What do a porch, living room and kitchen have to do with church? They are the metaphor we use to describe our three steps for getting people connected in community groups with others.

At SouthBrook we believe that you will experience God most when you’re in community with others who share your faith, when you develop deep relationships with people who are there with you during life’s ups, downs and in-betweens. God created us for community, and trying to do life alone never worked for anyone.

Here’s how the process works...

Front Porch
When you think Front Porch, think “guests.” Front porch experiences are targeted at people who are checking out SouthBrook, people who are early in their faith journey, people who aren’t sure how they feel about God, Jesus, faith or church.

What we do on the weekends is a Front Porch experience.  Just like you might treat a guest in your home, our goal is to welcome you and tell you enough about God’s grace that you’ll want to continue to pursue a relationship with Him.

Front Porch experiences are characterized by anonymity, minimal participation and minimal connection with others.

Living Room
When you think living room, think “friends.” Living Room experiences are for people who are ready to go a bit deeper in their faith and are curious about community, but aren’t sure how they feel about making a long-term commitment to a community group.

Living Room experiences are a combination large group teaching / small group discussion and over a finite length of time. They are designed to help people get to know others and give them a taste of community group life.

Living Room experiences are characterized by less anonymity, participation in group discussion and more casual connection with others. 

Kitchen
When we say kitchen, think “family.” Kitchen groups – we call them community groups – are small groups of eight to ten people that you meet with on a regular basis for prayer, Bible study, service within SouthBrook and the community at large, and fun! Over time, these people will become your spiritual family, the people who will be with you through life’s celebrations and tragedies. 

Ultimately, our goal is to connect 100 percent of all SouthBrookers in community groups.

If you’re ready to get connected in a community group, you have three options:

• Guest Central: Stop in Guest Central before or after a weekend service and let one of our volunteer “connectors” know you’re interested in getting involved with a small group. They’ll walk you through the whole process.
• Living Room Events: Living Room events are a combination teaching time / small group discussion. They are designed to give people a taste of community group life. At the end of a Living Room event, your discussion group may decide you want to continue to meet on an ongoing basis. That’s excellent! Watch the Weekly Program for upcoming Living Room events.
• GroupLink: Typically scheduled on a quarterly basis, GroupLink is like a junior high mixer for adults. We use fun, get-to-know-each-other activities to introduce you to people with similar interests, life stage, or who are just available to meet the same time as you. Once you’re matched with a group of people you think might work, your group will be asked to commit to meet for six to eight weeks. We’ll supply you with a group study to facilitate your time together. If at the end of the six to eight weeks, you decide your group clicked, you’ll continue to meet as often as you like. If the group doesn’t work out, you’re welcome to go through GroupLink again.

Questions?
If you’d like more information about our Front Porch-Living Room-Kitchen process for getting connected, we’d love to talk to you.