Connect groups can take kingdom living from
abstract concepts to concrete practice.
By Cara Garrity, Development Coordinator, Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S.
For many of us, Kingdom Living can feel like an abstract concept. I want to take time in this article to tangibly flesh out one way that Kingdom Living can be practiced through the life of the local church.
Connect groups have great potential to become corporate expressions of Kingdom Living. They are already spaces where folks live a portion of their lives together each week. When facilitated with intentionality, they can be places of belonging, place-sharing, discipleship, celebration, joy, sharing of burdens, worship, lament, and so much more. They can become spaces for participants to both experience and practice living the kingdom in our midst.
One way I like to think of connect groups is as bubbles of the kingdom within the day-to-day rhythms of our lives. The push and pull of society can be demanding on our lives and we are still in the process of renewal, being transformed in Christlikeness each day. So, let’s be honest, we can find it difficult to live from a kingdom posture. Connect groups can serve as an intentional space to practice living out of a kingdom posture and to invite one another into experiencing the kingdom.
Here are two examples of connect groups as “bubbles of the kingdom” in the midst of day-to-day living:
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- Social outing connect group for young professionals who work in fast-paced jobs where the individual employee is not valued. This connect group would foster a space of belonging, a place to be seen for the unique person God has made you to be, and a slow-paced environment that values the person over productivity.
- Board game connect group hosted at the local café/pub. This connect group would intentionally create a welcoming environment. It is communicated clearly that everyone in the place is welcome to join in. People describe the group as a space that is easy to feel like you belong.
Curating connect groups as “bubbles of the kingdom” requires intentional leadership. A connect group does not automatically cultivate an intentional space of Kingdom Living just by existing. The way the group is facilitated has a significant impact on how the space is shaped. So, if we want to take seriously the practice of Kingdom Living, equipping connect group facilitators is one way of doing so. This means equipping facilitators not only to be able to facilitate activities, follow curriculum, or schedule meeting times, but to facilitate spaces that reflect the kingdom and invite participants into practices of Kingdom Living.
Consider equipping facilitators to …
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- Participate in personal spiritual formation experience and practice.
- Establish norms of engagement for connect group members (i.e., acceptable behavior and how we will treat one another). See Facilitator Postures – GCI Equipper.
- Create spaces of belonging.
- Become comfortable and competent with place-sharing. See Place-sharers Are Hopeful – GCI Equipper and Place-sharing video series.
- Cultivate a missional mindset.
- Discern God’s movements and spot God in unexpected places.
Reflection Questions:
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- In what ways do our current connect groups reflect characteristics of the kingdom of God? In what ways do our current connect groups invite participants to practice Kingdom Living?
- How can we become more intentional about cultivating connect groups as expressions of Kingdom Living?
- How have our connect group facilitators been equipped? What additional equipping can be provided?
- How can the Faith Avenue champion and connect group facilitators explore connect groups as “bubbles of the Kingdom”?
