In a virus impacted world where we travel less and click more, how does a relationship that may begin as an on-line connection develop into an in-person disciple-maker? In answering this question, our starting point must surely be to believe that Jesus hasn’t put the great commission on hold during COVID-19 (ref Matthew 28:19). Uncertainty may still be here, and talk may still persist of a second wave of infection. But we still have a mission, and we must pivot to find ways to be effective within our current environment.
SURVEY RESULTS PART 2
This blog post is the second in a series that unpacks some key findings from our recent Hive church survey, and discusses how we believe this feeds into our future.
Conducted earlier this month, we wanted to learn how our community felt about on-line and in-person church experiences; listen to what was working and not working so well; and also to gauge the appetite for change as we prepare for life after pandemic.
FEEDBACK REGARDING CONNECT GROUPS
According to the survey, we can do better with connect groups:
- Less than half of people (42%) have joined every Connect Group, 29% had never tried.
- Although most people who participated in online Connect Groups say they feel as connected (53%) and as comfortable (60%) online as in person, most people (76%) would often or always recommend in-person Connect Groups (even among people who’ve attended every online group, everybody was at least neutral), but many people (42%) had mixed feelings about recommending online Connect Groups.
FEEDBACK REGARDING CONNECTION TO THE BROADER HIVE COMMUNITY
The survey also asked church on-line participants to describe how connected they felt to the broader Hive community. There’s room for improvement here too:
- Many people (43%) said they had little opportunity to interact with the broader Hive community during services, but some people (19%) said they had very much opportunity
- Most people (56%) said they felt much or very much a part of the broader Hive community
- Some people (24%) said they felt not much or only minimally part of the broader Hive community
FEEDBACK REGARDING ON-LINE OR IN-PERSON PREFERENCES FOR CONNECT GROUPS
When asked about on-line or in-person preferences for connect groups this is what the survey revealed:
- Most people (56%) say they’re likely or very likely to attend an in-person Connect Group, and the majority (71%) say the availability of a COVID-19 vaccine wouldn’t affect their decision.
- Many people (42%) say they’d attend a mixture of online and in-person Connect Groups; only 14% were in-person-only, and nobody was online-only.
HOW WE PROPOSE TO RESPOND AND GO FORWARD
- On-line or in-person connect groups? Rather than an either/or choice, we see this as both/and. We plan to experiment with both options. This week we will re-introduce in-person groups, and we’re keen for your feedback. Let’s see how it goes.
- Re-focus on discipleship. Regardless of how, or even where we meet, the bigger question for connect groups is WHY meet in the first place? A disciple of Jesus is a multiplier: one who reproduces followers of Jesus. Do you think of yourself as a disciple? Can you identify a person in your life who is prompting and helping you in obedience of Jesus commandments (Matthew 28:19)? And do you have someone who you are helping and encouraging? This is a good reason to belong to a connect group. Be a giver, not just a taker.
- Love deeply. At the heart of every effective discipling relationship is a love that compels (2 Corinthians 5:14). This is the love with which Jesus first loved us. This is the agape love that is so unique, the New Testament Greek language had to invent a new word for it.
agape (love) denotes an undefeatable benevolence and unconquerable goodwill that always seeks the highest good of the other person, no matter what they do. It is the self-giving love that gives freely without asking anything in return, and does not consider the worth of its object. Agape describes the unconditional love that God has for the world.
Study notes; NKJV, Word Wealth
This is what it means to engage relationally.
This is how we are called to live as a community of faith.
We have been loved like this (Romans 5:5).
And this is how a relationship that may begin as an on-line connection develops into an in-person disciple-maker.
LOVE.
