People yearn for a sense of belonging. Congregations become places of belonging when people find ways to make connections, form relationships, and share their personal stories. That’s hard to do in the hasty comings and goings around the typical worship service. It’s even hard to do in a choir, committee, or ministry group.
In
Know and Be Known, Brooke Collison looks at the element missing in most group dynamics today: intentionality about relationships. Counselor, educator, and long-time leader and participant in small groups, Collison knows the power of small groups to create meaningful bonds of friendship and support.
Collison’s rationale for developing a small group program in a church is simple: as small groups nourish personal relationships and connectedness, they also nourish churches. These small groups are not organized to accomplish a task or to make decisions about some aspect of church life. The point is not to tie members down to another committee meeting; rather, the focus is on building interpersonal relationships. By creating these close bonds between members, the congregation as a whole becomes stronger and better able to carry out the mission God has called it to in the world.
