What are missional communities?
We believe real community is an essential building block of the church. Communities are also a place where together we can bless and serve our city. It’s a place where we can be known, supported and challenged to go deeper in our relationship with each other and to grow as disciples of Jesus.
We believe that church isn’t just about ‘consuming’ a service every Sunday, but about living out a genuine faith amongst ordinary people both inside and outside the church – we can’t live it alone!
We believe real community is a great way for individuals to get to know people within the church, and is the best forum for ongoing discipleship and personal growth. It also provides real opportunity to live out or discover our God-given calling and to engage in mission to our city.
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To help us in this, we have more than 40 communities of different shapes and sizes across the church. These ‘missional communities’, previously called clusters, are generally made up of between 6 and 30 people (plus any number of accompanying children). They are communities of people who find they have a similar heart, focus, or calling in life. These are as varied as the people of Sheffield themselves – including communities reaching out to students, young adults, creative-types, the marginalised, business communities, families, the elderly, local neighbourhoods and more. These are based across the city on urban estates, in the suburbs and in the city centre. |
If you want to understand a bit more about missional communities you can download our information booklet via this link [Communities booklet]. Click here [Testimonies] to read some stories of what God is doing in and through communities.
If you want to be someone who is part of a real-life, everyday community of people with similar passions to you, someone who is seeing God do amazing things in you and through you with others, then join a Missional Community!
Below is a list of the majority of our missional communities – click on the links to find out more information and/or email communities@stthomaschurch.org.uk with any questions. We do have a few others who smaller groups are exploring new ways of being church. If this particularly interests you, you can email for more information.
If you have some inspiration for a new group, do get in touch! We want to release all kinds of new and diverse communities across the body of the church.
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Activate
Activate is a cluster which has stepped out into the world. The objective is not to get people into "church" but to get "church" which is us, mixing with people in whatever they enjoy doing |
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We are a community with an international focus. Our vision is to: learn to worship together, learn to be a community and learn to reach out together. |
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A community which wants the disabled and their families to see that God has a heart for them. We want them to become fully integrated into the church body. |
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Become: City is a student community all about being immersed in city life, being who God made us to be in the places we find ourselves. We are a community who pray, live life and stand with the vulnerable on a day to day basis.
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We seek to become a community who love our neighbours as ourselves, to be people whose attitude of heart is that of sacrifice and service. |
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Cafe 19:34 is a first point of contact for international students who are new to Sheffield. We want to welcome them into the city, into community and into the kingdom. |
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A group of adults living in the west of Sheffield. We support each other as we reveal Jesus to those around us and are also passionate about social justice. |
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Deeper have a passion to see students build solid foundations for a life long relationship with Jesus.
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Discover is a community for young adults passionate about discovering who we are in Christ and what His plans are for us. We want to support each other as we explore our identities, looking at where we’ve come from, and where God is taking us next. |
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We're a community for anyone who sees themselves as an artist or wants to be released into an area of art. |
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FC Philly
FC Philly is a Christian football team. We are committed to embodying God's values both on and off the pitch regardless of what we believe. |
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Free2be provides a place where people receive God's freedom to become the people He made them to be. |
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Grassroots
Seeking the lost and seeing the Kingdom break out in Firth Park. |
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Hillsborough Rock
We are a community based cluster with a vision to see the release of God's Spirit from the rock of Hillsborough. |
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An informal small group which meets weekly over good food and wine – to grow in relationship with God and to support and encourage one another in individual vision and within the workplace. |
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Job:Share community are focussed on two things – living our lives together and being models of Jesus in our work place. |
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We want to be: Disciples - rooted in relationship with Jesus, established and anchored in him. We want to recognise our true home and environment is defined by the Kingdom of God. |
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We are a group of people living on the Langsett Estate near Philly. We are committed to living out our faith on the estate – building relationships and seeing people's lives transformed as they encounter the love of the Father, the truth of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
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A community who want to love and be part of the life of Shiregreen. The name Shiregreen means 'the growing kingdom' and that's what we want to see and be part of!
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Spirit Led Daily Bread
We learn how to hear God through Bible based teaching. Our outreach involves praying for clusters/small groups and practising the prophetic. |
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We are a group of people ranging in age from 50 to early 60s many of whom serve the church and the city of Sheffield through different ministries and organisations. |
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Streetwise meets every Sunday as an outreach style informal service for people who may feel less comfortable in the morning gathering
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For those who are thirsty for more... We are a community of young adults simply longing to grow deeper in our relationship with God and with each other. We want to share life, have fun and be free to be the people God made us to be. |
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We want to encourage and support people wherever they live across the city to build relationships and encourage other people through friends, family, hobbies, creativity and food. |
If you would like to know more about the theology behind clusters and examples of cluster implementation then we would recommend the book Clusters: Creative Mid-Sized Missional Communities by Bob Hopkins & Mike Breen, available to order from the ACPI website, click here.