Community Groups
What?
Community groups are meeting on Sundays. If you would like to participate in a community group, please fill out the form below.
Each community group will be limited in size to twelve participants. The community group leaders will carry the responsibility of serving the groups by guiding the groups' interaction and discussion and by helping foster Christian community. Each meeting will seek to provide time for visiting, sharing, discussion and application of a passage of the Bible, and prayer in hopes to strengthen the community life of St. Andrews.
The formation of these groups may present some challenges in the form of deciding upon a regular meeting time and place, deciding how to accommodate parents needing child care, and helping those who have trouble driving at night. These challenges are an opportunity for community life to be practiced in each group as the group seeks to serve one another in the pursuit of addressing these challenges.
Why?
God created men and women to exist in community with Himself and with one another. The fall into sin brought alienation, and this alienation was both vertical (our relationship with God) and horizontal (our relationship with one another). God sent His only Son to redeem mankind from the fall, and this redemption restores the alienation between man and God and one another. The Church, then, is not simply an institution but a unique community of those who have had their relationships with God and one another restored. Through this community God continues to His work to reach those alienated from God and their fellow man and to equip God's people so that the body of Christ may be built up.
Following Peter's sermon at Pentecost, Acts 2:42-47 gives to us a summary picture of what the early church looked like in its practice. And in that passage, we see that the believers were together regularly and continued to meet with one another to worship, study the Bible, serve, and fellowship with one another. But more than that, we are told that they "devoted" themselves to this practice. That is, they intentionally sought to practice community. Participation in these community groups at St. Andrews is an opportunity to regularly and intentionally practice community life with one another.
It is obvious that our sinfulness creates barriers to the community God desires. In addition to our sinfulness, our individualistic culture and our specific demographic, in the suburbs east of Memphis, make the practice of community a challenge. However, there can be no escaping the clear call of Scripture to be devoted to the strengthening of community among the body of Christ. The following are a brief sampling of verses in Scripture encouraging and commanding community among God's people in practical ways: John 3:34-35, Romans 15:7, Galatians 5:13, Colossians 3:13, Romans 12:10, 1 Corinthians 1:10, Ephesians 4:25, Hebrews 10:24-25.
We hope that everyone will sign-up and participate in a community group at St. Andrews for the glory of Christ.
Craig Childs will be serving as the director of these community groups. Craig will offer support to groups, their leaders, and those desiring to participate in a group. If you have any questions, please email Craig Childs.
If you would like to see the full-length guide to community groups at St. Andrews, click here.
You can also listen to a series of sermons preached by our pastor on the subject of community by clicking here.