Life Groups Update 

Romans 15:7 says, “welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.”

All throughout the New Testament, you read about the “one anothers.” “Submit to one another…love one another…build one another up.” Over fifty times this concept is mentioned from the New Testament writers which seems to indicate that it is important.

I’m grateful for our life groups that provide a space for gospel community within our church. I’m praying for even more authentic gospel community forming within all our life groups. I don’t mean for that phrase “authentic gospel community” to be cliché. I deeply desire that our groups go beyond surface level conversation and cultivate honest, biblical friendships. This is what the Lord has called us to.

This has been a special year in our life groups. We’ve stretched the bounds of what life groups look like around here. In addition to our typical Sunday morning groups, we’ve created other options such as home groups and midweek groups. In August 2023, we launched 4 new groups in homes and on Wednesday evenings. I am thrilled that all 4 of these life groups are growing in gospel community. Some who have never been able to get plugged in to a Sunday morning group are now plugged in to one of these additional groups. This is a huge church win! More people in gospel community is always a massive win! So far in 2024, we average around 200 in adult life groups overall. That number is up from 2023.

I’ve heard from several home group members about the significant impact it has made on their walk with Jesus and how deep friendships have been formed as a result. I know firsthand the significant impact our midweek groups have made on my family personally. We love seeing the community formed within our life group on Wednesday nights. Chris Ward also leads a great group on Wednesday nights that has provided an awesome opportunity for many of our NextGen serve team members.

My prayer is and will continue to be that we see genuine gospel community to be formed within these groups. Not just a surface level “hello,” but deep-rooted friendships based in the gospel.

So, what’s next? The answer for me will always be – more groups! We desire more groups to be started in the next year. We desire to see more disciples of Jesus in groups. We desire to see biblical friendships. We desire to see the discipleship of Parkview continue to thrive.

We are planning to launch a new college group led by Jonathan and Ashley Meek in August. I’m praying for this group to be a landing place for many college-aged men and women seeking to use their lives to honor Jesus. Martha Jo Khachigan led this group for many years, and I am so grateful for her many years of investment in this age group.

Maybe you aren’t involved in a life group, join one. Challenge yourself to be invested in relationships within this body of believers. Maybe you’re in a group but haven’t really given yourself fully to it, jump in. It’s worth it. Authentic gospel community is actively pursued and it’s something I’m actively praying for at Parkview.

Let’s actively pursue the “one anothers” of the New Testament together as a church family!

Pastor Skylar