A Winnipeg church is hoping their congregants will start going in circles. 

Riverwood Church Community has recently rolled out a challenge they're calling "19 in19."

Their goal is to have 19 new small groups in 2019, specifically with leaders that have never lead a group before.

Riverwood says on their website “church happens better in circles, not rows." They say these 19 new small groups will be run short term with the goal of providing accountability and community to Riverwooders as they strive to live bold, passionate and faithful lives.

Michelle Plett, the Small Groups Coordinator at Riverwood, says that new small group leaders will be provided with a “Small Group in a Box” to help them be bold and effective in the four weeks their groups will be meeting.

These leaders will also be provided with a support coach and training on how to connect with and support people in such a short amount of time.

Riverwood currently has thousands of members and seven services in three locations.

This can often make it hard to connect with people and create a close community. This is an issue Riverwood acknowledges and is working to change through small groups.

Plett says that Riverwood already has 70 home-based small groups, 14-15 network small groups and have been continuing to promote starting new ones for years.

19 in 19 is simply the latest push forgetting more people connected in the coming year.

These groups begin in January of 2019 and will last about a month. There are already 16 out of the 19 small groups signed up.

However, Plett says, Riverwood would always be happy to see more than nineteen.

The church is continuing the challenge into early January.