2. Discuss ways your leadership team can uphold the five biblical purposes in your church. Ministry that is sourced from this team is influenced by the relationships of the people on the team. The involvement of pastoral leadership in a church’s small group community life is the linchpin to sustaining the healthy growth of biblical community. There is no substitute for what the most influential and visible people in the church model and advocate on the weekend. When relationships and relationship-building are prioritized in your church’s leadership community the church’s growth will be healthy and balanced. The tree makes the fruit – not the other way around.
3. Develop a culture that weaves discipleship together with community. This will help to cultivate a culture that values community and consequently will increase people’s commitment to community. Healthy relationships with people are necessary if we’re to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 John 1:7, 3:14, 4:20). Furthermore, when lost people come to a loving community they tend to come to Christ (Acts 2:47; John 13:34; 1 John 4:12). A symbiotic (life-giving) relationship exists between discipleship and evangelism and community is critical to both.
4. Don’t allow small groups to be viewed as another program of the church or to be perceived as something that good Christians do. A programmatic paradigm is deadly to the self-perpetuating life of organic community. It is not small groups that we’re after ultimately…it’s what happens in small groups. Small groups are the vehicle for life-transformation and they are essential to establishing and experiencing biblical community in all its fullness. Involvement in a small group is not just another thing “to do” – connection is a way of life – a way of being that is necessary for the ongoing development of all the spiritual disciplines. This kind of connection empowers believers and churches to live out the five biblical purposes (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:21-27). Together we stand. Divided we fall.
5. DEDICATE a FT person to building community in your church ASAP. Prioritize the development of a healthy system for building relationships and life-giving ministries will emerge out of it. By virtue of resourcing this area of your church, you will be enhancing all areas. Healthy ministry flows out of healthy relationships. Invest time, energy, and money into the leaders and resources that serve as the life-source of community in your church.
6. DISCOVER who is gifted in media communications and beat the drum of community every chance you get. Different types of groups and promotional styles will appeal to different people.
- Interject examples of what’s happening through small groups in your weekend messages.
- Share stories of life-change through small groups and use video to convey what God is doing through the community-life of your church.
- Present new ways for people to get connected in new types of groups.
- Feature existing groups and new group start-ups in your weekend announcements.
- Highlight groups in your newcomer materials, website, looped PP slides, etc.
7. Design a community-life calendar and include no less than three church-wide opportunities per year for people to get plugged in. Plan ahead. There are an infinite number of ways people can connect with other people.
8. Determine who should be on your Acts 6 Community Team (people full of the Spirit and wisdom) and lean on them to be the eyes and ears of your church’s community-life. Collaboration creates community. Community-building is a plural activity. Every leader needs the help of other like-minded people who can serve as fellow architects and administrators of community; people who can help you imagine and implement strategies for growing biblical community.
9. Decide to use every event as an opportunity to connect the disconnected and reach the unreached. One question to ask for every event you plan is: “What’s next?” How will the events you’re planning help people to take their next steps in their relationship with Christ and other people. How can you leverage the energy of the larger gathering to encourage people to take their next step in their relationship with God and others in smaller gatherings? For example, create a short-term group study based on the speaker’s topic and give people the chance to sign-up sometime during or immediately following the event.
10. DEVOTE yourself to building momentum for biblical community. The dynamic of relationships in a system is not much different than that of a relationship between two people. It is filled with ups and downs – successes and set-backs. Stay with it. The wind of the Spirit blows different directions throughout the journey of community-building so don’t be afraid to change tact. Find ways to bridge your campaigns together so that you have a seamless strategy for nurturing organic community-life. Go web-surfing and study churches that have a similar culture and demographic as yours and have a thriving community-life.