"Creating Community" (Andy Stanley and Bill Willits)

TITLE: Creating Community, Revised & Updated Edition: Five Keys to Building a Thriving Small Group Culture
AUTHOR: Andy Stanley and Bill Willits
PUBLISHER: Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2021, (193 pages).
 

Times have changed. Society and people too. Yet the need for relationships does not change. Technology may have changed the way we communicate, but there is no substitute for connection. We all need to be connected beyond just an Internet group. We need small groups to create a community.  According to authors Andy Stanley and Bill Willits, people everywhere still have the same need for community. They wrote this book back in 2004 and have updated this book for a new economy. Observing the trends that are happening today, the need for community could not have been greater. We might be technologically connected. We might have the latest means to keep in touch. We might also be able to do more things with less time. Yet, that does not necessarily translate into meaningful living. Living alone or doing things independently does not negate the need for true community. Recognizing the need is one thing. How to get there is another. Stanley and Willits give us five strategies to go about doing that. The five "keys" for real growth are classified in terms of needs, namely:

1. People Need Community
2. Leaders Need Clarity
3. Churches Need Strategy
4. Connection Needs Simplicity
5. Processes Need Reality

These five keys are described with compelling examples, stories, and statistics about the need to create community. In the first key, readers are reminded about the depth of loneliness in Western society. From the interior design of most residences to the technological environment of isolation, many of the observations should resonate with readers about our anti-social environment. The authors remind us that God's purpose for human beings is the total opposite of what society has to offer. Even Jesus' prayer is filled with asking God to provide for people to be more deeply connected with one another. The second key highlights the crucial role of leadership. Communities do not just happen. They require leadership in terms of a clear purpose, the importance of growth, the unique roles we can all play, and the directions we can carve toward. The third key deals with how we can get the Church moving toward a vision of a small group community. This strategy needs to be clear, simple, compelling and convicting. With six chapters about the nitty-gritty of setting up and giving directions to groups, readers will find it most practical and relevant. The fourth key focuses on communications, which I believe is a crucial step toward the success of small groups. With knowledge about our people, we can adjust our strategy, create appropriate steps, and simplify the processes as much as possible. The fifth key is about setting our expectations. Rather than be influenced by the marketing gimmicks and unreal images of worldly expectations, we need to manage our expectations and to encourage one another to work toward biblical standards. 

My Thoughts
First, people are more important than plans and processes. While this book talks a lot about the steps to start small groups, there is a constant reference to integrating the needs of people into the strategies. Beginning with people's need for community, the authors guide the reader in being sensitive to the reactions of people each step of the way. This is commendable. From leaders to facilitators, present to future group members, whether it is planning or communicating, the main deciding factor is not how good the strategies are but how appropriate they fit into the contexts and culture of the people concerned. Without people, plans are of no use. 

Second, the importance of small groups cannot be over-emphasized. It needs to be the core strategy of every Church. I remember taking a class about small groups about the difference between "Small-Group Church" and a "Church with small groups." The key point is that the former is putting small groups at the core of the Church while the latter puts small groups at the peripheral among the many Church programs. This requires a culture change and a paradigm shift in many Church communities. Once this is done, it is much easier to continue to build the Church using small groups. 

Finally, I believe that small groups are the essence of what it means to be a Church. Many churches nowadays look at Sunday Services as their main program for building community. While that is a good central meeting point, it is often considered a superficial level of relationship, sort of a touch-and-go interaction. People don't simply open up to share their deepest concerns at a Sunday meeting. They need a small group where members know and understand one another. A friend of mine once told me that a weekend away together at a summer camp builds relationships far better than two years of meeting just on Sundays. Since going to camps and retreats happen only once or twice a year, small groups that meet regularly are the best alternative. Church leaders, group facilitators, and concerned members of the Church, if your Church already has small groups, use this book to strengthen and start other groups. If your Church does not have any, it is high time to do so. Let this book provide the nuts and bolts on how to do just that. By the way, start with prayer. Pray with people with the same conviction. Then go forth in faith and meet away!

Andy Stanley is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and the founding pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, with a youthful congregation of more than 16,000 on three campuses. Andy is the author of the 1998 ForeWord Book of the Year finalist Visioneering, the bestsellers Like a Rock, and The Next Generation Leader, and the recent How Good Is Good Enough? Andy and his wife, Sandra, have two sons and a daughter.

Bill Willitts is the Director of Group Life at North Point Community Church. Bill is a graduate of Florida State University and Dallas Theological Seminary and has previously served on other church staffs in Atlanta and Dallas, Texas. His most important small group consists of his wife, Terry, and their daughter, Bailey.

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Waterbrook Multnomah and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.