Growing Young: Promote Warm Community


What's your church known for?  Acts 2:42-47 describes the church of Jesus Christ in its infancy.  The Holy Spirit fell on the day of Pentecost and gave life to it.  This passage tells what these early Christ followers were known for.  They devoted themselves to several activities, but one of the most notable was what most of our English versions translate "the fellowship."

The Greek word for "fellowship" is koinonia.  It comes from the root koine, which means "common."  Koinonia was a sharing in common.  The text describes the deep connections and sharing in common the early church experienced.  They shared meals in their homes, eating together with glad and sincere hearts.  They shared their possessions, giving to their brothers and sisters in Christ as they had need.

The book Growing Young says that one of the important core commitments to churches that grow young is to develop a warm sense of community.  Those in the church don't just occupy the same space once a week.  They feel deep connections with each other across generational lines.

As Miroslav Volf has said, those in the church "become part of one another."

Emerging adults are looking for churches in which they can be honest about themselves and their struggles.  They want to be able to share the ugly parts of their lives.  They also want strong relationships across generational lines.  

What is your church known for?  Being known for having a beautiful building and a great worship service aren't enough to engage emerging adults.  To grow young, churches need to grow warm community within their fellowship, and welcome those who wish to join them.

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