“There are over 100 times in the New Testament where we see the Greek word “allelon,” which means “one another, each other; mutually, reciprocally.” Over half of these commandments relate specifically to how we are to live in a relationship (teach, encourage, exhort, love one another, encourage, share what you have, speak the truth, confess your sins.) Community is important because it is where discipleship happens. Take, for example, fighting back against sin. We are to confess our sins to one another to experience healing (James 5:16).” – Kim Bredenhof
So, how does one get rooted in your church community? One way is to go church hopping and start hunting for a community that best fits your needs or is most aligned with your personality. The other way is to start working on the community that you are already in. Yes, start building. Start somewhere, but start building.
Building communities in our church. That is one of the topics that we have been discussing in the youth ministry in the past year. Many churches already have ready-made communities designed into the church structure itself in the form of age-segregated community groups. A key challenge in community building is building connections across these age groups. One thing’s for sure: building community has to be intentional. Communities don’t just form and build up on their own. If I wish to build community across age groups, I must intentionally take an interest in what is on the other side of the age gap. For example, I intentionally check into their social media pages and observe their postings and events they have been involved in and when I chance upon one of them in church, I can engage in a more meaningful conversation with them rather than feeling awkward about not knowing what to say to the other person. It all begins with a goal – to build communities for the gospel’s sake; to build up connections and communities that allow us to help each other live out all the “allelons” in Scripture.
Are you aware that our church has a social media page too? On this very page, just scroll all the way down and you’ll see the Facebook icon. Click on it and you will be able to get pictorial updates of church events like our recent watch night service. Note that you don’t need to have a Facebook account to have access. Remember the goal and remember to be intentional.
