Community Groups are where people at Grace Downtown work out what the gospel message means to their lives. By engaging in sermon and Bible discussions, praying together, building deeper friendships, and intentionally serving their neighborhoods, Community Group participants come to better understand our relationship with God and develop a more compassionate love for our city and our neighbors. See our Community Group FAQ to learn more.

Jesus’ life and preaching affirmed the importance of community: He didn’t just challenge hearts and change lives—he also called people into new relationships with one another and with the city around them. By bringing together groups of ten to twenty people from different backgrounds and walks of life, Community Groups are Grace Downtown’s context for forging these renewed relationships.

Whether you want to get more involved in Grace Downtown or are just looking for a way to find out what Christianity is all about, a Community Group is a great place to start. Each group is dedicated to serving and building relationships in the neighborhood where it meets.

We encourage you to choose a community group that is either in or close to your home neighborhood, or for those of you in Virginia or Maryland, you can “adopt” a neighborhood in the District in which you would like to invest.

CG Summer Break
Community groups will take their annual summer break from mid-July through the beginning of September. The last week of CGs will be the week of July 7. And we’ll plan for CGs to resume September 1, right after Labor Day. Some CGs will get together for informal fun activities over the summer, so you’re still welcome to sign up for one during the break!

Community Group FAQ

What is a Community Group?

Our Community Groups are intentional gatherings of 8-15 people designed to foster authentic,
intimate community. Each group aims to nurture three sets of community relationships: our relationship
with God, our relationship with one another in the church, and our relationship with our city and those
who live in it.

• A Mini-Community: A Community Group is more than a “group” or “bible study.” It’s a
  mini-community of people who are learning to share “real life” together. Each of these
  mini-communities centers upon a weekly meeting held in homes throughout the District.

• A Community For Others: Community Groups serve as the basic units of the “inwardly growing
  and outwardly serving” church we long to be. Each mini-community gathers not only for spiritual
  nurture, accountability, and Christian discipleship (“inwardly growing”), but also for evangelism,
  outreach, and serving our local neighbors and neighborhoods (“outwardly serving”).

What group should I attend?

Individuals are urged to attend a group in their home neighborhood or near where they work.
Those who are not residents of DC may “adopt” a neighborhood —choosing a group that
meets in an area where they long to invest their time and energy.

What do we do in our groups?

• Study. Our groups seek to be transformed by the gospel of grace as it is revealed in scripture. Each week we discuss the passage for the upcoming Sunday’s sermon or a relevant topic.
• Prayer. Each group sets aside time to pray for our individual needs and circumstances as well as for the needs of its neighbors, our city and world.
• Relationships. Group members develop authentic relationships with one another, sharing their lives and engaging in mutual care, accountability, and leisure. Our groups also strive to build relationships with those outside the Christian community, by inviting friends, colleagues, and local neighbors to join in on meetings.
• Service. Group members serve the physical, material, and emotional needs of their “neighbors” both inside and outside the group. We extend deeds of compassion to our group members (e.g., babysitting, help with moving, etc.), and serve the city through monthly neighborhood service activities.

What kinds of community are we trying to foster?

Communities marked by:

• Radically changed lives:The grace of God frees us to admit who we really are: broken sinners who are desperately in need of grace yet deeply loved by God through Christ.
• Authenticity and intimacy in our relationships: The gospel frees us from hiding our faults and weakness; we are finally free to be weak, needy, mediocre, and dumb. We are slowly tearing down our professional masks and personal facades. We long to grow in our ability to repent (and free
  others to repent), forgive, and speak the truth to one another.
• Every member actively and joyfully engaged in community life: We desire to foster communities in which every member eagerly takes on the responsibility of caring for others. (Eph. 4:12; 1 Pet. 4:10). Our groups are member-driven, not leader-driven.
• Vibrant, dynamic relationships that “overflow” with witness in word and deed: We desire to foster communities that are attractive and accessible to new Christians and non-Christians alike (Col. 4:5-6).

We hope you are enriched, exhorted, and empowered by your community group experience!