In a world of distraction, presence

Corporate Life: Eucharist

The primary way we pursue Presence as a community is in our Sunday worship service, also known as “Eucharist,” which means thanksgiving, is another way of referring to the communion meal. Each week, our community orients itself around word and table, where we hear the gospel proclaimed in the reading of Scripture and enacted through the Christ’s table.

Personal Life: Daily Prayer

We live in a time when there are more Bible reading apps and plans than ever, but it can be very difficult to sustain personal spiritual disciplines. Any practice that keeps you rooted in Scripture and in regular conversation with God is one worth pursuing. Though there is no perfect way to meet with God in daily prayer, we would commend to you a rhythm oriented around taking the Sunday gathering with you into your week.

In a world of isolation, belonging

Corporate Life: Table Groups

The primary place where we create room to belong to Christ’s family is through Table Groups, our version of small groups. They are meant to be an extension of Sunday’s communion table: while the emphasis on Sunday is the sacrament of communion, the spiritual body of Christ that we receive by faith, the emphasis of Table Groups is the body of Christ that we find in each other. Our Table Groups follow a liturgy that mirrors the Sunday Eucharist: we gather together; listen to God’s word; respond in prayer; feast together; and are sent out.

Personal Life: Household Guides

The New Testament puts forward a concept that doesn’t always have a great representation in the modern American church: the idea of a household. We want to recover this concept of belonging in its many incarnations, whether that is your nuclear family, roommates, or small group of friends.

However our households are composed, we want to find a group of people with whom we can walk through life on a recurring basis. To help in this, we produce seasonal Household Guides, which contain liturgies and practices informed by the season of the Church Calendar.

In a world of autonomy, apprenticeship

Corporate Life: The Great Tradition

Sin has an effect of warping our affections and disorienting our minds. Acknowledging this reality, we long to apprentice ourselves to Jesus, guarding against the fads and blind spots of this present moment by looking to The Great Tradition, the core of Christian thought and practice throughout various times and places. The whole of Rockford’s life is lived in reference to this Great Tradition: in the seasons of the Church Calendar which shape our Sunday liturgy, our Household Guides, and our Sunday sermons.

Personal Life: Personal Rule of Life

We encourage each member of our congregation to abide by their own personal Rule of Life. The congregation follows a communal Rule of Life, but the truth is that our corporate habits are not one-size fits all. For example, one person may be greatly benefitted by deleting all of their social media, and someone else may simply need to be careful about how much they consume. We have provided a template for creating your own Rule, and we also hold workshops on drafting your own Rule.

In a world of consumption, participation

Corporate Life: Service

Jesus, the image of the invisible God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but humbled himself, taking on the form of a servant, and offering his life as a ransom for many. We participate in Christ’s kingdom through our service. We hope that our body finds ways to express its gifts as it serves one another, and we also hope there will be opportunities to serve in our neighborhood. We try to arrange opportunities for our church to serve on a monthly basis. Look for opportunities to serve in our weekly email or the Sunday bulletin!

Personal Life: Vocation

One of the primary ways we image God is through our vocations–the work God has given us to do to steward his good creation. We don’t want to think of our life of participation in God’s kingdom as something that is confined to Sundays; we want to reimagine every day–and indeed every aspect–of our lives as being under the lordship of Jesus Christ. We hope you will treat your weekday calling–whether that is white collar work, blue collar work, child rearing, or something else–as an opportunity to see more of God’s kingdom expressed here and now.