Organizing: Facilitating Community

We all just want to belong. We want to feel that we are loved and can love. We want to be accepted and to accept. We are made in the image of God with a hunger for community. Triune God exists in a perfect unity so as creatures in His image, we long for community as well. And, I believe that our deepest longing for community will only be fulfilled in the perfect of unity of God’s people in heaven. Yet we desire community here and now and we can belong to His people here and now.

Meaningful community cannot be forced or contrived, but we can foster community by taking steps to help people belong, be genuine and share in Christ’s life in our small groups. Here are some suggestions that may help us foster Christian community.

1. As the leader, model the acceptance and belonging you desire group members to show to one another.
2. Organize in a way that may foster community. Consider care groups which are sub-groups in your group. This is helpful when you group is large. These subgroups can gather for fellowship and can minister to each other. Consider re-organizing these smaller groups about every 4-6 months. Add new care groups as new members enter the community.
3. Focus on care groups with the whole group gathers. The care groups can be prayer groups during larger group meetings so people can have a more intimate prayer time. Care groups can also focus on ministry projects.
4. Find ways to develop an online presence for your group. Someone in the group might open and maintain a FaceBook group for your Bible study group. Such a group site can be public or private. Since so many people use FaceBook, it may become a vehicle for support and ministry during the week.
5. Consider creating a mechanism so that visitors to your group are immediately invited out for a meal by some current members. I know a small group of twenty-somethings who are often pressed for spending money. The group collects a “kitty” of small donations each week. Then each week a different couple plays host and hostess for the group, primarily focusing on any visitors to the group. The host and hostess invite the visitors to a meal out after church that day and they are reimbursed from the “kitty” so no one is overwhelmed with an extra expense on the household budget. What a wise ministry action that can build community and acceptance.
6. Pray for unity in the group. God desires that his people love one another and live in harmony with each other.  Praying for unity is one of those prayers that God always answers, “Yes!”

Scripture:

Behold, how good and pleasant it is

                when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
                running down on the beard,
                on the beard of Aaron,
                running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
                which falls on the mountains of Zion!
                For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
                life forevermore.    Psalm 133:1-3 ESV

Prayer:

Consider praying: Father, we desire unity in our group. As we ask for unity, please  . . . .

Dig Deeper:

Consider reading Connecting in Communities: Understanding the Dynamics of Small Groups by Eddie Mosley (NAV Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-61521-685-7. An e-book version is available.