COMMUNITY
We believe the church is meant to exist as a family of faith, a city within the city, embodying the real presence of God’s kingdom among our neighbors.
FAMILY OF FAITH
We believe that the kingdom of God is not like this world. The things of God are even “foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Cor 1:18). In an age that devalues human life, we want to protect it. In an age that defends personal freedoms, we want to lay down our lives for each other. In an age that seeks to either idolize or destroy the traditional family, we seek to embrace the idea of a family in which everyone has space at the table.
We believe that if we want to embody the idea that “God is with us,” we must first realize that Jesus and the early church had no imagination for how that would be lived out which didn’t first begin in a radical re-definition of “family.” Immanuel seeks to be a place where family is not defined exclusively by bloodlines or adoption but by belonging, spiritual friendship, and unity found in our baptism because what makes us one family is that we’ve all been birthed through the same waters.
NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS
Community requires presence and time—the ability to see a person, to carve out space amidst the busyness of life, and to simply be present to another. This seems like it should be easy or natural, but most of us are trained in ways of living that make community a real challenge. Our community group model, which we call “Neighborhood Groups,” seeks to minimize some of the difficulties by forming groups around geography—the folks we live, shop, recreate, and dine alongside. Whether you’re ITP or OTP, we want to help you find a community of people with whom you can share your life and grow as a disciple of Jesus.