Soon after Covid started to wane, my wife and I finally had dinner at a friends’ house. When we left a mere two hours later, we turned toward each other and admitted we were both exhausted. The dinner was great. We just hadn’t hung out with people in a long time—and it was draining.
Socializing is a little like exercise; if you don’t do it for a long time, it becomes more difficult. You need to strengthen your socializing muscles. That’s true of participating in church community, too. A lot of people have gotten out of the practice of just being together. Re-engaging takes intentionality.
I was grateful for this roundup of responses from church leaders on how to Rebuild Church Community. From “share meals” to “prioritize play” these tips will spark ideas for how to foster community in your own church. For a more in-depth look at the subject, check out our resource Creating Community. It covers communication basics, such as how to respect others in speech, while tackling harder topics, such as promoting confession and why we resist honesty with others.
