I am sure it won’t come as a surprise to you that statistics show the percentage of people living alone in America is at an all-time high and friendships are on the decline. The evidence can be found in every community. America has experienced soaring levels of substance abuse, addiction to porn and obesity, all illegitimate means to reduce emotional pain from social isolation.
The best solution to the problems facing America and most market democracies around the world is to develop local churches like Paul described in the book of Acts; churches where believers connect with the Lord, connect with one another and connect with their communities.
At this year’s Connected Church Conference, we had the honor of hosting Michael Lee Stallard, president of the leadership training firm E Pluribus Partners and a director of Life Spring Network. His breakout sessions on this topic were among the most attended. As church leaders, we need to equip our staff and our congregations to develop more strategic, sustainable community in our ministries. Before we can develop good processes to support this, we must first understand the why behind it and the challenges we will face as we implement our strategies. This is why we invited Michael to share his wisdom with a larger audience.
Ron Edmondson
Will Mancini
