Community Group Practices

Practices develop rhythms of life. Members of a community group agree with each other to live out these shared practices individually and as a group. In time this yields a rhythm to life that is generated through faith and directed toward God. The outcome of these practices should be a more effective gospel witness. Luke’s summary of the early Jerusalem church mirrors this phenomenon (Acts 2:42-47).

There are five general practices which each group enacts in way specific to their own community’s needs. Therefore, all CG’s have the same practices, but they might look different in action depending on the group’s context. The general practices are:

  • Shared Table – Sharing a meal with someone is a powerful demonstration of mutual respect, trust, and fellowship. This practice includes regular meals with people in the CG or community, as well as a special meal—the Lord’s Supper. (Acts 2:42, 46; 1 Cor 11:23-26).
  • Prayer  – Prayer is communicating with God by listening and pouring out your heart to him. Various aspects of prayer include thanksgiving and praise, confession and repentance of sin, intercession on behalf of others, and petition (presenting your own needs). (Matt 6:5-14; 1 Thess 5:17, Acts 2:42).
  • Care – Every Christian is a member of the body of Christ and thus of one another. God gifts each person uniquely to serve and edify each other. This care also extends to those outside the church through loving service and mercy. (John 13:34-35; Acts 2:44-45; 1 Cor 12:4-13:13; James 2:14-17).
  • Proclamation – God calls us to proclaim the good news of Jesus non-verbally (being a witness through gospel-informed actions, values, & decisions) and verbally (sharing the content of the gospel and issuing the call for repentance and belief). (Acts 2:47, 5:42; 8:4; Rom 10:14-15 / Acts 1:8; Matt 10:16-20).
  • Biblical Devotion – The Christian life begins with God’s initiative in revealing himself to us. He has revealed himself uniquely to humanity through the truth of scripture—the Bible. We are a people of the book who love, learn, and follow God’s Word because it reveals God’s character and heart. (Josh 1:8; Ps 19:7-14; Acts 2:42; Col 3:16; James 1:21-22).