{"id":1316,"date":"2015-04-17T21:08:05","date_gmt":"2015-04-18T04:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/?p=1316"},"modified":"2016-03-13T19:40:43","modified_gmt":"2016-03-14T02:40:43","slug":"the-game-changer-in-creating-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/the-game-changer-in-creating-community\/","title":{"rendered":"The Game Changer in Creating Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

Community. It\u2019s a buzz word in the church world these days. Leaders are doing everything within their power to create it. Whether it\u2019s a small group strategy or guest follow-up, as church leaders, we are attempting to do a better job in order to make a safe place for people to connect.<\/p>\n

In my attempt to participate in creating community, I\u2019ve stumbled upon a simple approach . . . an approach that takes a lot more time to execute. It requires more effort. And the results don\u2019t necessarily translate into a trendy, retweetable technique for social media gone viral. However, it\u2019s simple, but it\u2019s work. Hard work. But if you really care, it\u2019s quite easy.<\/p>\n

Know their name.<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Over the last few months, I\u2019ve consciously attempted to get to the names of those that I serve and sit alongside. If you\u2019re like me, you see the same faces week after week. You might have caught their name weeks or months ago, but for the life of you, you can\u2019t remember it. We need to change that. I\u2019ve had to change that. I\u2019ve had to care enough to work hard at remembering. But honestly, I cheat. I write their names down now. I walk away from a conversation with their name still in my mind, and I translate that into my technology \u2014\u00a0aka my iPhone. I jot down their name in my list of notes along with a couple of reminders about their story.<\/p>\n

Know their story.<\/h2>\n

People want you to know their name and then they want you to know their story. Ask questions. I wrote about that a few months ago<\/a>. Ask where they came from, where they work, what they do, what they like to do, and why they\u2019re here. It still amazes me that a few well-formed questions open the door for the floodgates. People love to talk about themselves. Even the most introverted likes to talk about themselves. So ask. The more you ask the more you can care.<\/p>\n

Know that you care.<\/h2>\n

They need to know that you care about them. Remember their story and ask. Ask how their sick child is doing. Ask about the job that has been rough as of late. Ask about their ailing parents that they shared are struggling in their latter days. Just care. Send them a text message during the week. Drop them a note on their Facebook timeline. And go old school . . . send them a note in the mail. They need to know that you truly care . . . \u00a0more than your small group strategy . . .more than your guest follow-up process. They matter more than all of that. I believe the end result translates into something we weren’t expecting . . . Community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Community. It\u2019s a buzz word in the church world these days. Leaders are doing everything within their power to create it. Whether it\u2019s a small group strategy or guest follow-up, as church leaders, we are attempting to do a better job in order to make a safe place for people to connect. In my attempt […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[31],"tags":[93,94,58,7,46],"class_list":["post-1316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-main","tag-community","tag-groups","tag-leadership","tag-ministry","tag-pastoring"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pzg9k-le","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1567,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/ten-reasons-i-love-my-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":1316,"position":0},"title":"Ten Reasons I Love My Church","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"January 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This month my family and I are celebrating five years since we made the decision to leave our Indiana home and relocate to Colorado Springs. On our first Sunday here in June 2012, we attended New Life Church and have been here ever since. At that time, we had no\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Main"","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1084,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/my-character-is-more-important-than-my-capability\/","url_meta":{"origin":1316,"position":1},"title":"My Character is More Important than my Capability","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"February 8, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Tonight I was reading an article that I marked on my reading list several months ago. It was basically a summary of how Americans are dissatisfied with their jobs, and the majority of those reasons are based upon dissatisfaction with their boss. 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Apps, conversely, deepen engagement for established church members, offering tailored content and resources\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Main"","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-1.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1527,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/a-few-thoughts-about-anti-social-media\/","url_meta":{"origin":1316,"position":3},"title":"A Few Thoughts about “Anti-Social” Media","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"November 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"If you've been on social media for more than five minutes, you know that it can be hotbed for lively discussion. Particularly in the last few weeks it seems that conversations have become more heated. More volatile. More opinionated. More political. More personal. Less kind. Less loving. Less tolerant. More\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Main"","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/IMG_0168.jpg?fit=654%2C646&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/IMG_0168.jpg?fit=654%2C646&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/IMG_0168.jpg?fit=654%2C646&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1111,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/just-when-you-thought-you-werent-a-leader\/","url_meta":{"origin":1316,"position":4},"title":"Just When You Thought You Weren’t a Leader","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"February 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Enjoy this short video that we watched recently at our Church Community Builder staff lunch.","rel":"","context":"In "Main"","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":211534,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/how-to-pick-the-right-people-for-your-culture-carrier-team\/","url_meta":{"origin":1316,"position":5},"title":"How to Pick the Right People for Your Culture Carrier Team","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"April 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"To build a strong Culture Carrier Team, leaders must select individuals who embody the desired culture, focusing on those with high influence and integrity, regardless of their titles. Diversity in backgrounds is essential, as is fostering a proactive environment. 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