A Gather Group is a local gathering, organized by an individual or ministry, aimed at inviting friends, family, and the community to experience Gather25 together in person. These groups may meet in church buildings, living rooms, dorm rooms, or other venues.

At its core, following and sharing Jesus has always been centered around experiencing faith within a community of Christians (Hebrews 10:25). Participating in a Gather Group allows you the chance to not just engage by yourself, but to worship, pray, and talk with people who can encourage your faith. Technology can help connect us with people all over the world, but there’s no replacement for personal relationships. If we’re going to reach the world with the hope of Jesus, we’re going to do it together!

You have a few options! Consider first where you think you’ll gather.

• Will you be in your local church? Or will you be partnering with other local churches?
• Will you be watching with a few friends in your own home?
• Will you be renting out a large event space or arena to bring together your city or community?

You can create a structure and schedule over the course of the 25 hours that works best for you.

To help you generate an idea for what your Gather Group will be, here are a few examples of what Gather Groups could look like on March 1, 2025:

COMMUNITY GATHERING

A group of four pastors in Columbia decided to host a Gather Group together in a local community center. Their four congregations will come together throughout the 25 hours to watch the Gather25 livestream, pray, and eat with one another. Following Gather25, the pastors have planned to co-lead a series of evangelism training workshops leading up to an outreach event in their city in the coming months.

CHURCH GATHERING

A church in Romania is participating in Gather25 by gathering in their building in the evening, where their own worship team will lead 30 minutes of live worship. The church will then join the Gather25 livestream for two hours. After this, the pastor of the church will lead the congregation in a time of prayer for the lost in their city. Church members are encouraged to watch more of the Gather25 livestream from their homes later that day. In the weeks following Gather25, the pastor has prepared to lead the congregation in an intentional season of prayer. A sermon series and prayer guide have been created and the church will open up their prayer room each weekday at 7a.m.

UNIVERSITY GATHERING

A group of three campus ministries in the U.S. decided to co-host a Gather Group at their university. They reserve a venue on campus and join the Global Church in gathering together on March 1, 2025. Each campus ministry builds out a separate plan on how to train and mobilize its students to participate in the Great Commission after Gather25.

HOME GATHERING

A small group of men and women are gathering in an apartment in Singapore for an early dinner. After dinner, they will watch the last hour of the Gather25 livestream from Australia, then watch two hours of content from their timezone in Asia. After dinner, they will talk about how they can invite their unbelieving friends to a Bible study starting the next month.

Once you decide what kind of Gather Group you’d like to host, every decision after that will be easy!

Why register as a Gather Group?

Do you know the best part of joining us for Gather25? You are not alone. We are in this movement of God together. By signing-up to host a Gather Group, you get to link arms with believers around the world and stand expectant for God to move in your local communities. The team at Gather25 is here to inform you, empower you, connect you, and provide you with resources. We are here to help you feel ready and prepared to Gather your own community on March 1, 2025.

Ready, set, register!

If you haven’t already signed-up to host, head to gather25.com/groups#join to register today!

When you register, you get:

Early and Often Access

When you register for a Gather Group, you will be invited to a few Zoom calls with the Gather25 Team. We'll pray together, hear behind the scenes stories, answer your questions, and share how other groups are planning to meet. As a Gather Group Host, you will be the first to know about speaker releases and schedule updates!

Connection + Community

One of the most frequent questions we receive is “Will I be able to connect with others who are gathering on March 1st?” The answer is a wholehearted YES. When you register to lead a Gather Group, you will have the opportunity to connect with other hosts who have chosen to lead a Gather Group.

Livestream Flexibility

Gather Group Hosts will be able to rewind, pause, or start the livestream from the beginning so that no matter what time zone you live in, you can start Gather25 when it works best for your Group!

Tools + Resources

We’ve made it easy to create custom assets and graphics to invite your place and people! We also have helpful tools (like this one!) designed to help you along the way.

How to Tune Into the Gather25 Broadcast

Schedule

Gather25 is going to tell the story of the global church by the global Church through 7 core sessions across continents. Our map and timeline will help you anticipate the 25-hour journey by showing what times each session will begin in the regional time, as well as in your local time zone. Check out the schedule at gather25.com/#schedule.

After you see when each session begins and ends for you, you can plan your Gather Group! These hours are going to be like no other and we encourage you to tune in for as much of the broadcast as possible!

Livestream Access

You can access the Gather25 livestream on March 1, 2025 at Gather25.com.

More information on viewing the livestream will be available in a separate resource.

Hosting Experience

On the day that we all tune into Gather25, we will be joining a historic moment of the Global Church like no other. Over the 25 hours, there will be 7 core sessions across continents. Each session will be hosted by a specific country, but no session will begin and end in the same place. During each session you will be transported to churches around the globe to hear stories and teaching, and to worship and pray with Jesus followers everywhere. Once the livestream begins, we will travel around the world’s time zones, and viewers will be hosted by the Church in that region

Since the foundation of the Church, God has been working in and through gatherings of people across the world. He is writing a long arc story through ordinary life and extraordinary miracles where every regional story of a local church is coming together to write the story of the Global Church. We are standing in the reality of this and have an opportunity to see it on display as we all join together!

