Community Connections
When challenged to share the gospel with their friends, most Christians respond, “All my friends got to church.” The response is understandable; our values and interests reflect our faith. It is easier, often more comfortable, to be friends with fellow Christians. Yet our natural isolationist tendencies are counterproductive to our mission call from Jesus to go make disciples of all nations. Engaging in community connections is one strategy to help Christians build natural, meaningful relationships with non-churched in their community. To clarify, “community connections” does not refer to activities congregational members do for the community, such as a food pantry or a clothing drive. Community connections describe activities the congregation does with members of the community. As the congregation’s members engage in community connections, the opportunities to build relationships and have faith conversations increase.
In this unit, the participant will:
- Gain a deeper understanding of the term “Community Connection.”
- Develop a community connections strategy for their congregation.
- Organize a team of members to complete a community connection strategy.
When challenged to share the gospel with their friends, most Christians respond, "All my friends got to church." The response is understandable; our values and interests reflect our faith. It is easier, often more comfortable, to be friends with fellow Christians. Yet our natural isolationist tendencies are counterproductive to our mission call from Jesus to go make disciples of all nations. Engaging in community connections is one strategy to help Christians build natural, meaningful relationships with non-churched in their community. To clarify, "community connections" does not refer to activities congregational members do for the community, such as a food pantry or a clothing drive. Community connections describe activities the congregation does with members of the community. As the congregation's members engage in community connections, the opportunities to build relationships and have faith conversations increase.
In this unit, the participant will:
- Gain a deeper understanding of the term "Community Connection."
- Develop a community connections strategy for their congregation.
- Organize a team of members to complete a community connection strategy.
This course can be taken as a solo learner. However, to maximize the benefit of community connections in your congregation, we encourage you to get a group of friends together to watch the lesson and complete the discussion guide.
