WELCOME TO COMMUNITY
At Solomon’s Porch, we value community.

In fact, without community we would cease to be a church. The word used for “church” in the New Testament literally means a “called out assembly.” The very word “church” when defined means a community of people called by God, called from the world, and called to reach the world.

PEOPLE
We believe the Scriptures teach that the church is not a building or location, but rather the church is the people of God on a mission. We believe the people of God are those who profess faith in Jesus the Messiah and seek to demonstrate their beliefs in daily life.

Thus, we at the Porch are a community, which specifically follows Jesus the Messiah. We believe the mission of God is to represent the ways, words  and life of Jesus in the world he loves. As followers of Jesus, we define our community by our relationship to Jesus and our attempts to live out his teachings. Therefore, we are not just a community, but specifically a Christian community on a mission.

EXPERIENCE
We desire that all people would experience all the benefits and challenges of Christian community. Things like acceptance, accountability, belonging, care, vulnerability, connection, commitment, challenge, friendships, prayer, learning, support and growth all occur in the context of community.

It is very difficult to participate in a real community without being stretched. Relationships serve as mirrors into our own lives and challenge us to grow. We believe Christian community is the primary means by which God transforms our lives.

REFLECTING GOD
One of the mysterious characteristics of our God is his communal nature. God has revealed himself to the world as one unified God in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), who operates in a perfect singly unified community. Because God is by nature a solitary unified relationship, we believe that as humans made in the image of God that we also reflect this communal nature. God created us to reflect His image, and this is demonstrated when we participate in unified relationships. The biblical picture of a relationship between man and woman in marriage clearly communicates this picture by calling the two people “one.” Ultimately, the church when unified in her diversity rightly reflects the image of God in humanity. (See Ephesians 4-5, Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and Revelation 7:9-12) This is why we believe community is such an important attribute of Solomon’s Porch Community Church.

Our hope is that every person who encounters our community would discover numerous ways to know others, to be known, and to grow. We know that it can be difficult to experience community in a large group setting. Therefore, we intentionally encourage people to seek relationships in smaller communities at Solomon’s Porch.

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY GROUP?
A community group is a smaller group of individuals who meet during the week in homes to experience Christian community on a regular basis. Each community group ranges from 4-12 people. These people commit to meeting regularly, praying for one another, studying the Scriptures together, serving in the local community together and lovingly challenging one another to grow as they follow Jesus.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
Here are some things, which you should expect when you join a group.

A Group will Care for you.

When you are in a small group you have a greater opportunity to get real about your life.  This gives you a chance to be honest, transparent, and open about your needs spiritually, emotionally, and physically.  A community can rally around you in your times of need by giving accountability, prayer, and support. 

You will have the opportunity to develop deeper relationships in a community group

With several hundred people at our Sunday worship gathering, it can be hard to connect with people and get to know one another. The community groups are a place where deeper relationships can occur. Community groups provide the opportunity to build friendships, receive care from others, offer care for others in the group and pray together.

You will be challenged and grow as a “theologian” through Bible study and discussion.

The early Christian church met in homes, sometimes had a meal together and then read from a section of scripture and had discussion. The community group shepherd will be prepared to facilitate the scriptural discussion and will have done extra study, but each member of the group should come prepared to contribute to the discussion.

You will have the opportunity to serve each another and the community in which we live

Since community groups are a place where deeper relationships occur, then they are a place where people have the opportunity to serve one another regularly. This may happen in the form of praying for each other, providing meals for the group time, helping each other when there are needs, etc. Community groups also serve our local community by getting involved in service projects together. We desire to be a church that represents Jesus to our local community. We believe that this includes caring for the needs of the people of Jenison, Hudsonville, and Grand Rapids.

COMMUNITY GROUPS
“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.”  ­Acts 2:46b-47

Families, neighborhoods, bowling teams…humans tend to group with other humans for support, diversion, and love. At Solomon’s Porch, we desire to cultivate communities on a mission.

To accomplish this — the mission of the gospel of Jesus Christ — community are offered to provide groups that offer support, leadership development, and spiritual growth with the intention that members will branch out and replicate these efforts, changing thousands of lives in the process.

If you’re new to Solomon’s Porch or have yet to get plugged in, join a Community Group. Get to know people, make friends, enjoy one another’s hospitality, but also enter into God’s incredible plan for the future of our city.

Solomon's Porch is a groups-based church. That is, we try to do every part of the Christian life in a smaller and more relational group setting. Solomon's Porch small groups provide these intentional relational experiences for approximately 8-15 people. They are places where we take our next steps in developing a more authentic relationship with God, ourselves, and others. Our primary focus is being real with each other and living out the teachings of Jesus. If you are tired of putting a fake face on about your spirituality and best friends, relationships, and if you are ready to become a more authentic follower of Jesus Christ and intentionally engaging with others, then our Small Groups are for you.

The core of every Solomon's Porch Group is the same: being relational and being authentic. The current Small Groups are studying Bill Hybles book, being a contageous christian.  We are learning how to share our faith.