Why Community Groups?

 

Good question...here's the answer:

 

1. Because God has wired us for community

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We are created in the image of God, who says "Let us make man in our image" in Genesis 1:26. God himself exists in community with himself (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit); if we're created in His image then we are made to exist in community too. Also, in Genesis 2:18 God says that it's not good for man to be alone and this leads God to ultimately create a partner for him, a woman. ​

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​2. Because we all long to experience community with others

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No one likes to be alone. No one likes to feel disconnected. No one likes isolation. We long for deep relationships - to be truly known and loved by others. Because God has wired us for that.​

 

3. Because science points to the many benefits of community

 

Countless studies have been done that have made this conclusion. One study from Ohio State University Medical Center concluded that relational intimacy between a husband and wife leads to "better health, including stronger immune systems and physical wounds taking less time to heal." The same benefits come from any kind of community. Who wouldn't want that?

 

4. Because the early church lives in community with one another

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One of the first works of the Holy Spirit is to bring his people into the community that they're wired for. In Acts 2:42-47 the early disciples did not go to church one day a week and then go home until the next week. They lived life together - they studied Scripture together, they prayed together, they had fellowship together, and they ate together. They shared their possessions and praised God together. They laughed together and they cried together and they helped to bear one another's burdens. We look to the early church to see the richness of community we can experience within our church.