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Zondervan. 2001
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Yes, I know, the book is slightly dated. But the title caught my eye. Why? Well, Stillnazers will know that “CONNECT” is the first of our core values . . . followed by Celebrate, Commit, Contribute and Communicate.
It is our conviction that the fulfillment of our mission . . . “more disciples, better disciples” . . . require and must begin with meaningful relational connections. So becoming a connecting church where meaningful relational connections are being made . . . well, I think you get my point.
So let’s look at the book!
Randy Frazee, at the time of the books release, was the senior pastor of the Pantego Bible Church in Arlington, Texas (www.pantego.org). So the book doesn’t just contain theory. This stuff has been field tested.
In the video, Frazee makes the point that US America is the loneliest nation on earth and we were created by God to live in community. Frazee writes:
“In this postmodern age, the church is truly the one institution that has the function of community as a part of its strategy to achieve its mission . . . “(p.35)
Chapter 3 deals with the problem of “individualism” in US America and the Christian faith “boldly and counter-culturally invites us to think of others as more important than ourselves.” (p.43) Phil. 2:3-4
Chapter 4 makes the argument that before there can be true community we must find a common purpose and a common creed. Helped by common traditions and standards, we must agree upon a common mission in the world.
I found Chapter five to be helpful because it confirmed what I’ve been preaching since September 2010 . . . God’s Big Idea . . . Mark 12 . . . the Jesus Creed . . . Love God . . . love others. This is the objective of the Christian life. I love this quote (put in on Facebook!)
“The teachings of Jesus articulate the two broadest categories; thus every command or principle for living found in the Bible can be placed under the broad umbrella of loving God or loving others.” (p.74), this is the function of biblical, Christian community.
Then Frazee jumps into the implementation of a common purpose . . . through worship (inspiration) community groups (instruction), home groups (involvement) and individuals (introspection).
Listen: The purpose of worship (praise, prayer, proclamation) is to inspire people to become fully developing disciples of Jesus Christ.
Part II of the book is about connecting to a common place.
Frazee concludes for them to be true community there must be a complete re-orientation in how we organize the church. To address the isolation so many feel, we need more of an emphasis on neighborhood groups and home groups. He very thoroughly describes how the church he pastors did that very thing.
The final part of the book deals with true community as connecting to common possessions as a way of addressing the consumerism of our day. Looking to Acts 4:32-37 and Acts 5:1-2 as a model, Frazee talks about the importance of compassion and generosity as ways to increase a sense of community.
The book confirmed the thing that the Lord has laid upon my heart for Stillmeadow: the importance of meaningful relational connections and providing places and opportunities for connections to take place. Smaller groups are a great start. Ministry groups (like Work and Witness, Xtreme Express and Choir) are a great opportunity to connect with our Christian friends and people in need. But there is more . . . there is another level.
For those of us who attend Stillnaz and “lead” Stillnaz, it is incumbent upon us to discover and explore this next level. To pray and plan . . . and to continue to ask one another:
“Is Stillnaz a connecting church and what can I do to contribute to this cause.”
Excellent book. Out of 5 stars, 5 stars.
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