People today need a place to belong before they come to believe. The church is the body of Christ gathered for worship, fellowship, discipleship and missions. We grow in Christ together, not separated from one another. Many believers would like to recapture what the early church experienced, but how? It takes being real, and vulnerable, taking off the mask and connecting to another person at a meaningful level. This sounds very risky; are you willing to take the risk?
Quotes:
A striking feature of worship in the Bible is that people gathered in what we would call “holy expectancy.” They believed that they would actually hear the voice of God. It was not surprising to them that the building in which they met shook with the power of God. — Richard Foster
Rather than growing bigger churches, we should be concerned with growing bigger Christians. — Rich Mullins
In the essentials-unity; in the non-essentials-freedom; in all things-love. — John Wesley
Top 10 Ways to Build Community:
- Use self-disclosure to get real.
- Listen more than you talk.
- Ask good questions to uncover meaning.
- Have fun! Don’t make everything overtly spiritual.
- Use your spiritual gifts to encourage others.
- Balance activity inward, outward and upward.
- Serve those outside your community as a community.
- Share the significant issues of your past.
- Probe one another’s dreams for the future.
- Love one another practically and consistently.