Life Groups

A Life Group is a collection of about 4-15 people who meet weekly to grow in their faith by sharing life together and discovering how each one of us is uniquely being called to walk with Jesus.

In your Life Group, you will primarily spend time exploring God’s word together. Along the way, your Life Group will grow more connected as you begin to learn about each other’s lives, discover unique ways to deepen your relationship with Jesus, encourage one another to take the “next step” in faith, and learn how to use your unique spiritual gifts to multiply the group, build up 3Crosses, and reach your neighbors off of the hill!

Supporting Scriptures: Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:24-25; John 13:34-35; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Matthew 28:16-20; 1 Peter 4:8-11.

Please Note: Life Groups at 3Crosses are designed for adults over the age of 18 (with the exception of Family Life Groups). If you are 18 and under, we encourage you to get connected to our student ministries where they routinely break up into smaller-sized communities!

When you visit our Life Groups list, we have provided different categories to help you narrow down your decision. We encourage you to base your selection on your calendar availability, your preferred demographic (e.g. Co-Ed, Men, Women, Young Adults, Discovery, etc.), your Life Stage (e.g. age range, married, single, families, care, etc.), and your geographical location (e.g. Castro Valley, San Leandro, Hayward, etc.).

Over the years, we’ve found that the groups that have connected the best are actually those who have been open to anyone joining! Our categories are made intentionally vague and are meant to help you self-select an appropriate group for you without boxing you in.

Haven't found a group that fits your preferences? Not to worry, we can help you!

Please don’t hesitate to fill out our Life Group Help Form or call the church, and we will gladly assist you. Keep in mind that it might take two or three groups before you find the perfect fit, but don’t worry, you’ll find it!

Here at 3Crosses Church, we believe that Life Groups are the heartbeat of our ministry.

In a Life Group...

...you will experience a welcoming environment that will give you the opportunity to know others and be known by others in our larger 3Crosses church community!

...you will have the space to deepen your love for God as you engage in different practices of worship.

...you will find a safe place to explore God's word in community.

...you will learn how to express your unique spiritual gifts and mobilize to witness to the East Bay

We believe that meeting together on a regular basis is indeed time well spent!

See “Life Group during COVID-19?” above for details about where and how Life Groups are meeting at this time.

The majority of our Life Groups will meet on various nights throughout the week. Ideally, life groups will meet in homes throughout Alameda County and beyond, but on special occasion, we will host Life Groups on our 3Crosses campus. Most evening groups meet from 7-9 pm while the meeting times of daytime Life groups will vary.

The Life Group ministry will be focussed around 2 seasonal pushes per year in the Spring and the Fall.

These seasonal will last anywhere from 8-12 weeks. At the end of each session, you will have the choice of continuing with the same group, trying a new group, or even taking a break to wait for the next season. Most groups will stay together and continue to meet throughout the entire year!

Joining a Life Group is an initial 8-12 week commitment.

The experience you will get out of your Life Group depends on what you decide to put into it. During the Life Group season, we encourage you to attend meetings weekly and do any homework ahead of the meeting time.

Obviously allowances are made for sickness, vacation, work conflicts and other special events. However, this seasonal commitment is crucial for your Life Group experience.

Most of the Life Group studies are based on the previous weekend's message and facilitated by a trained and vetted Life Group Host. These "sermon-based" Life Groups take the sermon material and expand on the biblical concepts that are brought up in the message.

Even if members in your group do not attend 3Crosses, these study guides can be used as they focus on the biblical concepts rather than the messages around them.

Other groups collectively decide to use pre-approved outside material from the many Christian resources available online and such as Right Now Media.

We believe Life Groups are so important, especially during this time. We want you to be connected no matter what your comfort level is during this time of COVID-19. That is why we are offering 3 different meeting types for groups:

Online Only: These groups will meet exclusively online.

In-Person: These groups will meet in person, following the current CDC guidelines.

Hybrid: These group meetings will use their resources to combine the in-person and online options.

How do you know what type of group to choose? If you feel comfortable meeting in person right now, you would choose either in-person or hybrid. If you don’t feel comfortable meeting in person, online only is the choice for you!

Before each Life Group season begins there are three ways to sign up for a group – online, at our weekend services, or by contacting the church office. During the weekend services, Life Group staff members and pastors are available at the sign-up booths to help you choose a group and answer any questions.