From the New Testament example of Jesus and his disciples onward, Christians have been keenly aware that the best teaching and spiritual formation happens through personal relationships. Throughout your congregation, these relationships already exist—networks of friends, parents and children, spouses, and informal mentoring relationships (a teenage babysitter with a favorite four-year old). Part of your work is to help people see their already existing communities (they might not be entirely aware of the relational web spread across the congregation) as small groups—as mini communities of spiritual formation.

Try to identify some of the primary networks in your congregation. Perhaps many people work in the same company. Perhaps a majority has children in the same school. Help link together those who are closely related (maybe some work in the same downtown office building) for support or study. Follow the natural networks—and encourage people to be more overt about praying for each other, sharing needs and concerns, studying together, or doing outreach together. If you can endue relationships with intentional spiritual practice, you have gone a long way to creating a vital congregation of the priesthood of all believers.

Questions to consider:

• What relationships have been most influential in shaping your spiritual life?
  
• How did those relationships develop?
  
• How were you changed or strengthened through the relationship?
  
• Do you understand your current relationships as communities for spiritual formation?