Here is an example of what you might see during 1 hour of the broadcast:

Localized Programming

While this sample schedule can help you formulate ideas on how you would best like to gather, as a Gather Group Host, you will have the opportunity to tailor the Gather25 experience to best fit your local gathering. Maybe you would like to pause the program and take time to sing live worship music in your space, with your family, friends, or church? You could plan to end a portion of the program early and instead insert a time of worship, prayer and confession among your people if you feel like that is what the Holy Spirit would have you do. We want to create compelling content, but you know your people best, and what will serve them!

Internet & Devices

As long as you have access to a computer or mobile phone and a good internet connection, you’ll be able to view the livestream. We suggest connecting your computer to a TV or larger screen (using an HDMI cable or screen mirroring) for your team to comfortably view the sessions.

We will have more details about technology for Gather25 coming in a separate resource.

Reserve Your Gathering Space

Once you know what your gathering will look like, you can reserve a space to host your Gather Group!

You can meet anywhere that works best for your group, but here are a few things to consider:

Consider the Environment:

• Connection and Communion: Choose an environment that fosters both connection and communion with God and one another. This could be a church, a community center, a living room, or a larger venue.
• Meal Planning: What would providing a meal for your Gather Group look like? How can you incorporate meal times within your gathering? Sitting around a table enjoying food and conversation can be a moment to get to know one another's stories. Remember that keeping it simple is always best, and having everyone bring a dish to share is a great option for smaller gatherings.

Consider Technology:

• Internet Connection: For watching Gather25, you need a stable and strong internet connection. Make sure your chosen venue can support high-speed internet to avoid disruptions during the livestream.
• Streaming Setup: Ensure the space has the necessary equipment for streaming, such as a projector or large screen, speakers, and possibly microphones if you have a larger venue.
• Backup Plans: Consider having a backup plan with an alternative viewing method in case of a technology emergency.

Consider Timing:

• Time Zone Considerations: If you are in a different time zone from the event's main broadcast at a certain time, plan your schedule accordingly to sync your viewing with the live sessions. See the full schedule at gather25.com/#schedule.

Expectations of a Gather Group Host

Keep Jesus and the Gospel at the center. Don’t get distracted by unnecessary elements of your gathering, but keep the focus on the global Church, seeking Jesus and encouraging believers to live out the Great Commission.

Set the tone. You know your culture and your people best. What needs to be present at your Gather Group in order to see God move powerfully in the hearts, minds, and lives of the people who attend? How can you help stir in them a desire to go and make disciples after Gather25? How can you help people feel seen and cared for when you welcome them to your Gather Group?

Engage with your group. People will experience transformation best if they’re invited to engage in conversation and dialogue with others in the room. As a leader, help create moments where people can share about what God is doing in their hearts and how He is leading them to participate in the Great Commission.

Understand the end goal of Gather25. Our hope is to mobilize the 2.5 billion Christians to reach the 5.5 billion people on the planet who don’t know Jesus. We want every person to walk away with the clear understanding that Jesus has called and equipped them to reach their friends, classmates, coworkers, and neighbors right where they are.

Lead with grace and humility. The main point of Gather25 is not to produce a perfect event but to gather the Global Church. As a Gather Group Host, have grace when things don’t go perfectly. Technology sometimes fails. Schedules sometimes get adjusted. If you’re feeling anxious about these things, your group will sense it. Have grace. Be flexible. Focus on Jesus.

Pray. In preparation for your gathering, we invite you to pray for your Gather Group. The most important thing we can do before we welcome people to Gather25 is to seek Jesus and ask Him to have His way as we gather. We also ask that you plan to lead a few moments of prayer during your Gather Group.

It’s time to spread the word about your Gather Group! This truly won’t be a global gathering of the Church without you and your Group! Who needs to know about Gather25? Depending on the type of group you decided to host, you can start inviting the people who you want to gather with you.

We’ve created a Gather25 brand kit for you so you can make your own graphics and promotional materials to share about your Gather Group. Find everything you need at gather25.com/brand.

Need help getting started? Here are a few tips when it comes to sharing more about your Gather Group:

Utilize Facebook Events or Groups

Instead of creating a Facebook Page, set up a Facebook Event or Group to invite friends, make announcements, and build a community around your Gather Group. This will keep your efforts focused and interactive.

Leverage Email for Communication

With the abundance of social media noise, email remains a powerful tool to connect with attendees. We also encourage you to ask attendees for their preferred communication channels and use those methods for event updates.

Include a Personal Touch with Small Groups

If you're hosting a smaller group, personal texts can make a significant impact. They add a touch of intimacy and direct engagement, making your attendees feel valued and personally invited.

Engage with Local Communities

Reach out to local churches in your village, town or city. Talk to Bible study leaders and other groups in your community. Invite as many people as you feel comfortable gathering. Once your space is full, encourage friends to host their own Gather Group, expanding the reach and impact.

Share Your Journey

If available, use social media to share photos and stories from your Gather Group using #Gather25. This not only builds excitement, but also connects you with the Global Church.

Involve Your Attendees

Encourage your attendees to share their stories and experiences. This can be through social media posts, group discussions, or even brief testimonials during your Gather Group.

Before leading or participating in Gather25, dedicate time to prepare your heart through prayer, reflection, and worship. Seek God's guidance, praying for wisdom and for each participant's openness to His presence. Build relationships with your team, foster community, and find moments of quiet to rest in God's presence.

We will be releasing more prayer resources in early 2025 to help you prepare your heart for Gather25.