We yearn for the security, friendship, accpetance, support, and growth that community promises. But there's a big difference between wanting community and experiencing it. Real Christian community doesn't just happen, it has to be built. What is commuity, and what's our role in building it?

In this study you'll investigate God's big plan for faith communities and find out what it takes to become a home in which God can dwell on earth. You'll explore skills, attitudes, and behaviors, humility, truth-telling, forgiveness, services that are essential for living in community with others.

Instead of a recipe for a just-add-water Bible study, this guide offers you a banquet of optoins for chewing on Bible texts and real life. It incorporates various styles of learning so you can choose what works best for you: thinking in words versus pictures, journaling on one's own or playing out a what-if scenario with a group, talking things through versus taking action. You'll listen in as a wide variety of people give their frank responses to the questions you're reflecting on. In session 6, you'll have a chance to pull it all together and assess "So What?" What are you going to do with what you've learned? Explore what's behind this thing called "community" that we desire so much, and learn how you can experience it to the fullest.

CONTENTS:

How This Study Works

Doing This Study as a Group

BIG IDEA 1
    The Functions of Community

BIG IDEA 2
    Humility: The Truth About Me

BIG IDEA 3
    Unity: The Truth About Us

BIG IDEA 4
    Service: Using Our Gifts to Build the Body

BIG IDEA 5
    Forgiveness: Getting Back on Track

Wrapping It Up: So What?

Notes