Life Groups & Small Groups

Two of our core values at East Side are to ‘Live Connected’ and to ‘Be Transformed’. We believe the best way for those to happen is in small groups of 3-12 people who meet together regularly to share life and learn together. 

To connect to a Life Group or a Small Group, fill out the form HERE.

What is a Small Group?  
Though Life Groups and Small Groups are similar, they differ in what drives them to meet. What drives a small group is a shared desire to learn. A Small Group will meet to learn about a topic and work through a specific study or curriculum (i.e. marriage mentoring small groups).  

What is a Life Group?
What drives a Life Group are people who want to do faith and life together. A Life Group has 4 distinct qualities: talking out the scripture together, praying together, serving together, and ultimately doing life together.

What do Life Groups look like?
Life Groups are tailored to the needs of the people that belong to it. For some, that means sharing a meal or having some fun first. Some groups will always meet at the church and have a babysitter, whereas others will always be in someone's home. There will always be a study to discuss scripture and share one's faith journey with others. Lastly, a Life Group always prays with and for each other.

What do Life Groups study?
During our weekly services is where discipleship is taught out. Life Groups are a place where it can then be talked and wrestled out. Often after Jesus taught, the disciples met together to talk about what His teachings meant, and what implications they had in how they should live.

Life Groups serve together
In serving together discipleship is walked out. Every 2-3 months a Life Group will serve together in an area they are passionate about. We call this the mission (Live His Mission). A mission could be to reach and bless the staff at a specific school, and every 2-3 months they do something to serve and impact them.

What does it mean to "do life together?"
Doing life with others means being there for each other. This is more than bringing a meal to someone in need. It is taking the time to get to know each other, build trust, show care, and be there for each other in the good, the bad, and the ugly.