{"id":3056,"date":"2010-06-04T08:00:52","date_gmt":"2010-06-04T12:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/?p=3056"},"modified":"2023-03-29T09:03:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-29T13:03:37","slug":"too-busy-for-fellowship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/too-busy-for-fellowship.htm","title":{"rendered":"Ideas for Getting Busy People to Engage in True Fellowship"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HoldingIn a previous post we looked at possible causes for the decline of true fellowship<\/a> in the church, like busyness<\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 According to Acts 2:42,<\/span> the early church devoted themselves to fellowship.\u00a0 To truly be there for one another took time.\u00a0 They were available to one another.\u00a0 They were committed to the process.<\/p>\n

Time and availability, however, tend to be a rare commodity for many in today’s world geared toward instant access and fast service.\u00a0 It takes time, however, to get to know people.\u00a0 And, it isn’t always convenient to extend comfort and encouragement when people most need it.<\/p>\n

How can we help busy people take time for true fellowship?<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Perhaps we need to re-educate people about the purpose of coming together.\u00a0 It isn’t just about coming to worship God.\u00a0 The church is also about people who build each other up.\u00a0 Fellowship isn’t going to happen when you rush in and out without stopping to engage in conversations.\u00a0Church leaders, be careful meetings are not so tightly scheduled that people have no time to interact in-between.\u00a0 If the sermon is always going overtime, it will tend to make people all the more eager to rush out at the end.\u00a0 If your service gets over at noon, people will\u00a0want to go eat lunch.\u00a0 If you can’t make the time earlier, perhaps you can tack a meal on at the end … at least sometimes.\u00a0 This of course, might only pull in a limited number of people but it is something to consider.<\/em><\/li>\n
  2. We might be tempted to all the more encourage the use of social media because we’re busy.\u00a0 It only takes a few seconds to send a tweet.\u00a0 You can write on your Facebook wall and all your friends will get it.\u00a0 — a real time saver, right?\u00a0 Perhaps, but a high tech world also tends to lead to a low touch world<\/a>.\u00a0 Encourage people to use these mediums but to guard against them becoming a substitute for face-to-face relationships simply because it is more convenient.\u00a0Ministry leaders can be an example in this.\u00a0 How easy it is in these days to abandon face-to-face recruitment efforts in lieu of a quick e-mail or software programs geared to streamlining contacts.\u00a0 Let’s use technology but not be used by it.<\/em><\/li>\n
  3. Offer a variety of options for people getting together that provide a variety of commitment levels to meet people where they are.\u00a0Someone following <\/em>MinTools.com on Facebook<\/em><\/a> suggested asking people to our homes for dessert, “not too long to keep them from things,” as opposed to inviting them for a full meal where they would feel guilty to simply eat and run.\u00a0 This is a good option for busy people whereas others might be able to take time for a meal.\u00a0 Perhaps you could start by inviting them for a meal and if they hesitate because they are too busy, offer the dessert option.\u00a0 This example could possibly be applied to other ways we might try to get people to meet together.<\/em><\/li>\n
  4. Do things that truly interest people and meet needs and they will be more prone to make the time.\u00a0 People, as busy as they are, tend to make time for what they believe is important.<\/li>\n
  5. Teach on time management<\/a> and lining up our priorities with God’s.<\/li>\n
  6. Minimize travel time for small groups and other get-togethers by grouping according to locale.<\/li>\n
  7. Build more opportunities for true fellowship into already existing ministry venues.\u00a0 What people don’t need is another program to attend.<\/li>\n
  8. Pastors and ministry leaders must participate in fellowship with the Body as well, leading the way, if they expect others to follow suit.\u00a0\u00a0 It is so easy for pastors and ministry leaders to engage in fellowship with\u00a0fellow staff and rarely with fellow church members.\u00a0 People need to see both in leadership.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The early church, according to Acts 2:42, devoted themselves to fellowship. To truly be there for one another took time. They were available to one another. They were committed to the process. Time and availability, however, tend to be a rare commodity in today’s world geared toward . . . Continue reading Ideas for Getting Busy People to Engage in True Fellowship<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fellowship-unity"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t