The following quote comes from a recent article from the Emerging Leadership initiative - "Out of the Culture: A Process for Starting New Churches" -
"The first thing you must do to start a church out of the culture is build relationships - it's imperative. Incarnational ministry has become one of the many labels in the 21st century American church - it's one an out of the culture church would wear proudly because incarnational ministry demands relationship. The first thing a leader or group of people must do if they hope to make disciples in postmodern, post-Christian groups is build relationships. These are not casual relationships; these are real life, share life with one another kinds of friendships. Church planters and their teams must pour themselves into people in their neighborhood, at the coffee shop, at work, on their teams or in their clubs. Where they find open doors, they must forge friendships by opening their homes and intentionally and regularly doing life with the people they meet. If your friends are not becoming the church you're starting, something is very wrong."
Reaching out with one's community and building relationships with one's neighbors are also key steps with the congregational redevelopment/renewal process. Having a 1,000 friends on your Facebook or 1,000 followers on your tweeter network do not necessarily build deep and transforming relationships.
So it is important whether you are doing new church development or church transformation work that you get out of your car, hit the streets and go out and meet and talk with your neighbors!
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