LifeGroups are midsize communities who meet weekly on Sundays at 9am.
What’s the Purpose of LifeGroups?
LifeGroups provide a place to experience authentic community as you grow in your faith by studying God’s Word.
Who are LifeGroups for?
LifeGroups are a place where you can belong before you believe. LifeGroups reflect our entire church and are comprised of mature believers, new believers, and nonbelievers. Simply put, we want everyone to be in a LifeGroup because that is where true community and growth takes place.
What do LifeGroups do?
LifeGroups study the Word of God together, sharing insights, asking questions, and discussing how to apply what is learned to daily life. LifeGroups also meet regularly outside of Sunday mornings to fellowship, often in each other’s homes or “third places” to hang out and do life together.
The answer to this question is quite simple, because God’s Word says so.
While the word LifeGroup isn't found in the Bible, we believe LifeGroups live out another principle in scripture that God talks a lot about, Community. In fact, God, Himself, is a community. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit have existed as a community from eternity past and will continue to exist as community for all of eternity.
From the very beginning, God said it was not good for man to be alone so He created Eve so Adam would have his own community. (Gen 2:18) God has designed each person, and the community of persons in any setting to function together. One of our core values as a church is Relationships over Isolation because we know those who live in isolation are living contrary to God’s Word.
Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Translation: people will not grow unless they are interacting in a pretty intense manner with others. We often think a good book, sermon, or youtube video will help us grow. But God knows otherwise. He created us to change best, deepest, and most often when we confide in others about where God is at work and ask them for intercession, accountability, and forgiveness when we fail. This is our story.
We find between forty or fifty “one anothers” in scripture. Love one another, forgive one another, be devoted to one another and many more. Our stories come to life when we live in community with others. When someone walks into Petal First Baptist, their story becomes a part of Petal First Baptist’s story. Our stories collectively are wrapped up in the grand story which God began and will one day culminate with Him gathering His people to finally have perfect community with Him!
Community solves so many of our problems. The go-it-alone strategy most people use in life is dangerous for their decision making. The only way to survive life’s disasters is with authentic friendships formed ahead of time. We will never change what plagues us most with out sharing our secrets and inviting others to help. We can’t live out those "one anothers” we mentioned earlier without community. Jesus formed a community (12 disciples) when He came. Jesus told us, that it is our love for one another that shows the world we belong to Him. (John 13:34-35)
But more than anything living in community means we don’t have to be alone anymore. If you’ve ever felt alone, isolated, unloved you know the despair and depression that can come over you. Community is the answer. LifeGroups provide a place to belong and experience authentic community as we grow in our faith by studying God’s Word.
