Mid-week Groups

Mid-week groups are a key part of church life at Christ Church Queensferry.

In these groups we meet together to be equipped for the Christian life through God's word and to speak to God in prayer. Church members meet for mid-week groups in members' homes on a fortnightly basis.

We have a number of small groups located in and around the area. Once you have become a member of our church, we can put you in touch with a mid-week group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Why are mid-week groups just for members?

• Isn't that a bit unwelcoming?
• Can I not go to church X for Sunday services and church Y for mid-week groups?
• I'd never join a church if they said I had to be a member before I could become part of their mid-week groups?

Maybe you've thought these things or perhaps you've been in a church that has a different approach to mid-week groups than ours. Here's why we do what we do when it comes to our mid-week groups.

We live in a society where commitment is often seen as a bad thing and our individualism is to be prized above all things.

Sometimes people want to apply this individualistic and consumer mindset to church: they want the benefits of church but not the commitment, accountability and responsibility of being a member.

The Bible, however, has a higher view of what life together as a local church looks like.
 
In the New Testament, there are 59 'one another' commands. For example:
 

“…Love one another…” (John 13:34)
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…” (Romans 12:10)
“…Honour one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you…” (Romans 15:7)
“…Be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2)
“…Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.” (Colossians 3:13)
“Encourage one another daily…” Hebrews 3:13)
“…Spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:24)
“…Live in harmony with one another…” (I Peter 3:8)
“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (I Peter 4:9)
“…Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another…”(I Peter 5:5)

 
Now, who is the Bible talking about when it uses the phrase 'one another?' People who come to church services but who never commit to membership? No, that's not who these passages have in view. There is a distinct group of people in view, called a local church.
 
In fact, the Greek word that is translated as “church” in the Bible is ekklesia. This word is made up of a prefix and a root. The prefix is ek or ex, which means “out of ” or “from.” The root word is a form of the verb kaleo, which means “to call.” In other words, ekklesia means “those who are the called-out ones.”
 
Now, who are these 'called out ones?'

Well Acts 2:41 puts it like this: 'Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.'
 
Added to what number? To the church! The 3000 or so in Acts 2:41 were added to the 120 mentioned in Acts 2:15.
 
Here, at the beginning of Acts, as the gospel is spreading, there is a clarity about who is in the local church: namely, people who have responded to the gospel message through repentance (Acts 2:38) and baptism (also Acts 2:38). There are 3000 added (someone must've been keeping count!) but we can take it that there was a good number who were not added. They didn't respond to the gospel message and weren't baptised. This idea of 'their number being added to' continues in Acts 2:47 and Acts 5:14. In short, someone is keeping lists of who the members of the church are.
 
More than that, we see lists within lists! 1 Timothy 5:3 says, ‘Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need.’

Paul then gives some criteria for which widows are meant to make it onto a care list. He says in verse 9, ‘No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.’
 
Paul is saying to Timothy, in effect: “within the church membership list there needs to be a care list. There’s a group of widows within the bigger church membership group. But even within the group of widows, there’s a particular group of widows who need particular help… so you need to be organised Timothy. You need to have a list."
 
Think too of the way Paul writes to different churches: 'To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae' (Colossians 1:2). 'To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Thessalonians 1:1). He's writing to specific groups of people who have joined together to form churches.
 
Or think of the language / metaphors that the New Testament uses to describe local churches. 'One flock comprised of many sheep (Acts 20), one body comprised of many members (1 Corinthians 12), a 'building,' a 'temple,' a 'household.' (Ephesians 2), a body (Ephesians 4:16). Each image is a 'corporate unity' i.e. one thing, made of many parts.
 
The Bible never encourages the sort of individualism that we see in society and that we increasingly see in the wider church.
 
At Christ Church Queensferry we believe that letting people who are not members of the church (or indeed not sure whether they even want to be members of the church!) embrace the privileges of church life (such as mid-week groups and serving in our various ministries) is unwise.
 
Our mid-week groups offer church members an opportunity to share deeply and pray about things that are personal to them in a safe setting with a small group of people who have committed to them through membership. To have people coming in and out of that setting who are not members yet, is unhelpful and can be a barrier to the openness and honesty that make our mid-week groups what they are.

In summary, we believe that it's wiser to wait until someone has become a member of our church before they become involved with mid-week groups. To find out more about becoming a member please visit our Membership page.

We recognise that churches have different approaches to their mid-week groups, but we hope all of the above explains why we do what we do. If you have any questions, please speak to one of the elders on Sunday or drop us a message through our contact form.