In today’s article, we’ll cover how you can create a connect four plan of action to build healthy connections and a strong sense of community in your churches.
If your church isn’t retaining new people, it isn’t growing. Helping newcomers connect and find a sense of community builds your church and grows the kingdom!
We’ve always known connection was an important part of the body of Christ and when the unexpected happened in 2020 that threw us all for a turn, it revealed that much more how necessary connection is in building healthy communities. People are hungry for connection. They want a sense of belonging. Has it ever dawned at you that gangs do a better job at sticking together than the church? If we don’t create a space for people to belong, they will leave and find it outside the church.
We do a great job at creating children’s programs and youth groups, but then we fail to keep them in the church after they graduate. Why? Because the world is offering something we aren’t. Connection. But the problem? It’s an empty source.
Church, we have to help our communities get connected, help them discover their calling, and create healthy spaces for relationships to be built and sustained! It goes deeper than just small groups and programs. It’s about creating a culture that is family and people-focused.
This article on Influencemagazine.com makes a valid point in why community is essential:
“If people don’t find a place of community in the church, they aren’t likely to stay long. Community is how people connect. Community creates a feeling of belonging. It is the sense that you are in a place where people know you and accept you, despite your flaws — that you are part of something bigger than yourself. Churches that master community building is churches that keep people for decades.”
You can read the full article here to read more on 5 ways you can build community in your churches. https://influencemagazine.com/Practice/Five-Ways-to-Build-Community-in-Your-Church
So how can we take the first step?
It starts by getting a vision for what you want the culture to be in your church. Think in the future tense. What do you want your church to be known for? It starts from the top down. As a leader, how can you be more intentional with building community? And create spaces for people to gather? When we create a space for our people, we can empower them to do the same. We have to model it and set the bar. We cannot build a culture of connection without being willing to connect. We have to lead on the front lines.
So this week, take time to think about areas you can grow into this. Create a plan to optimize connection within your culture and ask God to give you the wisdom to help you create a place where people can learn, grow, and build connections that last for the long haul!
