At River City Church, we gather in our sanctuary every Sunday “in the round.” Some have likened it to a giant living room. We believe “the round” should extend beyond Sundays as a model for how we flourish as Christians. In short, RCC is about Life in the Round. City Groups are a way to experience life in the round throughout the week. And our desire is for everyone who attends RCC to be a part of one. They are small groups of ten to eighteen people who regularly gather in homes throughout Jacksonville. These groups are based on three distinctives: Purpose, Presence, and Prayer.

●  Purpose: The purpose of a City Group is to provide a small group environment where we grow deeper in the practice of authentic community and commit to spiritual formation, together.

●  Presence: City Group members are devoted to being present in each other’s lives and present together in their community. The church is meant to live as “called” and “sent.” We gather, and we go. A City Group is for us and for the city as a small and local expression of RCC in a part of Jacksonville. When we are present in each other’s lives, eating together, sharing Scripture, offering encouragement, going on mission, praying for each other, and bearing one another’s burdens, we believe that Christ-centered relationships will flourish.

●  Prayer: The early church flourished because it was devoted to prayer. We can devote ourselves to personal prayer, and we should, but we also have a beautiful opportunity to pray together, believe together, and celebrate answered prayer together!

Here are some helpful teachings and encouraging testimonies about why and how we do City Groups at RCC:

CITY GROUP TESTIMONY - Elizabeth Gould - August 4th, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/live/vfarMI-cwzk?si=T5B5TESTsS4nJicg&t=2415

CITY GROUP TESTIMONY - Don Packard - August 27th, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/live/i2SZjFyUEjY?si=CKIKiAX5tiytD60n&t=5176

SAY YES SUNDAY 2023 - Tim Downey - (September 11, 2023)
https://youtu.be/1YVdFi0vqrM?si=04rkW8e_urpzvkmo&t=834

A few important things to know as you prepare to join a City Group ::

City Groups aim to be diverse with men, women, young, old, married, unmarried, people with or without children, etc., coming together to share in community and grow spiritually. City Groups meet for two years together as they journey down the path of spiritual formation. Groups start out with a 2-3 month connection phase when people are added to the group and group members get to know each other by sharing and hearing each person’s individual life story. Each person will have 15-25 minutes to share their life story with the group. After a few months, when everyone is done sharing their personal stories with each other, groups will be given the opportunity to formally commit to the group for a full two-year journey together. We call that the commitment phase. If it doesn’t work out for someone to commit to their group, they can always try again at a later date (new groups are usually formed in the spring and fall). After a group’s two year commitment, the hope is that two new groups will form as more people get involved with the church and seek to grow deeper in the practice of community.

Meeting Rhythm ::
City Groups work best if everyone in the group is willing to prioritize regularly meeting throughout the life of the group. RCC encourages City Groups to meet weekly and create a meeting rhythm focused on Discipleship, Family, and Mission each month. Discipleship meetings use discussion guides created by RCC (found on Church Center) to facilitate spiritual formation conversation within the group. Family nights are simple community gatherings with food and an element of fun. Mission outings are when the group comes together to meet a need in the community. Some groups may choose to meet three times a month or every other week at a minimum. Ideally, City Groups will meet for 2 hours in the evening on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays. (Note: Wednesdays are reserved for Alpha, Youth, and other church events, and we find that weekends present consistent scheduling conflicts for people.)

City Group Leaders ::
City Group leaders are the people who shape our City Groups by facilitating the spiritual formation within the group. Each City Group leader is required to meet with the leadership of RCC for assessment before accepting the role. The church’s preference is for a woman and a man to co-lead a City Group together. They don’t have to be married, nor do they have to even have known each other before joining this City Group. The value is simply that each City Group would have a male and female presence shepherding every group. If anyone is interested in learning more about co-leading, please email tim@rivercitychurch.com to schedule time to discuss it.

Constructing Our City Groups ::
We designed a City Group Primer booklet to help groups connect at their initial meeting and have a conversation on many of the different organizational elements of the group. In a perfect world, every City Group would start with a spontaneity that becomes a rhythm. However, with City Groups, we do it backward: starting with structure and expecting the organic flow will come in time.  We understand that as people all enter into a group, they are balancing work, family, travel, and so many other commitments, so we want to encourage everyone to press in to what the group has to offer them and what they have to offer to the group. The start of the City Group journey for each person will likely be one of personal adjustment, planning, and getting to know each other better. It might even feel a bit awkward at first, but we trust that as time goes on, people in each group will grow to love the spiritual practice of being together.Thanks for reading! I hope you'll consider joining a group and growing in this vital spiritual practice. Please email Tim Downey at tim@rivercitychurch.com if you have any questions about getting involved.