We as the church of Jesus are supposed to “do life” together in the context of community. But how can we really do that, especially in the western context most of us find ourselves in?
I believe our ministry does need to be very countercultural, since our context is so far removed from biblical community. I live in Los Angeles– I understand.
There is no substitute for relational coaching in discipleship and leadership development. Our leadership needs to be radically relational. In a sense, that high-touch approach to relationships is a big draw to a culture that is hungry for relationship.
One other important point: because we in our culture are not used to doing relationship well, we’ll need to do a lot of training with your people about what real relationships are supposed to look like. It won’t come naturally. We as leaders need to be very intentional and hands-on about community building. And we’ll need to lead by example.
I lead a small group in a house church context. Some of the people I wouldn’t naturally be in relationship with. But we learn from one another and grow. That’s community… and it’s very countercultural, at least where I come from.