Food for thought!
"While the dominant culture tells us that cell phones, beepers, fax machines, e-mail and Internet chat rooms and blogs have made face-to-face, person-to-person communication obsolete, organizers and leaders who regularly do the intense work of relational meetings understand that these disciplined conversations touch our depths in a unique and irreplaceable way, even if one never sees the other person again. In relational meetings, the "why" questions so often avoided by people have a space in which to surface: Why are things like they are; why am I doing what I do; why don't I spend more time on the things I say are most important to me?"
The Power of Relational Action by Edward T. Chambers, ACTA Publications, 2009.
"People can be "connected" (Facebook) and still be lonely."
"My Facebook Friends" by L. Gregory Jones, Christian Century, July 15, 2008.
Why Do People First Visit the Church They Join? In her study of growing mainline Protestant congregations, Martha Grace Reese says "almost 60% of new members of evangelistic churches get their first because a person invited them, or because they know someone in the church. Percentages are identical for both new Christians and Christians with a church background. .... the one most effective thing you can do to get evangelism going in your church is to invite people to church!
Unbinding the Gospel by Martha Grace Reese, Chalice Press, 2006.
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