This is my first step into the world of blogging. It's a whole new world for me because I tend to prefer meeting and talking with folks personally, one on one. I accept this new reality because this is the way some folks prefer to do their communication and it does reach a larger mass of folks quickly. But there is still significant value in relationship building. In the arena of community organizing, doing one on ones is the foundation for building relationships and building a broad based organization of people to address deeply felt community issues.
I just read in the latest issue of Presbyterian Today about the new church called Hot Metal Bridge. In this article, it says that when the two founders of Hot Metal Bridge met with the Presbytery of Pittsburgh to discuss their vision for this new church, the Presbytery said that one of its expectations was that they had to go out into the highways and byways and meet and talk to 100 new folks each week. This is what it means to do one on ones! This organizing methodology of building relationships one by one was the same strategy employed in the development and growth of Saddleback Church and Willow Creek Church.
So when I meet with many urban, rural or smaller membership churches and propose to them that they go out into their neighborhoods to meet their "new" neighbors as part of their congregational transformation process, I usually face great resistance. Some of these churches prefer to send out fliers, develop a more sexy web page, or have some kind of community event but one that will be held within the church's four walls or grounds. Anything else but going out to meet their neighbors one on one.
Relationship building is a key component of community organizing, new church development and congregational transformation. It's not easy work but it's also not rocket science!