Bob Hyatt talks about the two sides of community from the standpoint of the megachurch here and the minichurch here. Intriguing insights…
From Community lessons from the megachurch:
The truth is, while connecting to community may be easier for some than for others, at a base level, it’s the responsiblity of every individual. You either choose to connect to community, or you don’t. You either do the hard work of being present, getting to know others, being known yourself, or you don’t. You either throw your life in with others in community, or you don’t. Anonymity or engagement…
But he balances it with this from The other side of the community thing:
While it is a choice for every individual whether to engage or remain on the fringes of community, that’s not to say the community itself doesn’t play a role…It’s a tough thing for any large church to call itself “welcoming.” You may have a greeter program with folks standing out front shaking hands and there may be classes designed to move people from the fringes inward… but all the programs in the world have a tough time making up for the fact that it’s entirely possible for someone, in the average megachurch of today to attend on Sundays for weeks upon weeks without having anyone engage, recognize, and welcome them personally.
And his closing comments:
So, all that to say- there are different kinds of people who need different kinds of help in connecting. What everyone needs is a welcoming community, a community that notices when they are new and that notices when they are missing. Some people need more, true… but I say that knowing that too many people think they need more. They think they need people to chase after them and pursue them… when what they really need is a challenge to engage, to choose to connect… and maybe to find connection and community by welcoming others and being the welcoming community they want to see.
Well said Bob!
