How to Build A Stronger Community
Building and keeping the kind of belonging found in a strong community is not complicated, but it does have to be intentional!
Intentional & Strong Community
The good news is that very small things can keep a sense of healthy belonging growing in these kinds of relationships. Even a low investment can build a stronger network into your life if you simply make the shift to intention.
A strong community can feel like it just “happens” because of our relational makeup, but you can also grow and strengthen it on purpose. Goodness knows I’m no authority on how to do this, but I can certainly testify to the emptiness in part of your soul that comes from not being intentional. I’ve learned the simplest rule of thumb for a stronger community is to show up and do good. It sounds so simple, but when life consumes us, it’s easy to toss aside these two simple things that result in communal belonging.
Presence
Presence is the simplest and biggest way to build community. In the busy era of my life raising four kids, I am most tempted not to show up. Time is precious, and I can sometimes hoard it for myself instead of using it to build community.
I also have a personality where I need to recharge with time alone, so if I’m running near empty, it never sounds great to me to gather with others. However, showing up where your community is present is a big deal— even for introverts or people who’d rather get their to-do lists done for the day. Alone time and checked boxes have never resulted in a greater sense of relational connection, yet I’m tempted to always do those things first.
These tendencies caught up with me after Covid when I was no longer required to be in the office a certain amount of time. Since much of the hands-on work I do requires research and writing, silence is my friend! And I like it. So, I began to mostly work at home, only showing up for critical meetings.
Within a year, I began to feel very distant from my staff community. I would walk into meetings and the loss of belonging was so evident. About six months ago, after several years working at home, I switched back to a predictable in-office schedule. My sense of warm, connected community with the staff has skyrocketed. Because I am present.
A Pathway for God
When you show up, you keep a pathway open for God to provide for you, bless you, comfort and delight you, and give you resources for your life and work— not to mention keep your soul whole and healthy with an everyday sense of companionship and belonging.
Because you find people for your community in so many places, you just need to ask where your people are present . . . and go there. I know how simplistic that sounds, but I call it “the ministry of presence.”
Showing up definitely builds community!
Reflection:
- How can you show up and be present with others today?
- What’s an area of your life you’d like to work on building community in?
If you liked this post, check out the book Blueprint for Belonging by Alli Patterson. She guides you through a redesign of your own relational world according to Jesus’ divine blueprint so you can discover authentic, restorative relationships that will truly satisfy your soul.
Alli Patterson is passionate about helping others know Jesus and build a life on the firm foundation of his Word. She holds a master’s degree in biblical studies from Dallas Theological Seminary and is a teaching pastor at Crossroads Church. The author of How to Stay Standing, Alli lives with her husband, Bill, their four children, and one very bratty cat. Learn more at TheAlliPatterson.com.
