Midweek Groups
Midweek Groups
When Jesus told his followers to "Go and make disciples of all nations", they shared none of our confusion over what he had in mind. They had been his disciples for three years, so they knew what it meant to go and make more disciples like themselves.
Midweek Groups
When Jesus told his followers to "Go and make disciples of all nations", they shared none of our confusion over what he had in mind. They had been his disciples for three years, so they knew what it meant to go and make more disciples like themselves.
Jesus had preached many sermons to the crowds, but he hadn't just left it at that. He had chosen twelve individuals "that they might be with him" (Mark 3:14), and had asked them to commit to sharing their lives with him and one another. He befriended them, mentored them, challenged them and rebuked them. He encouraged them and released them to go and do the same. Even their enemies were impressed with the result. "They were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13).
When we read the book of Acts, we find that the disciples carried on Jesus' model after his ascension. They gathered together in the Temple courts for corporate worship, preaching and prayer, and they gathered in homes to share their lives in a way which they couldn't at their fast-growing public meetings. Jesus had made disciples through friendship and shared lives, so they did the same. They followed Jesus' model in all the cities of the ancient world (Acts 20:7&20).
That's why we believe that midweek gatherings really matter in the life of Queens Road Church. Jesus still tells us to "Go and make disciples of all nations", and we need more help to do so than the early Christians did, because we live in a city where community is under-valued and where sharing life with one another doesn't come naturally. That's why we try to make things a little easier by gathering as Pastorates. There are four Pastorates, and they are: Raynes Park, Wimbledon Village, Colliers Wood and Morden. (You click on any of them to get more specific info about that Pastorate, or go to the Pastorate overview page to see the four Pastorate areas in relation to the church building.)
QRC Local
On a Tuesday or Wednesday evening every month (usually the second week of the month), each Pastorate 
gathers for QRC Local. This gathering of fifty or so people is a brilliant context for sharing local vision, praying for the local neighbourhood, and going together to make more disciples. Currently, we have QRC Local meetings in Raynes Park, Wimbledon Village, Morden and Colliers Wood. We are praying and planning to establish other QRC Local meetings elsewhere soon.
Connect Evenings
On a different Tuesday or Wednesday every month (usually the forth week of the month), each Pastorate gathers for a choice of Connect Evenings. These offer a range of different social activites where we can have fun, deepen friendships, and laugh a lot together. They build honesty, trust and a willingness to be real with one another. They also make it easy to invite non-church friends into the Pastorate community.
Life Groups
On the other two Tuesdays or Wednesdays of the month, the Pastorates gather in Life Groups of about a dozen people. Jesus invested his life in twelve disciples, and he wants us to do the same. Life Groups provide a context to ask questions, find answers, raise doubts and encourage one another. They are a place to find deeper discipleship too, through Bible study, prayer, worship and ministering to one another. They are called Life Groups because they offer much more than a midweek meeting. They give each of us the opportunity to share life with a group of like-minded people - and to find the friendship, cameraderie and personal growth which naturally ensues.
We currently have over 20 Life Groups meeting across south-west London. To find the Life Group that is closest to you, go to the Find a Life Group page and enter your postcode.
To find out more about how you can get connected to a Life Group or to a Pastorate community, please email lifegroups@qrc.org.uk or pastorates@qrc.org.uk, or better still, go to the relevant Pastorate page to get more information, including the email addresses of the leaders.