Building Community: What does it look like
What does building biblical community look like?

Deep within, we all long for a sense of community or family. That's the way God designed us. Throughout Scripture God speaks of our relationship to Him and others in terms of family. He calls us sons and daughters; we are brothers and sisters; He is our Father; we His Children; we are the Bride and Christ is the Groom: we are adopted into His family. These are the images of what a small group should look like. A small group within the church can be a close-knit community of believers. When we provide places of:
  1. Belonging. Biblical community is a place where people feel they belong. They must know they are loved, accepted and forgiven.
  2. Safety. Biblical community is a safe place where people are both challenged and encouraged. It s a place where each person is valued.
  3. Honesty. Biblical community is a place of shared joy and laughter, sorrow and tears. It is a place of healing and restoration, a place to receive, grow and invest one's life in others.
  4. Connection. Biblical community is a group of people who are connected first to God through prayer and worship, then to others through loving service, and then to themselves through personal spiritual growth.
  5. Encouragement. Biblical community is built on friendship, mutual care, mentoring, and opportunities for spiritual direction and formation.
  6. Growth. Biblical community is inclusive, not exclusive, of others. It seeks to reach out to others, to multiply and grow.
Taken from NavPress Small Group Training Seminar
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