The natural rhythm for Jesus’ church is that she would regularly gather and intentionally scatter. We see this unfold throughout the New Testament and the ancient church. This rhythm of gathering and scattering is intentionally woven into God’s design for the church and is a practice we get to participate in today! We intentionally gather on Sundays to participate in historically rooted, gospel-saturated, Spirit-empowered worship. The other six days of our week, we intentionally scatter into our homes, neighborhoods, and jobs to live our lives together for the sake of Jesus.

At Frontline we scatter into missional communities, small groups that meet in homes at various times throughout the week. Our missional communities aim to embody the faithful presence of Jesus in the lives of our friends and neighbors over meals, prayers, and shared stories. Missional Communities emphasize three crucial aspects of the church as we scatter: we care for one another, we grow together as Jesus’ disciples, and we live on mission together.

Our lives are full of pain and brokenness, doubts and longings, as well as joy and delight — these communities are spaces to bring our unedited lives to one another and to Jesus. Our stories, even the hard moments, hold eternal value and power (Revelation 12:11). In our missional communities, we want to grow in sharing our own stories, receiving the stories of others, and allowing the Holy Spirit to join our stories. In the context of authentic friendships. We care for and support one another as we bear our burdens together.

We don’t follow Jesus or grow in holiness if we go it alone — we need each other! Community and fellowship with others is a sweet gift from the Lord, but it’s also one of the primary means he uses to form Christ in us. In a missional community, we approach the scriptures together with our questions and seek to hear from the Father through his Word. We regularly confess and repent of our sin, reminding one another of the grace we have through Jesus. We offer up prayers through the Holy Spirit for each other’s benefit and blessing. In short, we cheer on and encourage one another to receive the call of Jesus in our lives (Philippians 3:12).

Missional communities are the widest open door into the church. For those exploring the claims of Jesus, a missional community embodies Jesus’ heart and hospitality by welcoming all who would come, including those with doubts or skepticism. In a missional community, we can feel belonging with a people before we believe. Our missional communities care about and love people who don’t know Jesus. We want to see our neighborhoods and towns flourish; we want to join with Jesus to meet physical needs and to alleviate pain and suffering (Jeremiah 29:7).