People today are desperate for community and connection. Lyle Schaller says "The biggest challenge for the American church is to address the discontinuity of the American lifestyle." In past generations, you could plan on seeing the same people along your everyday path. Today, we find lives subdivided by activity and change. God's plan for wholeness (or shalom or "peace") includes relational stability and support. When God designed His Church, he never intended for you or I to do it alone. He created us with the need for relationship. At First Free, we help facilitate small groups because we believe that is where community happens best. We believe that small groups fit the model of the early church. "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…" (Acts 2:46) There were large group meetings and small group meetings. Large group meetings were for teaching and worship. Small home-based groups were for fellowship and the meeting of one another's needs. Just as you need two legs to walk somewhere, the body of Christ needs both large groups and small groups to walk with Christ. Our Groups We look for ways to help people obey the hospitality (1 Pet. 4:9, Romans 12:13) and one another (John 13:34, Romans 15:7) commands of scripture through regular meetings. Groups have the same overall vision as that of FEFC, which is a restatement of the Great Commission (Matthew 22:37-39) and the Great Commandment (Matthew 28:20) "First Evangelical Free Church exists to bring people to Christ, connect them to God's Family, mature them in their faith, equip them for ministry, so that God's name is exalted (Worship). Groups function as a connecting tool to be used for the other purposes. Joining a Group There are a few ways into groups;
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Why Small Groups? |