Vision:
- Grow together in the love of Christ, as the community of Christ, while making room for others.
- The goal is to become more deeply formed by the love of Christ together.
- Our groups should increasingly Christ's love: expansive, steadfast, self-giving, sacrificial.
- And because Christ’s love moves outward, every group should make room for people who are not yet connected.
Rhythm
- Groups meet weekly or bi-weekly.
- Regular enough for real relationships to develop.
- Sustainable enough that people can continue for the long term.
- Mid-week community becomes part of the ordinary rhythm of discipleship.
Practice
- Further deepening of the truth from Sunday so that we can live it in real life.
- We will provide a simple Cornerstone application connected to the Sunday sermon.
- Groups will:
- share life together
- return to Scripture
- discuss and ask questions
- identify concrete applications
- pray for one another
- Important principle: the guide serves the community; the community does not exist to finish the guide.
Relational expectations
- Everyone should be welcomed immediately and given Christlike Love
- But we are not manufacturing instant intimacy.
- Friendship, trust, vulnerability, and accountability should deepen naturally over time.
- Love is freely given. Trust is built. Intimacy grows.
Growth
- Every group should have an open-door posture.
- Every 4th week, after our testimonial Sunday, is a Missional Week (community meal to invite others to join)
- Established friendships should never turn the group into a closed circle.
- We expect new people to come.
- As groups grow, we identify and develop new facilitators.
- Eventually, healthy groups multiply.
- The goal is not one group becoming endlessly larger. Or finding a small amount of people you like and closing the door.
The goal is: welcome → grow → form leaders → multiply → welcome again.
Next Steps
E-mail office@christschurchoceanside.ca for location details. We are currently offering 2 groups, but would love to add more, so let us know if you're interested in hosting/facilitating or if you want to participate, but the current times/locations don't work for you.
