Introduction

A practical guide for those struggling to build a community of believers in a culture that wants to experience belonging over believing.

Questions of Belonging

Who is my neighbor? Who belongs to me? To whom do I belong? These are timeless questions that guide the church to its fundamental calling.

Changing Cultural Context

Today terms like neighbor, family, and congregation are being redefined. People are searching to belong in new places and experiences. The church needs to adapt its interpretations, definitions, and language to make sense in the changing culture.

Tools for Community Building

This book equips congregations and church leaders with tools to:

• Discern the key ingredients people look for in community
• Understand the use of space as a key element for experiencing belonging and community
• Develop the “chemical compound” that produces an environment for community to spontaneously emerge
• Discover how language promotes specific spatial belonging and then use this knowledge to build an effective vocabulary for community development
• Create an assessment tool for evaluating organizational and personal community health