Longing to Know and be Known

One of the deepest human desires is to known and be known. At their best, churches can be communities in which members find fulfillment in knowing and being known. Below, you will find the story of a network of house churches in Virginia that is learning how to be this kind of community. But sometimes, in failing to be these kind of communities churches become fertile soil for celebrity leaders (and in some instances, these celebrity leaders skirt accountability and become abusive.) We highlight an important new book below that explores the dynamics of celebrity, especially in Christian contexts.

Cultivating Communities works alongside cohorts of churches that are in close-proximity to each other, providing resources and helping them discern what it might look like for their congregations and their places to flourish. Our first cohort (in the mountains of East Tennessee) is now underway, and our second (on the south and west side of Chicago) will be launching this fall.

(Learn more about our cohorts and the Cultivating Communities Learning Journey)

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Katelyn Beaty's "Celebrities for Jesus" The problem of power without proximity. Sociologist John Hawthorne reviews Katelyn Beaty's brand new book, one to which church leaders should be paying close attention. "What humans of the past have found in traditional worship, fraternal organizations, and family and local community," Beaty writes, "we now seek in part by consuming images of people we don’t and can’t know."  (via John Hawthorne's Substack) 
Click Here to read this review ...