Groups at St Nic's

For many of us life is hectic, so we don't want to make people even busier. However, for many people life is lonely. We want to develop a shared way of life that is distinctive, relevant and effective.

We do this through four circles of belonging. Working from the smallest to the largest, these are:

CORE GROUPS

A Core Group normally consists of 3-5 people who are really committed to each other. In this group there is a very high level of confidentiality and accountability. In Core Groups friends support one another, pray together, read the Bible together and encourage one another to live as wholehearted disciples of Jesus in every part of their lives. Core Groups are not organised centrally, but if you struggle finding people to form a group we are happy to link you with others in the same situation. Further information, tips and ideas for running a Core Group. 

MISSIONAL COMMUNITIES

These are larger groups (12+) formed around a particular interest. Missional Communities (MCs) are just that – communities on a mission. They share life together and invite other people into their community by sharing life with them. MCs can be focused on a neighbourhood, a network or a need. You can choose which MC to join. You should make your choice in the basis of the MC's mission, rather than on who is in the group! You can find a list of Missional Communities …….

CONGREGATIONS

Currently we have three Sunday congregations, all with a different flavour, but all thoroughly St Nic's! They meet at 9am, 10.30am and 7pm. You can, of course, worship several times each Sunday, and we try to make the teaching different in the morning and evening so that, if you do, you won't hear the same talk twice. However, you need to choose a congregation which will be your 'home' and the place where you are comfortable inviting others.

CHURCH

Sometimes Core Groups are part of one Missional Community, and sometimes Missional Community members worship in the same Congregation. But often this is not the case, and it's great to know people across the whole church. There are some things that we do as a whole church. For example, we have a church weekend away every other year, and we have social events where we all meet together. One of the most significant whole-church happenings is Central Prayer which happens on a Tuesday night. Rather than having a fixed night for Central Prayer, we have seasons of prayer, when we focus less on meeting in MCs and more on coming together to listen to God and share his heart in prayer. These are exciting and special times, so try to make them a priority.

At every level in the church we try to follow these same goals and similar structures. So, our students have Missional Communities, our youth have 'Friendship Groups' (which are like Core Groups), and our children learn to be disciples just like the adults.