Resources for Fellowship: Loving Relationships & Community in the Church among Believers
God desires that the Church engage in mutual, reciprocal sharing of our life in Christ with one another. These resources can help you promote true fellowship.
Click on a tab below to view a list of resources for fellowship among the church body.
Links to other sites will open in a new page to keep the list available to look at additional ministry resources. While seeking to choose sites and resources that are doctrinally sound, we make no claim to total endorsement of any listing. Where possible, we link to merchants with whom we have an affiliate relationship. These sites may use cookies to track your activity to ensure that Ministry Tools Resource Center gets commissions from any sales.
General
Articles About Fellowship
- All Sorts of People in the Church
- Are We Noticing People?
- Does True Fellowship Need to be Restored in the Church?
- Church Fellowship Ideas in a High Tech, Low Touch World
- Fellowship a Priority?
- Fellowship Defined
- Fellowship in Ministry Teams
- Focus in Group Events
- Getting Disillusioned People to Open Themselves to True Fellowship
- Ideas for Getting Busy People to Engage in True Fellowship
- Stressed Out People Need True Fellowship
- The Church is a Community
- The Church's Purpose to Love People Is Expressed Through Fellowship
- True Body Life Results in Fellowship
Books about Loving Relationships Essential to Christian Fellowship
- A God-Centered Church: Experiencing God Together by Henry Blackaby, Melvin Blackaby
- Body Life by Ray Stedman
- Community 101 by Gilbert Bilezikian
- Connecting by Larry Crabb
- Encouragement Changes Everything: Bless and Be Blessed by John C. Maxwell
- Everybody's Normal 'Til You Get to Know Them by John Ortberg
- Lasting Impressions: From Visiting to Belonging by Mark Waltz
- The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
- The Connecting Church 2.0 by Randy Frazee
- The Relationship Principles of Jesus by Tom Holladay
- True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia by Jerry Bridges
Community Building Ideas
Questions & Activities to Get People Talking as a Means of Building Community
Talk might start shallow with some of these ideas but has the potential develop into deeper fellowship.
- 101 Great Ideas to Create a Caring Group by Thom Corrigan
- 201 Great Questions by Jerry Jones
- Building Community in Youth Groups by Denny Rydberg (although intended for youth, many of the ideas can work well with adults)
- Fresh Ideas: Games, CrowdBreakers, & Community Builders by Jim Burns
- Fun Friend-Making Activities for Adult Groups by Karen Dockrey
- Groupbuilders: 50 High-Impact Ideas to Revolutionize Your Adult Ministry by Group Publishing
- Groupbuilder Games and Activities for Youth Ministry by Group Publishing
- Have You Ever...? 450 Intriguing Questions by Les Christie
- Ice-Breakers and Heart-Warmers: 101 Ways to Kickoff and End Meetings by Steve Sheely
- Ice Breakers & Openers: To Inspire Youth on CD-ROM by Walt Marcum
- Would You Rather . . . ? 465 Questions to Get Teens Talking by Doug Fields
- More Would You Rather...?: 465 Additional Questions by Doug Fields
- Youth Group Trust Builders by Denny Rydberg (although intended for youth, many of the ideas can work well with adults)
Teacher Training Resource for Building Community
- Teachers Either Block or Promote Community Worksheet by Ministry Tools Resource Center
Lessons
Curriculum & Bible Study Books For Teaching About Fellowship
- Community: Building Relationships Within God's Family, InterActions Series by Bill Hybels, Kevin G. Harney, Sherry Harney
- Ephesians: Building a Community in Christ, John Stott Bible Study by John Stott
- Christian Community, LifeGuide Topical Bible Studies by Rob Suggs
- Experiencing Community, Pilgrimage Growth Guide by Thom Corrigan
- Practical Issues in the Book of Philippians Discussion Guide by Ministry Tools Resource Center
- Connecting with God's Family by Brett Eastman & Karen Lee-Thorp
May your church experience true community. Use these fellowship resources to promote loving relationships with one another but understand the vital role of the Holy Spirit in bringing us together in Christ (Phil. 2:1).