time and you won't want to miss it.

The cost for Rooted is $30 per individual, or $50 per couple— which includes all materials and the course workbook. We believe that Rooted is a life-changing experience and we want everyone to participate! We understand that the Rooted registration fee may be a burden for some right now and we are happy to provide scholarships. If you are interested in a scholarship, please contact Cody using the button at the bottom of the page.

We provide shared childcare for all of our Rooted groups at no additional cost.