take part in groups

[joham]

And those who take part in groups have to show a parallel commitment to working within the spirit of the process...

This sentence comes from the BNC. Is it correct English?
We Chinese students of English were taught to say 'join groups'.

Thank you in advance.

[Takezo]

The sentence sounds good to me. There is a slight difference between take part in groups and join groups...

"Take part in groups" emphasizes the participation in the group activity.
"Join groups" emphasizes the fact that they entered the group.

[bhaisahab]

The sentence sounds good to me. There is a slight difference between take part in groups and join groups...

"Take part in groups" emphasizes the participation in the group activity.
"Join groups" emphasizes the fact that they entered the group.

Takezo is right, we join groups and after joining we take part in the activities of the groups.