Life Groups
divine community
The Scriptures portray God as a loving community between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; three distinct persons who are inseparably one in their being. How this works, precisely, is a mystery. But what it means is simply enough. If loving community is core to God’s nature, and if we are made in God’s image, then loving community is core to our nature too. What we call Church, then, is nothing less than God’s own community extended to each of us and shared among all of us. What we call Gospel, in turn, is nothing less than God’s invitation to all peoples to commune with Him and with each other in His eternal love.

moving beyond isolation...
Soma seeks to root everything it does in this understanding of community. Our motives, messages, methods, and aims should always reflect the relational priorities of the relational God we see in Jesus Christ. Life Groups are diverse groups in which people from all walks and stages of life can practice being Jesus to one another and to broader Salem community. While these groups each reflect Soma’s 4 core values, they also reflect the specific gifting and personalities of their members. As a result, they provide a Christ-centered context for people at Soma to practice loving each other and living beyond the often isolating, me-first habits of our broader culture. When a person visits Soma on Sunday, it is a great introduction to the community’s life of worship and communion. Becoming involved in a Life Group, however, is the main way people at Soma can experience the kind of authentic community Christ intends for His followers.

4 kinds of life groups:
Missional Groups
Service Groups
Ministry Groups
Affinity Groups

compass…a great place to start
The first step into a Life Group is often the hardest. Why? For a lot of people, small groups of people can easily feel closed to outsiders. Maybe you’ve felt this way before. At Soma, we think this idea of community is actually messed up and not what God intended.

For this reason, Life Groups are always open to new people (occasionally, we’ll have a short-term group with limited space for 6-8 weeks, but those begin again with room for more) and we recommend beginning your Life Group journey by attending Compass after one of our Sunday evening worship gatherings (offered once-a-month). Often no more than 20 minutes, Compass is designed to answer your initial questions about Jesus, Soma, and what it means to become a Covenant Member of the Soma community. Getting involved in a Life Group is then a natural progression and we’ll do our best to help you connect with a group that fits you.