We hope that our CGs will be a space where people can encounter the dynamics of belonging to a gospel-centered community. This becomes a reality for each CG member through their intentional commitment to walk with others (i.e., mutual sharing of life) in their CG for the whole ministry year.

What's beautiful about the CG experience is that we often find ourselves doing life with others who are not in our current circle of friends, who are in a different place in their spiritual journey, who share different interests and backgrounds, etc. It's these differences that are critical in our spiritual formation and growth.

Our Community Groups are for anyone in our church community who desires to participate in a gospel-centered community in earnest and with good will. By registering for a CG, you are agreeing to the expectations outlined here in our: Joy CG Guidelines document.

Each CG member agrees to having a “committed and consistent presence” especially in the journey of faith in Jesus Christ (even if you are not yet a professing Christian). If, at any point in the year, you are unable to participate consistently, please let your CG Leaders know as soon as you can so that we can make space for someone on the waitlist.

Parents! Our Joy Family Ministry is a community for families with children that runs separately from our CG Ministry. Some parents still choose to participate in a CG. If you would like to learn more, please reach out markro@joychurch.com.

The Pastoral Staff will set the CGs based on the needs of the community (e.g., days/locations, size, leader supply, etc) and the availability of CG Leaders. 

Most of our CGs will be composed of mixed demographics and are coed. Our Young Adult CGs are coed for people in their 20s. Depending on demand/resources, we may offer other CGs like a Women's CG, College CG, and/or Marrieds CG. 

Able to host? We're also looking for people to host a CG in their home for the duration of the year (or even the first-half or second-half). If you're interested in hosting, please check the box below in the pertinent section - thank you!

We will kick off on the week of September 13, 2026 and end at the beginning of June 2027. 

CGs meet Wed, Thu, or Fri, and typically go from 7:30-9:30 PM. The weekly meeting rhythm will generally follow 3 weeks “on” and 1 week “off” with extended winter and spring breaks. 

The CG year may also include a CG retreat (historically taking place in the late winter/early spring), social gatherings, cross-CG hangouts, service opportunities, etc. 

While we'll try our best to honor your preferences, we appreciate your understanding that not every preference may be met. The CG placement process is a dynamic one so please understand that you may not find out your placement until just before the kickoff week. 

While we would love for everyone in our community to be plugged into a CG, we are working with limited resources and very high demand. We expect to utilize a waitlist when groups reach capacity. Joy Manhattan Members are prioritized in placements.

While we understand that it may be difficult for a new person to know what to expect in a CG, we have found that it generally takes a collective effort and consistent attendance over several months for a CG to feel comfortable. There's really no substitute for showing up consistently and diving in with openness and curiosity. We're, unfortunately, unable to offer visits to multiple CGs since we want to encourage commitment from every member in each group.

That said, if you want to visit a CG one time to get a better sense of what it's like (BEFORE you register/commit), please reach out to danso@joychurch.com to coordinate that separately.