6PM Community Groups: The BIG Picture

What is a Community Group?

Gathering weekly for fellowship and accountability, study and prayer, good times and tears – Community Groups are a great way to connect with people from the 6pm service. Each week we study the passage that was preached on the Sunday night before; discussing the issues and hopefully gaining greater understanding.

A Community Group is a group of disciples who meet together at least once per week for the purpose of sanctifying one another and giving glory to God.

It is a group of disciples who find their identity in Christ, who worship Jesus together, who care for one another and spur each other toward godliness.

What that looks like in practice will vary slightly from group to group. However, the basic requirements for each group are that they meet once per week in order to eat together, study God’s word, pray, discuss, ask questions and encourage one another on to love and good works.

Community is Key

It is telling that we have branded the young adults ministry at Holy Trinity the “Crave Community”.

According to the Bible:

• We are the body of Christ created in the image of God who exists in community (Gen. 1:26,27). The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have eternally existed in relationship with one another as one God in three persons (John 1).
• God is a relational being who created us as relational beings so that we could image Him (Gen. 1:26).
• As a community this means that we are to reflect the glory of God and preach the gospel through our lives together. (Acts 2:42, Col 3:16)
• This means: loving one another, forgiving one another as Christ forgave us, calling one another to confession and repentance for the purpose of reconciliation and calling one another to lives that glorify God (Heb 10:24-26, 2 Cor. 5:18).

At 6pm, Community Groups are our primary vehicle for discipleship and an important strategy for the mission of the church.

Our Teaching Model

We use a sermon-based teaching model. This model links our church’s Community Groups ministry with the weekly 6pm sermon and worship service. Group members study the same topic or passage of Scripture that was covered in the sermon, hopefully delving deeper into areas not covered in detail by the preacher, and aiding each other in applying the text to our daily lives.

The sermon-based curriculum will be created by a church staff-member, but group leaders will be given authority to adapt the material to the needs of their group.

To sign-up for a Group, or to organize a visit, please contact Community Groups Director, Jono Smith: jono@jonosmith.com.