Jul 12
Lessons On Sustaining A Successful Community Learned Through the Church
Published by Amybeth (@researchgoddess) at 7:00 am under Community
My friend Mike shared a link to an article by Lindsay Fosner called We Don’t Go To Church last week. The post discusses some reasons why people, young people in particular, don’t attend church anymore. I found it quite interesting that ‘community’ was referenced several times in this post – and there are plenty of things about all types of communities that can be learned from the dwindling attendance in church these days.
“Young adults today are looking for depth…They are opposed to said “community” that doesn’t truly hold people accountable or go deeper than knowing your name.”
How many times do we have this debate of quality vs. quantity? Sure, to have a diverse and interesting community, you must have quantity. But to have deep, meaningful relationships within that community, you must focus on quality. There is a delicate balance of the two to find the most value within a community, and unfortunately a lot of young people aren’t willing to put the sweat equity into building a valuable community.
There are six testimonials listed in the original post from conversations the author had with young people, asking them for some of the reasons they don’t enjoy physically attending church. The concepts behind each testimonial are important points to understand when trying to build and sustain a community. (make sure you check out the testimonials in the original article as well)
- A successful community reaches beyond its own walls and invites those on the outside in to participate and learn. (i.e. limiting the ‘echo chamber’)
- A successful community is composed of individuals who want to give a voice to all and not just push their own agenda.
- A successful community isn’t just there for its members when it is convenient or advantageous to the community itself.
- A successful community shares some of its wealth (knowledge, resources, etc.) with individuals who are outside of the community.
- A successful community strives to make a difference in the world, however large or small it may be.
- A successful community holds all of its members accountable to both their strengths and shortcomings and does not try to cover them up to save face. (authenticity and honesty) It also provides opportunities for members to get involved at a level at which they are comfortable.
- BONUS: A successful community knows that its success is not just based on numbers (membership, butts in the seat, subscribers, etc.)
I have one additional thought to add that pertains to community members. In order for a community to be successful, members also need to be willing to participate and share with the community and not just take from it. Whether this means sharing knowledge, manpower, financial resources, or whatever, a community is the sum of all its parts.
There are plenty of churches out there who do many of these things and operate quite successfully. There are also plenty that don’t. Regardless of the type of community, I feel that these sentiments go beyond the ‘young people’ generation. People in general today want to be part of something good, worthwhile, and something that is making a true difference in the world. If you want your community to grow and be filled with individuals looking to make a real difference, following these principles will get you off to a good start!
note: my religious beliefs align with Christianity. However, this post is not driven by my religious beliefs, but by the lesson that can be learned in the referenced post which just happens to be about church. As such, this post, and this blog for that matter, are not the place for religious debate. Thank you for respecting my space!
Great Post, Amybeth. The analogy is quite apt. The old paradigm many companies have followed is that they are in full control of the message. Their “believers” had the choice to accept the official “gospel” or move on.
But some companies are now waking up to the fact that customers aren’t eager to join a group where their voice isn’t heard. By admitting its own fallibility and really listening to feedback, an organization can transcend that one-sided communication and form more valuable bonds.