Life as you know it may never be the same as the person next to you. No matter what stage of life you are in or where you are in your faith journey, C3 Small Groups will challenge you to take a step toward truth—about God, about faith, and about yourself. It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Just imagine that: Life abundant. Not barely surviving, but truly living. It means days filled with hope, joy, and purpose. This is the kind of life God always intended for you to have.
     Our personal and relational growth is necessary in order to fulfill Jesus' final command: The Great Commission - to go to all the inhabited Earth and make more disciples. Small groups are the vehicle through which discipleship takes place and is the most proven model to build God's Church, as the framework was laid out by the first churches in the books of Acts.

     Small Groups have one, simple purpose - to bring people together! God created us for relationships; he knows it is not good for us to be alone (Genesis 2:18 & Ecclesiastes 4:12). Relationships with fellow Christians strengthen us, bless us, challenge us, and help grow us. We experience growth in a small group by having focused discussions and hearing different perspectives or stories from others. Our personal growth occurs within the intimacy of a small group; this growth dynamic is unique to a small group setting.

     As members of a small group, everyone has a mutual desire to grow personally, relationally, and spiritually. In order to grow in each of these areas, we need to be challenged and encouraged. Group members have permission to speak into one another's lives and help each other live healthy, balanced, spirit-filled lives that are pleasing to God.

     Members of a small group should be heard, feel loved, and trust one another. Anything that is shared is strictly confidential and stays within the group. Discussions should be open and lively but always centered on the fruits of the Spirit: in love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.

     Relationships with one another require time, effort, and trust. Small groups exist to cultivate relationships born out of corporate worship gatherings; small groups are not a substitute for corporate worship. Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17) when embracing a deeper level of relationships is practiced on a consistent basis. This is why faithful and steady participation in small groups is so important.

     We cannot please God nor experience the full power of the Holy Spirit in our sinful state, so we all must have repentant hearts and call out the sin in our lives when sin occurs. In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus instructed his disciples how to deal with sin in order to restore our brothers and sisters to right living in Christ. Small group is a place where guidance in truth and love is accepted so that edification and sanctification can take place.

     Prayer is an essential part of our Christian lives and an important emphasis of C3’s Small Group Ministry. Every small group meeting will have time allotted to pray for one another. “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” (James 5:16 - The Message)

     Not serving or consuming alcohol/drugs during small group meetings serves two purposes: to avoid causing a weaker brother or sister to stumble (1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Romans 14:19-21), and to listen to the New Testament teachings about being “sober-minded” (1 Peter 4:7 & 5:8; Titus 2:2-6; 1 Corinthians 15:34; 2 Timothy 4:5).