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.

What is a City Group?

They are diverse groups group of ten to fifteen people who are a part of River City Church, live in the same part of the city, and gather weekly to eat together, pray together, and practice the way of Jesus together.

These groups are based on three distinctive ideas: Purpose, Presence, and Prayer.

●  Purpose: The purpose of a City Group is to provide a small group environment where people can pursue authentic community and spiritual formation in the way of Jesus.

●  Presence: City Group members are devoted to being present in each other’s lives and present together in their community. 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 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

CITY GROUP TESTIMONY - Don Packard - August 27th, 2023

MEAGAN ANDERS CITY GROUP TESTIMONY

Intro To City Groups Guide

This helpful guide offers a relational and Biblical framework for groups, as well as best practices, to help create strong and healthy church community among members.

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 life story. After a few months, when each group is done sharing life 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. After a group’s two year commitment, the group will end, and 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.  City Groups are encouraged to meet weekly and create a meeting rhythm focused on Discipleship, Family, and Mission each month. Discipleship meetings use discussion guides 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.  Ideally, City Groups will meet for 2 hours in the evening on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. (Note: We find that weekends present consistent scheduling conflicts for people and groups choosing to meet on Friday or Saturday can create a barrier for a group to come together.)