Fellowship is the art of one-anothering
Congregational Application of the Practice
Congregational Application:
Sharer: Have a conversation with someone you trust where you are vulnerable about a specific struggle of your inner-life/heart. Please endeavour to share beyond the surface level (e.g. work, children, etc…).
Listener: Follow Paul’s exhortation to “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) This is usually not a time to jump in with advice or a way to fix the problem. It is a time to listen, perhaps be silent, and end with prayer. Follow up with the person who shared one week later to let them know you are praying for them.
Sharer: Have a conversation with someone you trust where you are vulnerable about a specific struggle of your inner-life/heart. Please endeavour to share beyond the surface level (e.g. work, children, etc…).
Listener: Follow Paul’s exhortation to “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) This is usually not a time to jump in with advice or a way to fix the problem. It is a time to listen, perhaps be silent, and end with prayer. Follow up with the person who shared one week later to let them know you are praying for them.
Fellowship Resources
Life Together is a classic work on fostering authentic Christian community. Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes with courage and gentleness about the ordinary life of fellowship. He explores role of personal prayer, common worship, everyday work, and service in those whose lives are knit together in Christ.
In Befriend, Scott Sauls examines a world where real friendship is hard to find. Suspicious of other and insecure about ourselves, we can retreat into the safety of small, self-made worlds. Tragically, even the church can become a place that reinforces this isolation. Jesus models a much richer vision of friendship.