Community Groups

Community groups are the name for our small group ministry here at Olivet.  We have very intentionally chosen this name because we feel that it captures the precise nature of what these groups are about.  We firmly believe that the Christian faith is a journey of relational “connectedness.”  This is reflected in our church’s mission statement: Building relationships with God and one another.  For this reason we call our small groups community groups.

“Community” is made up of two words: common and unity.  We desire to come together for a common purpose, namely to live lives that exemplify the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our church, home, and community.  Secondly we desire to commit ourselves to the kind of unity the book of Acts explicitly describes especially in 4:32.  We believe that unity, among this local body of Christ, is a major component to see the power of God working in, among, and through us.  We believe ultimately that it is the Holy Spirit who creates community among us as we submit to Him.

Community groups are fundamentally designed to facilitate the discipleship and outreach process.  For this reason we believe our community groups to be the foundational building blocks of the ministry of Olivet.  They are truly the primary channel of discipleship and spiritual formation.  Community groups are new for us as we desire to be obedient to the direction God is calling us.  We are in the process of becoming a church of community groups not a church with community groups.  Community groups are not just another “program” but are the very heart beat of our journey of faith following our Lord Jesus Christ.  These groups are a place to experience the work of God through interpersonal ministry as the Holy Spirit ministers to and through us.   We also believe our groups to be a primary outreach arm of our church’s mission.

What To Expect

Our groups are designed to challenge men, women, and students to grow in their walks with Christ.   For this reason we have implemented a three-pronged approach to our main group meetings:
1.    Fellowship—We desire to be substantive relationships with one another in a safe environment to care for and be cared for by one another.  Fellowship is more than “coffee and cookies.”  It is real partnership in the cause of Christ—it is sharing our lives together.

2.    Application—We desire to not just be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word (James 1:22ff).  Information doesn’t equal transformation.  Information only becomes transformative when it has been put into practice.  For this reason our curriculum is application driven.  Furthermore, we believe that application is done in community—others enable us to see our blind spots.

3.    Accountability/Prayer—We believe the two go together.  We believe firmly in the power of and the ministry of prayer (2 Chron 7:14; James 5:16).   We also believe that accountability is a key component to real transformation.  For this reason we desire to live authentic lives before God and one another.

Our groups are also about service to both our body and to our community.  Our groups are a place where we can work together—putting “hands and feet” on our faith.  Our groups are encouraged to look for ways to reach out and serve together.  We also practice praying for the “open seat”—those whom God is leading us to reach for His Kingdom.

Community Groups (8-12) meet in homes around Wichita, Maize, and Goddard and some meet at our church facility.  Our groups consist of couple’s, men’s, women’s, and student groups. Each group meets weekly anywhere from 1 ½  to 2 hrs and run from late August through mid-May and then we “break” for the summer.   Two times over the Community Group calendar year all of our groups participate in curriculum which coincides with the sermon series on Sunday mornings.