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Rationale |
Rationale (Why We Have Community Groups)
A CHURCH OF “CONNECTIONS”
That's what Ankeny Free Church wants to become - a church of connections. We want to help people get connected--with Jesus Christ, with other believers at Ankeny Free Church, and with the community in which they live. One of our primary "connection" venues is our community group ministry. Community Groups are part of the fabric of Ankeny Free Church -- part of its DNA -- rather than simply one of the church's ministries or programs.
Our motto for community groups at AFC is “...doing LIFE together…” That’s what the budding New Testament church did at its inception - they “did life together.” We read a description of what that looked like in Acts 2:42-47. “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
That fledgling church increased in size like wildfire. We don’t know exactly how many were part of that “first church,” but we know that on one day more than 3,000 people were added (Acts 2:41). And they met together in large gatherings in the temple courts. But the LIFE and activity of the church took place in homes. Those "community" groups were part of the fabric of that first New Testament church in Jerusalem.
MISSION STATEMENT AND CORE VALUES
Ankeny Free Church's mission statement says that
“Ankeny Free Church exists to exalt Christ and lead people to Him, equipping them to impact the world through irresistible lifestyles and influential works of service.”
That mission statement is fleshed out in the life of the church through our core values.
We believe that those core values are best lived out in the context of small groups. Although these core values are taught from the pulpit, they cannot be effectively lived out during a Sunday morning service. So, in a Community Group, where there is support and accountability, these core values can become part of our daily lives. Although various ministries of the church are designed to address one or a few of these core values, it is really only in Community Groups where all are addressed and encouraged.
So, Ankeny Free Church is committed to making our Community Groups a primary method of helping people get connected.