You Need a Group
Our church’s mission is to connect people with God, connect people with people, and connect people with service. Of that triad, the second ties the first and last together. God did not just create us as individuals, he created us as relational beings to enjoy community. When Adam was made, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.”When it comes to our faith journey, involving other people is a big deal. It was for every Bible character and every strong Christian I’ve ever known. Our spiritual lives are inspired by, supported by, and strengthened by others. So we encourage everyone at The Bridge to join a group.Here’s why…• To learn better. I love to study alone. But even as an introvert, I learn better when I’m challenged by and interacting with others. We’re all like that. Even with the explosion of online classrooms in recent years, professors have seen the need for student interaction, so online students now participate in discussion boards.• To live better. It’s easy for me to read or study something and then walk away and forget about it. But with a group discussion on how it applies to “us”, and knowing that I have relationships with guys who won’t mind holding me accountable to living the things we just learned, it makes a difference. Including others in my growth helps me do the things I want to do anyway. A good group provides accountability and helps us to grow and practice the faith we profess.• To love and encourage others. God has called us to love and serve others. But those instructions can be pretty nebulous if we don’t have real people in our lives who are right there for us to connect with and care for. A group provides those people.• To be loved and encouraged. You may not want to admit it, but you crave love and encouragement from others. No matter how thick-skinned you are, God made you with a desire to be loved. When you have a group to love and encourage, you also have a group to love and encourage you.• To support your witness. You have coworkers, family, neighbors and friends that you’d love to see come to Christ. Being a witness is important, but involving others usually makes the difference. When you have others praying and encouraging you in your conversations with those you are reaching out to, and then you invite that person to gatherings where some in your group are also there to befriend and reinforce your witness, that is often what makes the difference. You can reach others best when you reach out as a group.So if you haven’t yet, join a group! We have three types here at The Bridge: Community Groups, Study Groups and Recovery Groups. Send us an email. We’d love to see you take advantage of what a group can do for your journey of faith.