Creating Environments (Southland Christian Church, Lexington, KY)

A book review by Myron Williams

When Jon Weece became senior minister of Southland Christian Church, Lexington, Kentucky, he convened the leadership team to help determine Southland”s future direction. The mission, “Love God, love people,” was in place, but the strategy to accomplish these mandates was nonexistent. Over a two-year period the team developed six core values. This article tells the story of value four: “Life happens best in community.”

A strategy grew out of many discussions and much prayer about how to create environments for moving “weekend-only” adults into smaller community settings where they could know and be known by other believers. Part of this strategy was influenced by Joe Myers”s first book, The Search to Belong. The team developing the adult strategy learned from Myers”s book that people found community in four spaces: public, social, personal, and intimate. We simply did not understand that people are not ready and willing to be placed in intimate community following someone else”s initiative or agenda.

PROGRAMMING, NOT CONNECTING

We launched our strategy for placing people in intimate space””we call them life groups””in fall 2005 and rather quickly discovered Myers”s thesis was correct. We could not program intimate connections. We did what many churches do, launching groups made up of people who had only recently met one another, if at all, before the groups formed. By early spring 2006 we had learned the conventional methods for forming life groups did not work, since only 20 percent of the groups were still meeting after three months.

As we analyzed the high failure rate, we went back to Myers”s book and began rethinking people”s need for community in all four spaces. Though his book Organic Community was not yet published, we decided we needed to help people connect naturally, rather than force connection and community. From spring through fall 2006, we talked with people who belonged to the few vibrant life groups, and prayed a lot.

In January 2007 we relaunched our strategy for helping people naturally connect in the community in a way that fit their needs. In February three staff members met with Joe Myers, and he unpacked a couple of principles explained in Organic Community. These principles began to permeate our thoughts about what we were doing to help people connect. When the book became available, many on Southland”s staff read it immediately, and together began to explore the ideas presented in the book.

RELEASING, NOT PRESCRIBING

Recently the study ministry team responsible for connecting adults met and talked through what we have learned in the last 27 months. When we began we were fairly certain we needed to be “in control” of our environments and groups. We now realize we can create environments where people naturally connect, but we cannot control how connection takes place. Myers would say we are becoming descriptive rather than prescriptive, and we are now seeing spiritually healthier environments and groups.

When we launch new environments and groups we ask communities to work within three facets: spiritual formation, shared life, and care. We encourage people in each space to determine specifically how they will nurture life, knowing they have the freedom to create their space as guided by the Holy Spirit. Therefore there is no one model for these life groups.

For many who serve on the study ministry team, releasing instead of prescribing has not been easy, but we find the results are fostering spiritual growth. For example, 18 months after the relaunch of the strategy, almost 80 percent of life groups are still meeting; and there has been a significant increase in the number of people connecting in the social and personal environments.

Staff and elders hear stories every month about how the church is being more successful in its mission to “love God and love people.”

As a result of our discussions with Joe Myers, our language and approach is becoming more “invitational.” We now understand we do not choose who belongs to us, but others choose to belong to us; therefore we need to “invite” people to join us on the journey toward Christ. We are now in the process of examining our environments and our language with this guiding concept.

We believe we”ve only started. We”re looking for more opportunities to create environments where people who choose Southland Christian Church are able to connect at their pace and in the space they need. Because of our time with Joe Myers and his writings we are committed to creating these spaces.

 

 

Myron D. Williams is study minister with Southland Christian Church, Lexington, Kentucky.

 

 

RELATED ARTICLES:

ORGANIC COMMUNITY, an excerpt of a new book by Joseph R. Myers

DISCUSSING AND DISCOVERING COMMUNITY, a review of Organic Community, written by Jon Zabrocki, Parkview Christian Church, Orland Park, Illinois.

SEEING GOD’S WORK, a review of Organic Community, written by Bill Search, Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky.