Copyright holder: Tyndale University, 3377 Bayview Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2M 3S4 Att.: Library Director, J. William Horsey Library Copyright: This Work has been made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws of Canada without the written authority from the copyright owner. Copyright license: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License Citation: Lawrence, Mark Anthony. "Creating Belonging for Newcomers: A First Step Toward an Integration Model for New Attendees at North Park Worship Centre." D. Min., Tyndale University College & Seminary, 2018. ***** Begin Content ****** TYNDALE UNIVERSITY 3377 Bayview Avenue Toronto, ON M2M 3S4 TEL: 416.226.6620 www.tyndale.ca Note: This Work has been made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws of Canada without the written authority from the copyright owner. Lawrence, Mark Anthony. "Creating Belonging for Newcomers: A First Step Toward an Integration Model for New Attendees at North Park Worship Centre." D. Min., Tyndale University College & Seminary, 2018. [ Citation Page ] Tyndale University College & Seminary Creating Belonging For Newcomers: A First Step Toward an Integration Model for New Attendees at North Park Worship Centre A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Ministry Tyndale Seminary by Mark Anthony Lawrence Toronto, Canada March 2018 [ Title Page ] Copyright © 2018 by Mark Anthony Lawrence All rights reserved [ Title Page Verso ] ABSTRACT This action research project was a first step toward integrating new people into North Park Worship Centre. Based on research into biblical principles, social science findings, and interviews with integration pastors, the project participants were invited into the integration process to determine if this approach would develop the experience of belonging. Qualitative research was conducted, including data collection through surveys, ethnographic observation, and personal reflection. The component of belonging was the area of focus in this study. The outcome of the project was that participants experienced a sense of belonging and were positioned for integration into the wider church community. [ Page ] vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This Doctor of Ministry program at Tyndale Seminary could not have been completed alone but required working with others and getting their feedback, support, and encouragement. My family has been a great support. My wife, Dawn, and our children, Shannon and Savannah, graciously accommodated me as I spent tireless days and nights working on my project, while allowing me to give the best of me as I shared my time between both family and school. I appreciate them for understanding the rigors of taking on many responsibilities in addition to caring for them. My church family has also been supportive (especially the members of the youth team) but more specifically: Pastor Kyrel Thompson (who shared ideas and feedback), Mechelle Waite (whose role was the observer/stenographer during the ethnographic observation, who provided valuable insights at different points of the thesis), Jelissa Dawkins (who assisted with compiling the bibliography), Trevor Garrett, Juwon Wee, and Jackie Dixon (who shared her knowledge and provided feedback). I appreciate all of you for your time, commitment, patience, and expertise during the strenuous but rewarding task of pursuing and completing this project. Your contributions will prove to be beneficial in helping newcomers build connections and meaningful relationships in our church. [ Page ] vii I am thankful for my advisor, Bill Thornton, for challenging me to think deeply as I worked through this project. Your encouragement, feedback, wisdom and direction steered me in the right direction to complete the project. To all the participants, thanks for your bravery and willingness to share in the sessions. Your time is appreciated. I thank God for giving me insight, passion, and strength and for keeping me humble and focused as I developed in my professional and leadership walk. I am always thankful because you have taken me through different paths on this life journey. I pray for your continued guidance and blessing as I seek to fulfill your plan and purpose for my life in the local church and on this earth. [ Page ] viii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLE .... xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .... xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .... 1 Statement of the Problem .... 1 The Innovation .... 4 Ministry Context .... 6 Personal Context .... 7 The Opportunity .... 8 Definition of Key Terms .... 14 Statement of Limitations .... 15 CHAPTER 2: THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK .... 16 Community Observed in the Trinity .... 16 Community Observed in God’s Relationship with Humanity .... 18 Community Observed between Humans .... 20 Community for All: God First Chooses Israel .... 22 Community for All: God Chooses All Nations .... 23 Community in the New Testament Church .... 24 “One Another” and Community .... 29 Sin, Confession, and Community .... 34 Connect to Community .... 36 Summary .... 39 CHAPTER 3: PRECEDENT SOCIAL SCIENCE LITERATURE .... 41 Defining Community .... 42 Membership .... 43 Boundaries .... 44 Emotional Safety .... 45 A Sense of Belonging and Identification .... 45 Personal Investment .... 46 Common Symbol System .... 46 Summary of Attributes .... 47 Influence .... 48 Integration and Fulfillment of Needs .... 50 Shared Emotional Connection .... 51 Group Dynamics .... 53 Personality .... 57 Participation .... 62 The Canadian Distinctive .... 64 The Caribbean Distinctive .... 65 Summary .... 70 [ Page ] ix CHAPTER 4: PROJECT, METHODOLOGY AND METHOD .... 72 Principles of Action Research .... 73 Recruitment .... 76 Data Collection .... 77 Data Analysis .... 80 Compliance with Ethical Standards .... 82 Review of Survey Interviews with Three Integration Pastors .... 84 Project Implementation .... 85 Week One .... 85 Week Two .... 86 Week Three .... 87 Week Four .... 87 Week Five .... 88 Week Six .... 89 Gantt Chart Showing Phases and Timetable .... 90 Summary .... 91 CHAPTER 5: OUTCOMES AND INTERPRETATION .... 92 Integration Pastors .... 93 Key Project Discoveries .... 93 Small Group Sessions .... 94 Security .... 97 Openness .... 97 Trust .... 98 Comfort .... 98 Interaction .... 98 Behavioral Change .... 99 Survey Data Discoveries .... 100 Summary .... 103 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION .... 105 Project Summary .... 105 Evaluation of the Six-Week Small Group Sessions .... 108 Evaluation of the Building Blocks of Belonging .... 109 Implications for North Park Worship Centre .... 111 Implications for the Wider Community .... 112 Future Implication .... 113 Improvement to the Six-Week Small Group .... 114 Framework of the Model for Further Integration .... 114 Church of God of Prophecy—Eastern Canada .... 115 Personal Journal Reflection .... 115 Summary .... 118 APPENDICES .... 119 APPENDIX A: Interview Questions for Integration Pastors .... 120 [ Page ] x APPENDIX B: Pre-Group Survey for Participants in Small Group .... 121 APPENDIX C: Post-Group Survey for Participants in Small Group .... 123 APPENDIX D: Self-Reflection Journal on the Process of the Project .... 124 APPENDIX E: Letter of Information and Consent Form for Integration Pastors .... 125 APPENDIX F: Letter of Information and Consent Form for New Attendees .... 127 APPENDIX G: Small Group Schedule .... 129 APPENDIX H: Pre- Group Survey Code Word, Concept, Category, Theme .... 130 APPENDIX I: Post- Group Survey Code Word, Concept, Category, Theme .... 134 Appendix J: Small Group Sessions: Code Word, Concept, Category, Theme .... 136 REFERENCE LIST .... 137 [ Page ] xi LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLE Figure 1: Initial Connect, Belong, Engage (CBE) Model - Stage 1 & Stage 2 .... 3 Figure 2: Building Blocks of Belonging (BBB) .... 5 Figure 3: CBE Integration Model .... 10 Figure 4: Building Blocks of Belonging .... 96 Figure 5: Reasons to Join a Small Group .... 101 Figure 6: Building Blocks of Belonging .... 110 Table 1: Gantt Chart Showing 2016-2017 Phases and Timetable .... 90 [ Page ] xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BBB Building Blocks of Belonging CBE Connect, Belong, Engage Model DMin Doctor of Ministry ESV English Standard Version. Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible quotations in this paper are from the ESV. M1 Member 1 M2 Member 2 M3 Member 3 M4 Member 4 M5 Member 5 M6 Member 6 M7 Member 7 M8 Member 8 M9 Member 9 NIV New International Version NPWC North Park Worship Centre P1 Pastor 1 P2 Pastor 2 P3 Pastor 3 [ Page ] xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION In this chapter, I introduce the research project that was conducted at North Park Worship Centre (NPWC) in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree from Tyndale Seminary. The chapter begins by identifying the issue that led to this research project. The objective of this thesis-project was to use a six-week period to create a positive environment in which hesitant newcomers to the church could get a taste of the Christian community so they could build relationships with others, and integrate into the church community. The research question that developed out of this research concern was “Does the implementation of a six-week small group help newcomers in discovering friendship and belonging?” The results indicate that each participant experienced a sense of friendship and belonging by interacting in the small group. This chapter concludes with a list of key terms and definitions that are used throughout this thesis. Statement of the Problem NPWC operates on three concepts: connecting, belonging, and engaging (CBE) (Douglas 2014, Leadership seminar lecture notes), which is illustrated in [ Page ] 1 the CBE model (see Figure 1 below). Understanding these three values in the context of NPWC is as follows: “Connect” refers to a primary relationship with Jesus Christ. “Belong” refers to being invested in a dynamic and authentic church community. “Engaged” refers to being involved in the ministry of the church through gifts, talents and abilities, and in missional ministry for Jesus Christ. In my effort to determine how best to see the three components of connect, belong and engage come about, I felt that people needed to have a sense of belonging, which could help in fostering relationship with others, discipling them, and getting them involved in the ministry of NPWC congregation. As such, the local church should have an intentional plan of action for integrating newcomers into the church so they are able to feel they have a place of belonging, because newcomers were coming to the church and leaving without being integrated into the life of the congregation. NPWC has the responsibility of creating an environment in which people can build relationships with others. However, NPWC was not being intentional in creating an environment for newcomers to connect with each other, build relationships, and integrate into the church community. Environment is the atmosphere that makes people comfortable and wanting to connect with others. It is one in which people feel their needs are being met, their voice is being heard and they are valued as individuals within the particular community. It is created through the disposition and interaction of individuals towards one another within a group Therefore, an intentional approach to integrating newcomers should welcome new people into the life of the church and allow them to foster positive [ Page ] 2 relationships. This was a problem that needed to be addressed; in response, I did the six-week small group as my DMin project, which is the first step of integrating newcomers at NPWC. I plan to incorporate the components of the CBE model over time within the ministry of NPWC. The partial CBE model looks like the following Figure 1: Figure 1: Initial Connect, Belong, Engage (CBE) Model - Stage 1 & Stage 2 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for figure 1 details ] The goal is to experience Koinonia and belonging. Koinonia’s primary meaning is “fellowship, sharing in common, communion.” The first occurrence of koinonia is in Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Belonging is the human experience of connectedness, which leads to community, fellowship, and involvement within the wider church community. [ Page ] 3 The focus is community, which is the affiliation and bonds that develop within the wider church community at NPWC through integration. The bonds include security, trust, and openness. The place was the six-week small group I facilitated for my project. Metric is the percentage of people who participated in the small group. The visitor follow-up (S1) and the six-week small group (S2) contributes to the ability of individuals to both connect and engage within NPWC. In the context of the integration of newcomers within NWPC, fellowship is a key aspect of the Christian life. Believers in Christ are to come together in common communion, love, and mutual encouragement. Stage 1 of the model (S1) depicts the initial newcomer engagement with the church, and the follow-up that takes place after his/her visit. Stage 2 of the model (S2) depicts the six-week small group sessions that were the focus of my project. The Innovation NPWC has the opportunity to connect with those who make the effort to visit the church. In addition, if they desire, we should seek to integrate them into the life of the church. This is important for NPWC, a church that has been in the City of Brampton for over twenty years and has not yet developed an intentional small group model to connect newcomers. It was important to develop and implement a model whereby newcomers to the church could connect and build relationships with others. To begin addressing the issue, the inductive process approach was used and a small group session for newcomers was facilitated over a six-week time-period to help quantify my results. The key discovery that came [ Page ] 4 out of the six-week small group was the Building Blocks of Belonging (BBB), as shown in Figure 2 below: Figure 2: Building Blocks of Belonging (BBB) [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Figure 2 details ] The BBB is a visual representation of the changes in behaviour experienced by the participants throughout the project-thesis, and more importantly, it reflected the different changes that occurred. The BBB reflects the necessary components to facilitate one’s ability to move progressively closer to the place of belonging. In order to build a strong relationship there must be a sense of security, which may develop into trust, and can lead to openness (on the part of individuals to share their experiences). Comfort is the ability of individuals to connect and feel a sense of emotional ease. As each of the components is [ Page ] 3 experienced, persons may move to achieve a sense of belonging. The arrows move bidirectional because persons may go back and forth between the various components (see Chapter 5 for a detailed explanation). As I explain further in chapters three and five, my model reflects McMillan and Chavis’s concept of a community. They define a community as “a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met through their commitment to be together” (McMillan and Chavis 1986, 9). It was my goal that participants would achieve a sense of belonging by the end of the six-week project so that they might have a greater receptivity to be more involved in the church. Ministry Context The ministry context for this action research project is NPWC, a predominantly Caribbean-Canadian congregation located in the City of Brampton that includes people from various Caribbean backgrounds. NPWC began as a Sunday school with twenty attendees in 1979 in a basement apartment in Brampton. The Sunday school was relocated to a public school after a few months, growing to forty attendees. In 1980, the Sunday school became a mission, and in 1981, a congregation of the Church of God of Prophecy was officially organized in Brampton with 20 members. Burdened by the constant changes in location, especially as some of these locations were not always conducive to church services, property was purchased in 1992 at 395 North Park Drive. The [ Page ] 6 church was called North Park Worship Centre. The first service in this new building was held on August 15, 1993. Over the last decade, the membership of the congregation has seen significant numerical growth. The church has grown from 250 members (1991) to approximately 550 members (2014). The congregation is fairly young with a total of 80% of the members under the age of 50 (Davis 2015, 2). In November of 2015, I was hired as the full time assistant pastor to serve alongside the lead pastor and an associate pastor. My responsibilities now include building positive relationships with visitors, preaching, teaching, and evangelism. I work closely with the other two pastors to develop strong leaders and equip members to become fully engaged disciples in the church and community. Loving people is an objective of our congregation. Forming friendships and feeling that you belong is one way that integration can begin. NPWC has many new people who visit on Sundays. This provides opportunities for NPWC to be intentional in helping people connect and build fellowship among one other. One of the goals of NPWC over the next five years is to create a variety of small groups that are designed to encourage the development of deep relationships with others. Personal Context Connecting with people has always been important to me as a leader. As I reflected on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I realize that everyone wants to feel a sense of belonging at some point in their life. I have been a Christian almost all [ Page ] 7 my life, and my experience is that it is not easy for some people to make connections quickly in a new environment, such as when they first come to church. I have had the opportunity as one of the pastors of NPWC to speak with newcomers who feel that the congregation is not loving. This led me to start thinking of how the church can change this perspective and be intentional about making newcomers feel welcomed and have a sense of belonging when they enter the church. The objective would be to have newcomers feel accepted and cared for (loved) as they become integrated into NPWC. When I transitioned from part- time to full-time hours at the church, I began thinking of how I could make a difference with the portfolio that I have, working with visitors. I had a prime opportunity to take action by addressing this in my research project when I enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program at Tyndale University College & Seminary. This project is the first intentional program in our church for welcoming visitors. As an integration tool the CBE process encompasses all three aspects of integration: Connect, Belong, and Engage. This includes the four stages under the Belong component: visitor follow-up, six-week small group, membership, and discipleship. The Opportunity The idea for this project came about in 2006 when I was first appointed as an associate pastor. My main area of focus was on new people who visited the church. After each service on a Sunday, the visitor’s cards would be directed to me from the hostess. I would then make contact with the visitors and thank them [ Page ] 8 for choosing to visit North Park and follow-up on their experience visiting the church for the first time. Then, I would schedule a follow-up meeting to give further information about the background of the church. Some visitors would share positive experiences and show an interest in becoming a formal member of the church and complete the necessary steps in the process. To further expand on this, I saw a need to develop an integration model that would foster relationships and belonging among newcomers. Between 2006 and the beginning of my thesis project there was no specific focus placed on the integration of newcomers within NPWC. Another motivation for this project was based on my observation of newcomers who frequently attend NPWC and had not yet connected with others. Finding ways to integrate them into the life of the church was necessary to connect them with others. Harris says “a wholehearted relationship with a local church is God’s loving plan for me and for every other follower of Christ” (Harris 2004, 15). The overall objective of this process was to integrate newcomers into the life and ministry of the local church. The CBE model takes an intentional approach to see newcomers welcomed and integrated into the life and ministry of NPWC. I hope that these people will become more involved and have a sense of deeper commitment. Colin Marshall and Tony Payne assert, “The goal of all Christian ministry, in all its forms, is disciple-making” (Marshall and Payne 2009, 153). NPWC operates on three concepts: connecting, belonging, and engaging (CBE) (Douglas 2014), which is illustrated in the diagram, Figure 3 below. [ Page ] 9 Figure 3: CBE Integration Model, shows the start of the integration process, beginning with visitor follow-up (S1), followed by the six-week small group sessions (S2). The visitor follow-up (S1) and the six-week small group (S2) contribute to the ability of individuals to both connect and engage within NPWC. Figure 3: CBE Integration Model [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Figure 3 details ] The participants in the six-week sessions included both Christians and non-Christians. The participation of non-Christians was unanticipated. Moving forward, I created a different stream for non-Christians after the completion of the six-week small group, which is the Come Grow with Christ class (Stage S2.5). The Stage 2.5 borders on the Belonging component because newcomers can still experience a sense of belonging while participating in the class. This is [ Page ] 10 where they can have an opportunity to encounter Christ, be discipled and return to the process of integration with the next step being Membership (S3). The (S3) edges the Belonging component because participants have a sense of belonging and therefore a motivation to move forward to membership. However, if individuals do not come to faith in Christ (observed by lack of a personal confession of faith and critical life-style changes), they can continue attending the church, but will not have the opportunity to proceed to the Membership (S3) stage of the integration process. In addition, they will not be allowed to have any official ministry role within the congregational meetings, as per our existing ministry practice. However, to keep them involved in the life of the church, they will be encouraged to participate in community outreach events such as Coldest Night of the Year; Love Brampton; Samaritan’s Purse; annual Christmas banquet, and the annual church barbecue. After the six-week small group sessions, (S2) and the Come Grow with Christ class (S2.5), individuals who qualify will move to the Membership stage (S3). This move from the small group to membership (without any interim step) is consistent with my denomination’s current policy and procedure. Their integration will culminate with the Discipleship stage (S4). The (S4) borders on the Belonging component because participants are experiencing belonging, which leads to engagement. Full integration from the perspective of NPWC means that individual has moved from a newcomer to taking full membership within the church. [ Page ] 11 It is my conviction that any method for integrating newcomers into the local church while guiding them toward discipleship should include these various stages. God has created us for meaningful relationships with him and his people. Thus, any effort the church leadership puts forth to evangelize and disciple people should be found in the context of community. Looking at the future application of this process, integration will involve taking an individual through an intentional process that leads to discipleship and integration within the NPWC community. I believe that the four stages outlined below will complete the comprehensive steps, which be necessary now that my six-week project has been completed. Over the coming months, these steps will continue to lead individuals through the process of connecting, belonging and engaging at NPWC. Each of the stages outlined below ran for a six-week period. Stage 1 - Visitor Follow-up • First visit • Welcome card • Follow-up • Meeting/conversation • Invite to a small group Stage 2 - Six-Week Small Group • Creating Sense of Belonging o Security o Trust o Openness o A Sense of Belonging Stage 2.5 – New Believers Class • New Believers Class o Salvation o Sanctification o The Spirit Filled Life o Bible Reading & Prayer [ Page ] 12 o Communion Stage 3 – Membership • The Church o What it is o Purpose • Who We Are - NPWC o History o Our Mission, Vision, and Goal • Organizational Structure of NPWC o Lead Pastor role and Responsibilities o Assistant Pastor role and Responsibilities o Associate Pastor role and Responsibilities • What We Believe o Scripture o God o Jesus Christ o The Holy Spirit o Salvation o The Ordinances o The End Times • What We Practice o Membership • Benefits • Requirements • Responsibilities . Lifestyle . Involvement o Tithing o Baptism by Immersion o Spirit-led living o Evangelism Stage 4 – Discipleship • Worship • Study • Prayer • Fellowship • Evangelism • Spiritual Gifts o Biblical Basis o Identification [ Page ] 13 • Spiritual Gifts Tool • Understanding Score o The Purpose of Service o How to Get Involved in Ministry o Using Your Gifts Definition of Key Terms A list of keys terms has been included to provide added clarity. These definitions represent the meanings and explanations that will be used when these terms arise within the context. Belonging: Belonging is the human experience of connectedness, which leads to community, fellowship, and involvement within the wider church community at NPWC. Community: Community is the affiliation and bonds that develop within the wider church community at NPWC through integration. The bonds include security, trust, openness, and comfort. It is created when people come together and experience the various components of the Building Blocks of Belonging (BBB). Connect: encountering truth through a primary relationship with Jesus Christ and encountering people in authentic relationships with one another in the context of the wider church community at NPWC. Discipleship: Discipleship, when referred to, is the process of making followers of Jesus Christ. It is evidenced in a person’s life by a desire to grow closer to Jesus, a commitment to Christian community and its values, prayer, Bible study, utilizing one’s gifts for serving others and developing Godly character. [ Page ] 14 Integration: Integration as used in this paper is the movement of people from an initial experience with NPWC, into being regular attendees, and then to becoming active members within the church. Koinonia: The primary meaning of Koinonia is fellowship, sharing in common, communion. In the context of the integration of newcomers within NWPC, fellowship is a key aspect of the Christian life. New People: New people are individuals who were new to NPWC during the six months before the start of the project but had not committed to participating in the life of the church. These individuals include both men and women but not children. Statement of Limitations There are limitations to this project that should be considered. The first limitation is that six weeks was not sufficient time to develop friendship or relational bonds. I chose the six-week time based on my literature review related to social science, which indicates that a shorter time would be beneficial based on person’s busy schedule. Secondly, effective group dynamics require relational chemistry; so no program can guarantee members will experience meaningful community. I felt that the six-week period would at least help participants within the group begin to see the aspects of group dynamic and relation chemistry among themselves. Thirdly, given the time constraints of today’s busy society, participants were not always able to attend every session. This was evident because of the absenteeism observed during the project sessions. [ Page ] 15 CHAPTER 2: THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK In this section, I present a theological approach to the importance of community life within the Christian context. The objective of this section is to demonstrate that meaningful Christian community is vital, as examined by the Word of God. Topics to be explored include: community observed in the Trinity; community observed in God’s relationship with humanity; community observed between humans; community for all: God first chooses Israel; community for all: God chooses all nations; community in the New Testament church; “One another” and community; Sin, confession, and community; and connect to community. My intention at the end of this chapter is to establish how God has always and continues to work through community. Community Observed in the Trinity The concept of community was first demonstrated in action within the Trinity, signifying its importance to Christians. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit co-exist in an intimate communal relationship. This unity puts forth that God, while expressed as three persons, cannot be divided against himself (Boff 2000, 2; Fairbairn 2009, 39; Westerhoff 2004, 13). God’s sovereignty “is to be understood not in terms of power over the other, but as [ Page ] 16 communion” (Hunt 1997, 12). Consider how this relationship operates. The Bible gives testimony to the fact that each member of the Trinity is in a constant relationship with the others, consistent in humility and service, testifying to and glorifying the other (Luke 22:42; John 5:36; 1 John 4:14). The Trinity is “a selfsufficing community of unspeakably, magnificent personal beings of boundless love, knowledge and power” (Ortberg 2003, 38). The Father takes pleasure in and loves the Son, giving him all authority on earth and in heaven (Matt. 28:18). The Father also bestows the Spirit to us in the name of the Son (John 14:26). The Son carries out the will of the Father (John 5:19) and advocates for the Spirit (John 14.16). Furthermore, the Spirit does the will of the Father and testifies to the Son (John 15:26). In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit operates with power in the Christian community, uniting believers for the accomplishment and fulfillment of God’s purpose (Butin 2001, 95). The Trinity’s primary focus is the unity between all three members of the Trinity (Ford 2009, 19). This has substantial implications for humanity: “[T]he idea of the Trinity turns out to be vitally important because it tells us that God himself has been experiencing community throughout eternity. Community is rooted in the being of God” (Ortberg 2003, 34). Leonardo Boff echoes this sentiment: “In the beginning is communion among several, wealth of diversity, union as expression of the surrender of one divine Person to the other” (Boff 2000, 1-2). Humanity has been presented with a model of a perfect community that is to be emulated. As this relates to the concept of community within the church, it emphasizes the fact that [ Page ] 17 as Christians these things (communion with others, humility) should characterize our relationships as Christians within the church community. Each member of the Trinity is willing to submit himself to the other, creating a humble communal relationship (1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16-17; Rev. 1:1; Ford 2009, 18). Boff explains, “The Trinity shows that underlying everything existing and moving there dwells an impulse of unification, communion, and eternal synthesis of those who are distinct in an infinite, living, person, loving and absolutely fulfilling whole” (Boff 2000, 6). Looking to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, a model of perfect community that permeates all created things can be observed in love, fellowship, unity, and service (Hunt 1998, 12; Westerhoff 2004, 13-14). Within the specific context of the six-week small group project as well as in the overall context of integration newcomers within NPWC, there needs to be unity, communion and love among Christians in the church community. Community Observed in God’s Relationship with Humanity Humans were created with this same desire to experience relationship, as demonstrated in the Trinity, because all are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). Stanley Grenz states, “Just as the triune God is the eternal fellowship of the Trinitarian members, so also God’s purpose for creation is that the world participate in ‘community’” (Grenz 1994, 112). A part of understanding the imago Dei is the fact that humans were created not to live in isolation, but all are invited to live in relationship and communion with God (Fairbairn 2009, 63). [ Page ] 18 “Through faith in Christ, through the baptism, into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19), we enter into the life of the Trinity and are graciously included as partners” (Seamands 2005, 12). Because humans were created in the image of God, all people are meant to experience relationship with the Trinity (Ford 2009, 20). God did not choose to create human beings due to his loneliness or boredom; rather, “God created human beings because he was so in- love with community that he wanted a world full of people to share it with” (Ortberg, 2003, 39). The desire for community was inscribed within our very being upon creation. All are invited to enter, “the fellowship of love and step into the circle of relationship with the Trinity” (Ortberg, 2003 40). During the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus asks the Father that those on earth who believe, might be one, just as the Son is one with the Father (John 17:20-21). Jesus prays that believers would not only gain an understanding of the divine triune community, but that those who believe might also become part of the Trinity’s relationship and participate in that union (Andrews 2012, 23; Cahall 2016, 23; Fairbairn 2009, 64; Pettit 2008, 38). Entering into the divine community causes our hearts to come alive and feel fulfillment, achieving what all people were created for. Without this, our hearts would be forever empty and closed upon themselves (Ortberg 2003, 40). The inability to properly grasp the importance of one’s relationship with God also puts one at risk of not achieving spiritual communion with others. [ Page ] 19 Community Observed between Humans Humanity experiences relationship not only with God the Creator but also one another. This is exemplified by the decision to create man and then woman, as God did not think it was good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). Even in Adam’s perfect state of communion with God, the Lord was not yet satisfied with what he had done (Ortberg 2003, 31). Adam had no other comparable in likeness; there was no similar being for this first man to commune with. “The goal of the Divine activity throughout history is the bringing into being of the community envisioned by the Creator who took note of the solitariness of the first human in the Garden of Eden” (Grenz 1994, 113). The creation of woman brought about the ability for humanity to reproduce; however, prior to this, man and woman were expected to know each other and to have relationships. The pairing of humanity demonstrates the fact that humanity was made to interact and be in communion with one another (Butin 2001, 93). James Ford uses the analogy of a married couple; when they have children naturally, the desire is for the children to resemble the mother and father, in physical attributes and morality (Ford 2009, 18). God created man and woman in his image and, therefore, desires humanity to share in his desire for relationship. Perry Cahall echoes the sentiment: “Thus, because man is made in God’s image, he resembles him in both his spiritual and social nature. In Genesis 2:18 God stated it was not good for man to be alone. This shows that men and women were not intended to be ‘solitary beings,’ but were made to exist in a relationship” (Cahall 2016, 30). To be alone or isolated is not the will of God. [ Page ] 20 God admitted that it was not good for man to be alone (Fairbairn 2009, 64), but this changes in Genesis when man has woman to have close fellowship with (Gen. 1:31). David also recognized the pleasure that comes from community: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity” (Ps. 133:1, NIV]. The relational need to know and be loved by others was etched into the very image of God within humanity. Community is never optional; it is necessary for being what God designed (Ford 2008, 20; Volf 1998, 33). John Ortberg states, “Our need for community with people and the God who made us is to the human spirit what food and air and water are to the human body” (Ortberg 2003, 18). Experiencing a relationship with God and others is an integral part of our design: If God means three divine Persons in eternal communion among themselves, then we must conclude that we also, sons and daughters are called to communion. We are image and likeness of the Trinity. Hence, we are community beings. Solitude is hell. No one is an island. We are surrounded by persons, things, and beings on all sides. Because of the Blessed Trinity, we are called to maintain relations of communion with all, giving and receiving, and together building a rich and open shared life. (Boff, 2000, 2) Humanity has been given the proper model for communion by observing the relationship presented within the Trinity (Butin 2001, 91-93; Ford 2009, 17-18; Hunt 1998, 13-14). God shows divine community and created humans to experience community. People cannot live in isolation; humans are designed to relate to others “All communion must involve others as a primary and constitutive ingredient” (Zizioulas 2006, 11). When there is pursuit of this community experience, a desire to emulate the relationship, the Godhead is reflected. [ Page ] 21 Community for All: God First Chooses Israel The idea of belonging to a community is reflected in the Bible and expressed in different formats. Throughout the Old Testament, a portrait of God’s community is painted with God’s chosen people, the descendants of Abraham, the children of Israel (Deut. 7:6-8; 2 Sam. 7:23-24; Rom. 1:16). The identity of the one true God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel…” (1 Kings 18:36; Deut. 6:10-12; 1 Chron. 29:18). This emphasizes that there is a community of people to whom God has revealed himself and calls his own. God first establishes a covenant with Abraham: “I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gates of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (Gen. 22:17-18). God is then faithful to that covenant, reaffirming it with Abraham’s descendants (Gen. 26:3-5; 28:14-15). The ability to lay claim to the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants came from belonging to the community who served the same God (Ex. 32:13; Ps. 20:1; Ps. 46:7; Ps. 105:8-15). This is further demonstrated by the Twelve Tribes of Israel, God’s chosen people. On multiple occasions, the Bible makes reference to an individual’s lineage, connecting it back to one of the Tribes of Israel (1 Sam. 9:1- 2; Est. 2:5; Matt. 1:17; John 4:12; Rev. 7:4-8), further demonstrating the importance of belonging to a community. God enters into a covenant with Israel, and says he will make his abode among them and dwell in their midst (Bruinsma [ Page ] 22 2009, 25). God selects the Israelite people to experience community with him as his chosen people: “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his own possession out of all the people who are on the face of the earth” (Deut. 14:2). An Israelite (or a Jew) belongs to the lineage of Abraham. Being a Jew meant you belonged to God’s chosen community and had a “special relationship” with God, He being their God, and the Israelites being his people (Ezek. 14:11; Jer. 32:38; Zech. 8:8). Community for All: God Chooses All Nations In the New Testament, after the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the group of God’s chosen people is expanded to all nations: “…first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Rom. 1:16; Grenz 1994, 112). Through the work of Jesus, all can now belong to God’s chosen community: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Although God sets the precedent and demonstrates community, first choosing the Israelite people to enter the circle of relationship, God’s intention was always to include all in the circle. God is not concerned about just one people, but all nations. God’s care is not only for every individual, but for society (Boff 2000, 4; Bruinsma 2009, 23). In the New Testament, there were occasions when Jesus appears to challenge cultural obligations to his biological family (Mark 3:7-55; Matt. 10:34- 37); instead, he states that his family members are those that share his vision and act accordingly (Westerhoff 2004, 2-3). His call to all nations is also made clear [ Page ] 23 in the great commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:20). Furthermore, believers are to understand that all regenerated Christ- followers belong to God’s family: “See what kind of love the Father has given unto us that we should be called the children of God; and so we are… Beloved, we are God’s children.” The same point is also made in Galatians 3:26: “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” Believers need not trace their lineage to a tribe of Israel to find communal connection to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. At conversion, every believer is adopted into God’s family with full rights as sons and daughters of God: “Because the triune God is not a private deity, one cannot create a private fellowship with this God. Fellowship with the triune God is therefore at once also fellowship with all other human beings who in faith have surrendered their existence to the same God…” (Volf 1998, 33). In the book of Revelation, this fellowship from all nations is recorded as a great sight: “behold, a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9). Sinners not only step into communion with the Trinity (by placing their faith in the finished work of Christ alone) but also they enter into communion with fellow believers (Bonhoeffer 1954, 25). Community in the New Testament Church For Christians, the potential for a God glorifying community lies within the unity found in a local church. The church is God’s people, a union in love [ Page ] 24 under the power of the Holy Spirit (Butin 2001, 95; Volf 1998, 140). “The church is a local group of Christian believers whom God has gathered together to worship him, because his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, has called them out of the world to be a community of faith” (Barthel and Edling 2012, 16). This is the ecclesia—those that have been called (out) (Bruinsma 2009, 39). Simply put, the ecclesia, the true church, is composed of those who are called by God not only outwardly but inwardly by the Holy Spirit. To belong to him, to follow him, and to learn from him and of him. This community is tied to the Trinity: “Our experience of God in salvation and our life together as the church in worship, fellowship and mission are Trinitarian as well” (Seamands 2005, 15). John Stott agrees: “[A]uthentic fellowship is Trinitarian fellowship. It bears witness to our common share in the grace of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit” (Stott 2007, 91). Finally, “the heart of the Christian life is to be united with the God of Jesus Christ by means of communion with one another” (Lacugna 1993, 1). In the New Testament, the majority of the letters are addressed to various churches in particular regions. These were communities of believers that worshiped together and belonged within a particular church. Being associated with a church allows for a believer to have an identity and experience unity when giving glory to God. The common participation in God is what unites Christians (Stott 2007, 91). Dietrich Bonhoeffer asserts that there is great joy and strength that is brought about through the physical proximity of believers to one another (2 Tim. 1:4; 1 Thess. 3:10; 2 John 12), and there is no shame in yearning for the presence of other Christians (Bonhoeffer 1954, 19). The church is a faith [ Page ] 25 community and is essential to the Christian faith and life (Westerhoff 2004, 9-10). Believers must understand that “Community is the place God made us for. Community is the place where God meets us” (Ortberg 2003, 21). The church is intricately tied to God’s plan for humanity. Believers who distance themselves from the Christian community, by default, distance themselves from God and his plans.. The church should be a sign of the Kingdom of God, a demonstration of what human community should look like when it comes under God’s rule. (Bruinsma 2007, 48). The inability to enter into a communion with God’s people threatens to hinder the fullness of our relationship with God. An example of discovering relationship through the Christian community is seen in Acts: So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day- by-day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day- by-day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:41-47 [ESV]) This community of people is an example of how the church empowered by the Spirit, attracted new people and integrating them into the wider church body. This integration helped the expansion of the community. First-century believers demonstrated the makeup of a Christian community through their lives and speech. [ Page ] 26 Within this passage, one can see fellowship, intimacy, and faith accompanied by joy, gladness, and praise of God. While this was happening internally with believers, their relationships with those outside of this community were positive as well (Bock 2007, 153-154; Bruinsma 2009, 40). Many were attracted and intrigued by what they saw and wanted to be a part of this fellowship. The positive reputation they held impacted their witness. Luke concluded the summary with a note—that as each day passed, the Lord adds to the number of those who were being saved (Bock 2007, 155). Those who were not yet a part of this community wanted to connect and have fellowship with the believers who were full of joy. They wanted fellowship with those that were nurturing and caring for each other, and to experience koinonia (communion with God, and other believers), sharing a common life. Ortberg puts it plainly: “This is why the experience of authentic community is so life-giving. We are taking our place in fellowship with Life himself” (Ortberg 2003, 40). The focus is on serving others and exalting Christ. This correlates with Romans 15:5-7, where Paul says “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, to bring praise to God.” Having this mindset leads to mutual acceptance and connectedness, and a willingness to welcome those who have been outsiders (Butin 2001, 107). This is the opposite of passing judgment and looking down on others, as noted in Rom. 14:1-3. Acceptance is receiving each other with favor, as [ Page ] 27 Christ does us. Ortberg says, “To accept someone is to affirm to them that you think it’s a very good thing they are alive” (Ortberg 2003, 101). Being a part of the early church entailed “prayer, fellowship, and the breaking of bread together. Conversion led to immediate follow-up and care for instructions, spiritual nurture, personal fellowship and the meeting of basic needs” (Bock 2007, 155). While the breaking of bread is commonly assumed to be the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, it is also partaking of food together as a community in fellowship (Bruce 1988, 74). This was done in not only the temple but also the homes of the apostles, intimate settings (Acts 2:42; 5:46). Fredrick Bruce notes the wording in Acts 2, and due to the moving of the Holy Spirit: “The church of Jerusalem was too large to meet in any one building: its members were evidently divided for fellowship and worship into a number of house churches” (Bruce 1988, 238). There was a large gathering of believers, but there was also the opportunity for smaller intimate gatherings, which included prayer, worship, and fellowship. Relationships and the sense of community that was developed during and after conversion were as vital as evangelism was to the early church members, “Everything in the Gospel of Acts tells us that God’s people are to take the initiative to show community and serve those around them…community and the welfare of the group were a priority” (Bock 2007, 155). The early church community presented is a reflection of the relationship observed within the Trinity, and what members of the Christian community should strive for in present day: [ Page ] 28 First, they were related to the apostles (in submission). They were eager to receive the apostles’ instruction…Secondly, they were related to each other (in love). They persevered in the fellowship, supporting each other and relieving the needs of the poor…Thirdly, they were related to God (in worship). They worshipped him in the temple and in the home…with joy and reverence…Fourthly, they were related to the world (in outreach). They were engaged in continuous evangelism. (Stott 2014, 20) The early church showed submission, unity, and love, dynamics integral to the Trinity. There was also worship and outreach—key components for believers today. As believers enter the circle of the Trinity, they are moved to worship God and are to remind others that they are invited to this circle as well. This does not need to be anchored to the large congregation and the four walls of the church. It can be experienced in intimate groups, and in the home, with the church being the people and not the building. The closer a congregation moves to achieving this, the closer it becomes to emulating the communion that God demonstrates within the Trinity and exemplifying a community of belonging and connectedness. “One Another” and Community The “one another” passages of Scripture illustrate the Christian sense of community and describe the reciprocity of Christian fellowship (Stott 2007, 94). They serve as a reminder that God’s desire for humanity is for all to operate in a mode of selflessness (Ford 2009, 35). The “one another” passages occur 59 times as specific commands in the New Testament. Within the context of Christian community, putting into practice the “one another” passages is a way to grow a Christ-honoring attitude of relating to others and creating environments where deeper and authentic relationships can be formed. Professing believers reflect God [ Page ] 29 most authentically when they live according to his intention (Butin 2001, 91) and part of that intention encompasses relations with others. In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul speaks of the need to be transformed by the renewing of the mind (v.2). However, this was not to be done in isolation, but rather the process would take place when God’s people lived out his message through relationship and community (Jones and Brown 2008, 9-10). The heartfelt practice of this exhortation creates a healthy church family environment. For believers to fulfill the practices outlined in the “one another” passages, they must care and have concern for each other (O’Brien 2010, 370). Otherwise, they must be intentional in demonstrating their belief and love for the Lord Jesus: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). A church body where love is seen and experienced is a visible representation of what a Christ-centered life looks like. Because of the diversity within the church (i.e., the differences in personalities, gifts, talents, cultural backgrounds, and family dynamics), believers are reminded to obey these directives on numerous occasions. The “one another” lesson ought to be practiced by all of us, and no one is exempt from any of them, even though some may be harder to adhere to than others. Although one may find it easier to serve someone as compared to forgiving someone, this does not mean it is reasonable to neglect the command to forgive. Believers are to work together, complimenting each other and striving for excellence in all areas. This is in-line with Paul’s frequent usage of the imagery of the church as the “Body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12: 12-27; Rom. 12:4-5; Eph. 1:23; Eph. 2:16) and each member of the body working together for the glory of God [ Page ] 30 (Bruinsma 2009, 53). Philip Butin reflects on the significance of the church being the body of Christ: Within this one body, Christian believers reflect God’s own triune relationality as we mutually serve one another in the church. We share with one another the love, grace and strength we receive from the triune God. The diversity in unity that characterizes the Trinity is reflected on a human level. There is a unity because of—not despite—the diversity of the backgrounds, cultures, races, priorities, generational groups, and economic means within the Christian community. Together, distinct and diverse human persons comprise Christ’s one body. Each represents a unique perspective and brings unique gifts of the Spirit … We reflect God outward. As we do, the world and its inhabitants are invited to share in the divine purpose for which they were created, by participating in God’s own life through participation in the church. (Butin 2001, 95) To be the hands and feet of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27), believers must participate in community, in relationship with other believers of Christ. It is God’s intention that believers will function like a body, where each member of the body works in harmony with all the other members, sharing God’s life together, making visible the invisible God (Stott 2007, 68-69). Paul is referring to the need for spiritual unification as God’s people. Although God’s Spirit has allowed believers to accomplish various tasks, Christians are united and called to a oneness: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4-6) (Bruinsma 2009, 53; Butin 2001, 17). Therefore, all of us are called to practice the “one another” commands unconditionally and unilaterally, even if someone else is not doing it. In terms of looking to integrate newcomers, an environment of encouragement and inclusion needs to be evident as noted in the words of Solomon: [ Page ] 31 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 [ESV]) In order for Christian fellowship and synergism to flourish, and to preserve our witness, “We cannot proclaim the gospel of God’s love with any degree of integrity if we do not exhibit it in our love [and relationship] for others” (Stott 2007, 69). I chose the particular passages listed below, because I felt these are the ones most pertinent to what I hoped to accomplish within the six-week small group sessions. 1. Accept one another (Rom. 15:7) 2. Serve one another (Gal. 5:13) 3. Encouraging one another (1Thess. 5:11) 4. Love one another (John 13:34-35) 5. Bear with one another (Eph. 4:2) 6. Be devoted to one another (Rom. 12:10) 7. Honor one another (Rom. 12:10) 8. Forgive one another (Col. 3:13) 9. Confess sins to one another (Jam. 5:16) Bonhoeffer says that when Christians experience discouragement, persecution, fear, or any other type of weakness, believers can find the living Word of God in the witness of a brother or sister, and there, one can find encouragement (Bonhoeffer 1954, 22-23). Thomas Jones and Steven Brown had this to say about the “one another” passages of scripture: [ Page ] 32 When looked at together, and in context, these passages give us a comprehensive picture of the dynamic relationships in which disciples of Jesus are accepted, loved, encouraged, challenged, helped, and built up. They show us that the body of Christ is a place where there is to be confession, forgiveness and eagerness to bear one another’s burdens. A close look at these texts makes it clear that God sees these relationships as crucial to the fulfilling of his purpose and fulfilling of our destiny. (Jones and Brown 2008, 9) God knows how vital relationship is, and therefore, it is modeled within the Trinity (Ford 2009, 20; Zizioulas 2006, 4), and God gives us instruction on how to create an environment in which strong and healthy relationships can grow within the church body. In doing so, believers are able to be of assistance to one another, and be examples of Jesus on earth. Within the scope of this project, admittedly, time constraints restrict the depth to which participants will be able to express these “one another” commands. Nevertheless, they were certainly in the position to begin understanding and demonstrating the call to honor, serve, love, and encourage one another during the six-week period. Also, during this time, they were able to begin seeing each other as more than distant strangers, but rather members of their faith family to whom they were encouraged to connect. What took place within this small group served as a precedent for Christian life and fellowship within the larger church body. Further to this, I will go into more in-depth teaching and encouraging the participants during the membership and discipleship stages of their overall integration into the wider church community. The Developing Belonging Process (DBP) will hopefully enhance confession and forgiveness of sin because of the positive experiences that participants had with developing [ Page ] 33 security, openness, trust, shared experiences, and comfort over the six-week period. Having experienced that within a small group setting, it is possible that these benefits will translate to their interactions within the wider church context. Sin, Confession, and Community The call to “confess our sins” in James 5:16 is significant in examining the various commands that believers are called to uphold due to the barrier and hindrance that sin creates within fellowship and communion. Sin can actually pull one out of communion. Bonhoeffer explicitly speaks about this in Life Together, in which he notes that confessing our sin is vital to community: “[They that are] alone with [their] sin is utterly alone … Sin demands to have a [person by themselves]. It withdraws [them] from community” (Bonhoeffer 1954, 110, 112). A believer unrepentant of their sin will continue to withdraw from the community in the fear that the hidden sin makes them unworthy of being among other believers, or that they would be judged for being in communion, worshiping God, and struggling with sin. However, believers need to remember that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Therefore, there is no need to feign perfection and hide sin from our fellow believers (Bonhoeffer 1954, 110, 112). Rather, there should be confession and confiding in one another, so that as the rest of the scripture states, there can be prayer and support for one another. Bonhoeffer states it eloquently: Since the confession of sin is made in the presence of a Christian brother [or sister], the last stronghold of self-justification is abandoned. The sinner surrenders … The expressed, acknowledged sin has lost all its power … It can no longer tear the fellowship asunder. Now the fellowship bears the [ Page ] 34 sin of the brother. He is no longer alone with his evil for he has cast off his sin in confession and handed it over to God. (Bonhoeffer 1954 112-113, emphasis added) It is here, within the Christian fellowship, that a believer should truly experience the mercy and grace of God in the form of the Christian community. The believer should never have to deal with his sin alone. Rather, Bonhoeffer states the fellowship of believers should bear the burdens of the individual, as encouraged in Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Bonhoeffer 1954, 113). The confession of sins puts an end to pride, reasserts the need for our dependence on God, and trusts the support of our Christian community. It serves well to note that everyone wants the support that comes from community and desires a community that will make them feel at home, but people are weary of group demands and expectations (Westerhoff 2004, 18). In the desire to move deeper into community and be open with one another, issues of conflict are experienced through such elements as pride, selfishness, and fear of rejection. It is only through the power of the Spirit that people are able to move through these barriers to true community. While the chance for notable conflict is minimal in this project, it must be noted that conflict can become destructive due to elements of sin. It is only through sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that the church community is able to navigate conflicts in the appropriate manner. Every believer continues to struggle with sin after giving their life to Christ. Within the confines of this small group, participants were exposed to what was intended to be a safe space where members are encouraged to confess what [ Page ] 35 they have been struggling with and to pursue community, laying aside their apprehensions that they might be able to be more authentic, unafraid to show that they are imperfect daily recipients of the grace of God. In small groups, people are able to intently focus on the other members, rather than getting lost in the vastness of the church body. It is here, that believers can experience the freedom from the bondage of sin, resting in God and the support of other believers. Connect to Community The writer of Hebrews admonishes believers to practice Christian fellowship, mutual care, and support: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near” (Heb.10:23-25). This text in Hebrews highlights the aim of being together and loving each other. Peter O’Brien notes that the call to exhibit mutual care one for another is presented in “contrasting expressions that explain how we can stir one another up to godly living” (O’Brien 2010, 370). In the negative, believers are not to give up meeting together, but in the positive, they are to encourage one another. The Christian community must not stop meeting together; they must not abandon the community. There is no health or wholeness that comes to a Christian outside of community (Westerhoff 2004, 15). In deliberately abandoning the ecclesia, believers are in danger of abandoning the Lord himself (O’Brien 2010, 370). All tend to drift into [ Page ] 36 selfishness, but God has appointed the community of believers to help others persevere in selflessness. The relationship among the members of the Trinity is one of perfect selflessness. Believers cannot express their concern about others with whom they do not form connections. Part of the emphasis in this passage is that believers are not to be loners in the Christian life. God did not make Christians to be that way. Rather, the author of Hebrews tells the audience what they should do: meet often, encourage and exhort one another, and provoke each other to love and do good works (Ellingworth 1993, 527; O’Brien 2010, 370- 371). This can be achieved in an intimate group setting where believers are able to become familiar and comfortable with a small number of people, compared to the larger congregation. Stott comments on the words in Acts 2:47 and notes that believers were not being saved by the Lord and left in solitude; rather they were saved and added to the church (Stott 2014, 32). Without Christian community, “we cannot acquire, sustain, or deepen Christian faith” (Westerhoff 2004, 11). Through baptism, believers have been made visible members of the Christian community: “[B]y their church attendance they become outwardly conforming members” (Stott 2007, 88). However, being added to the church as a number is not enough if no relationship is pursued afterwards because “it is lone members of the congregation who hold themselves aloof from a more intimate Christian fellowship, who are likely to stunt or damage their spiritual progress” (Stott 2007, 87-88). The Christian life is one of community because the Trinity is community. [ Page ] 37 To adhere to the Christian life is to adhere to the principles of God. The nature of God was not revealed in a singularity, but in the manifestation of three persons within one God. The harmony among these three expressions demonstrates the importance of relationship and communion. During his earthly ministry, Jesus had close a relationship with twelve apostles that were by his side during his time on earth (Luke 6:13). Additionally, when Christ sent the apostles out, he sent them in pairs (Mark 6:7), further exemplifying the need for relationship and not advocating for isolation. The church creates an atmosphere where people can feel connected to others, regardless of age, race, cultural background, or class status. As Dave Andrews puts it, “Because the ultimate reality of the universe, as depicted in the Trinity, is a community of persons in relation to one another, we know that being ‘family’ is fundamental to who we are—and we cannot become the family we are meant to be without keeping the family rule and loving others as we love ourselves” (Andrews 2012, 18, italics in original). This push toward being a family and loving others requires believers to be authentic and vulnerable, which should be attainable if all are simultaneously aiming to live out the various “one another” commands that were reflected on earlier. Unlike the Trinity, humanity is prone to experience conflict, but persevering through conflict allows for deeper authentic relationships with one another. It is through this authenticity with God and relationships as the primary focus that good things start to happen. It is in such an atmosphere that the Holy Spirit provokes a desire to know God deeply and Christians gain a desire for [ Page ] 38 things of God. Believers should mutually encourage each other with every opportunity. “To experience community is to know the joy of belonging, the delight of being known and loved, the opportunity for giving, growing, the safety of finding a true home” (Ortberg 2003, 40). Summary Community is part of the essence of Christianity. The call for community is one that is explicitly presented and exemplified through scripture and in the nature of God. Relationship and communion is demonstated to be vital at every level, within the Triune God, in God’s relationship to people and within the church. Integrating into a Christian community (koinonia) benefits not only the believer but also the church body, aligning with God’s plan for humanity. Connecting people in meaningful ways is the objective of this small group model. Since discipleship is the paramount companion to effective evangelism, we must also consider what creates the best context for discipleship. Scripture suggests that the best context is community, the “body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12), which is defined as the “whole body joined together by every supporting ligament” that “builds itself up in love, as each part does it work” (Eph. 4:16). Even as babies need nurturing in the community of a family, so Christians born again need to be discipled within the community of the church. The small group met initially for six-weeks with the aim to whet the appetites of the participants to desire deeper community and belonging. This was the starting point for the participants to experience community but they were [ Page ] 39 encouraged to grow further in the faith beyond infancy within the context of community. My overall model is to integrate participants into the wider community of the church so they can experience further growth in the Christian community, the body of Christ. Summarizing the theological reflection, we may conclude that any method for integration, whether through a small group or directly into the local church while guiding them toward discipleship, will revolve around this theme. God has created us for meaningful relationships with him and his people. Thus, any effort the church puts forth to evangelize and disciple people must be found in the context of community. [ Page ] 40 CHAPTER 3: PRECEDENT SOCIAL SCIENCE LITERATURE In Chapter 2, a framework of community from a theological context was outlined. In this chapter, a psycho-sociological perspective of the concept of community is introduced. Theology and sociology are linked and can be complimentary to each other. Both theology and sociology provide ways to view and understand human behavior. Theology is more of a prescriptive discipline, presenting us with principles for an ideal or healthy human community based on the nature, actions, plans, and revelations of God; psychology and sociology are modern empirical sciences which develop theories and principles of human behaviour and interaction from observation. Sociology can be especially helpful in understanding and applying specific measures for attaining what authentic community looks like and requires. Community is discussed and defined, as it relates to the process of integration, using various social science literature and case studies. The focus is on the most influential and community-centred studies of sociologist Graham Day (2006) and social psychologists David McMillan and David Chavis (1986). In their investigations, they identify the components involved in creating a strong [ Page ] 41 sense of community. Also, the context of introversion and extroversion will be explored because personality plays a role in people’s feelings of connectedness with others. Susan Cain addresses the area of introversion and extroversion and the studies and theories behind them in her book entitled Quiet (Cain 2013). Moreover, I explore group dynamics and the Caribbean distinctive to help identify some of the hurdles and opportunities faced when developing a strategy for welcoming newcomers into NPWC. The objective of this section is to investigate how to create an environment in which newcomers can gain a sense of belonging and connectedness to form a strong sense of community. Defining Community The term community can refer to the spatial, geographical, or physical spacing between cities, neighborhoods, or people. Community is a socially constructed concept derived from the developments of classical theorists like Max Weber, Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, and Emile Durkheim. Their analyses of the social condition of people and the process of socialization in the workings of capitalism and society offer insight into how social ties can either be strengthened or undermined by social change and development (Day 2006, 3). The members of a community are often socially tied, based on common values, goals, or shared interests. From the writings of Westheimer and Kahne, “community is a process marked by interaction and deliberation of people brought together by similar interests and common goals” (Westheimer and Kahne 1993, 325) Or as Graves defines it as “an environment in which people interact in a cohesive manner, continually reflecting upon the work of the group while always respecting the differences individual members bring to the group” (Graves 1992, 64). The concept of community is elastic; it stretches from geographical space to shared commonalities to a socially-interactive environment. Also, the meaning of community “refers to those things people have in common, which bind them together and give them a sense of belonging with one another” (Day 2006, 2). With the various meanings of a community, McMillan and Chavis provide a succinct and integral definition of a community and the elements of a strong sense of community. They define a strong sense of community as “a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met through their commitment to be together” (McMillan and Chavis 1986, 9). The elements that help to achieve a strong sense of community are: 1. Membership; 2. Influence; 3. The integration and fulfillment of needs; and 4. Shared emotional connection (McMillan and Chavis, 1986, 9). Membership Membership within a group or community indicates a sense of connectedness and belonging to a community. According to McMillan and Chavis, being a member of a community has five attributes: boundaries, emotional safety, a sense of belonging and identification, personal investment, and a common symbol system. [ Page ] 43 Boundaries When groups are in agreement regarding the tenets of their social objectives, limitations, or exclusivity, it creates a social bond within the group, which then defends and protects against outsiders. A cohesive community is reliant upon its members. How well the members work together is imperative to feeling connected. Graham Day writes, “As humans, we are boundary-drawing animals, and we erect barriers between ourselves and others, quite as much as we identify with them. The idea of community captures these elements of inclusion and exclusion. It points toward those who belong together and those who are held apart” (Day 2006, 2). Furthermore, boundaries are created as identifiers to establish who belongs and who does not to the community. Identifiers can range from culture, food, and language to attire. Sociologist Rupert Brown affirms that “groups are a source of social identity; our sense of who we are and what we are worth derives from our group memberships” (Brown 1988, 2). Specifically, the social identity of a group affirms solidarity within the community. These identifiers help to build harmony and lead to the formation of meaningful relationships within the community. It should also be noted that understanding the rights and responsibilities of membership communicates that a person fits into a community vis-à-vis their social identity or ties into both a small group and the wider church community. Becoming a member is the initial step to gaining a sense of connectedness in the group or community. [ Page ] 44 Emotional Safety A sense of emotional safety is essential to feeling connected to a community. This safety net encompasses the freedom to express and communicate personal feelings or needs that one may have. The intention is to foster a safe and trusting environment. Emotional safety promotes a safe space for vulnerability and acceptance. Karp, Yeols, and Vann emphasize this notion: There must be an acceptance of the other individuals and a feeling of being accepted by the others. Over and over again, we find emphasis on the feeling of “belonging” as a necessary aspect of group membership. Without some acceptance of the other members, however, the willingness to belong cannot be present; without evidence of acceptance from the others, the feeling of belonging cannot exist. Logically and psychologically, the feeling of belonging follows on the ability to establish communication with others. (Karp et al. 2004, 387) Accepting members as they are enables relationship building based on trust for one another. Members have a type of safety net around each other that fosters a desire for integration. A Sense of Belonging and Identification A sense of belonging in a group is crucial to the members. This attribute represents the contribution that members make to the community. People would not be social beings if they did not feel some sense of identification and solidarity with others and share in their experiences and expectations (Day 2006, 2). Humans are social beings that create social ties with others who can identify with their personal experiences. When this identification occurs, it shows the willingness of members to invest in the community by offering assistance when it is requested. [ Page ] 45 Personal Investment As a personal investment, connecting with others is an emotional tie or investment into others in the community that creates a sense of belonging. Members make personal investments in their communities as the communities socially and emotionally invest in the members. McMillan and Chavis indicate that “feelings of belonging and emotional safety lead to self-investment in the community” (McMillan and Chavis 1986, 15). The more the members feel connected to the environment, the less likely they are to act against it. Moreover, personal or self-investment allows one to achieve personal goals while contributing to the goals of a community. In doing so, people will fill the gap of feeling disconnected. By intentionally being involved with the community, there is a sense of earning membership. The authors states, “Working for membership provides a feeling that one has earned a place in the group and that as a consequence of this personal investment; membership will be more meaningful and valuable” (McMillan and Chavis 1986, 10). In other words, the more the member identifies with the community, the more personally invested the member becomes in the community. Common Symbol System Understanding common symbol system is a requirement for understanding community. Symbols are a representative of communities everywhere and they bond people with others who connect to the same symbols. For example, the Crucifix is a common symbol among Christians, and an apple is used as a symbol [ Page ] 46 for iPhone users. These symbols, or brands, represent a specific community. McMillian and Chavis writes, “A common symbol system serves several important functions in creating and maintaining a sense of community; to maintain group boundaries or serve to create a bond in the community” (McMillan and Chavis 1986, 10). In other words, common symbol system creates and maintains a sense of community, one that maintains group boundaries. A common symbol which was apparent in the six-week sessions was language which was unique to the participants from the different Caribbean Islands. This consists of simple words to phrases that characterize communications known only by members of the community. Summary of Attributes These five attributes of membership (boundary, emotional safety, a sense of belonging and identification, personal investment, and common symbol system) were evident among the participants of the six-week small group, and helped to achieve a strong sense of community (belonging). Boundary was evident because participants knew they were part of an inclusive group going through the six-week small group. In addition, participants felt they were in a safe environment and were open to share personal experiences. They identified with each other as being part of the small group. They also took the time and effort to be personally invested in attending and participating in the six-week sessions. In terms of common symbol system, participants were all of Caribbean descent so they had several symbols in common (e.g., ethnicity, language, food). [ Page ] 47 A good means of measurement to determine if community was achieved was the use of surveys that were conducted. The initial survey (conducted prior to the group formation) sought to capture their current levels of the members’ integration in NPWC. The post-survey (which was conducted during the last meeting) sought to identify whether participants were more integrated into NPWC after the project was completed and to determine how to further develop the model. I was intentionally mindful of the notion that when members contribute to the community, or make sacrifices for the community, the community is healthier and the member feels a strong bond with that community. Every contribution from a member is important because he/she is investing time and emotional energy. Using small groups of ten to fifteen is beneficial because larger groups may cause newcomers to fall between the cracks, and some members may lose interest in forming meaningful relationships. Influence This is where members feel that there is mutual benefit in the community as it relates to influence. Group cohesiveness is important to a good sense of community. Influence occurs when members think of others in the community before themselves (Day 2006, 11). It is the idea that the community must be able to have some influence over one another. Building trust is at the core of influence, people must know what they can expect from each other in the community. Feldman, Collins, and Green define social influence as “the process by which the actions of an individual or group affect the behaviour of others” (Feldman et al. [ Page ] 48 2001, 467). In other words, for a group to be attractive there must be a freedom to offer ideas knowing that there voices are heard and taken seriously which in turn gives a sense of value to the individual that their input on what happens in the group matters, which can lead to motivation and provide security. As a member of a community, one’s ability to impact and be impacted sets the tone for group cohesion. Members who feel that they can trust their counterparts in a community often feel empowered. This empowerment stems from a bidirectional feeling of trust. Rovai suggests that “when there is trust among people, relationships flourish; without it, they wither” (Rovai 2002, 191). Group members, thus have the power to influence each other, which leads to engagement in discourse and decision-making. Therefore, if individuals in small groups have a sense of influence, then they are likely to participate in the small group and thus feel connected to other members in the community. Although the group’s duration was limited, this component of influence was observed as participants began to develop trust in the small group. In terms of integrating into the wider church community there is opportunity to exert some influence in terms of how things are done within the organization. In addition, the organization also has the opportunity to influence the individual. When an individual is an active member of the church community, he/she has the opportunity to observe the organization change to reflect its members input, while also seeing members grow to reflect the beliefs and ideals of the organization. [ Page ] 49 Integration and Fulfillment of Needs The fulfillment of needs is achieved when there is a response from the community that reassures a member that his or her feelings or opinions are valued and desired. The sense of fulfillment for participating in the community in a positive way is a good way to reinforce this sense of community and fulfillment of needs. There is no specific type of need. Rather, needs are specific to the individual and can be emotional, physical, or psychological, not just physiological. This reinforces the member’s commitment to the community because it reflects why the person wanted to become a member in the first place. If a problem occurs, then the “community is able and ready to solve the problem, and in doing so there is a sense that they have made the right decision in joining the community” (Day 2006, 12). Fulfillment of Needs suggests that members of a community believe that “the resources available in their community will meet their needs. The principle of integration and fulfillment of needs includes both the individual member’s feeling of being supported by other members in the community while also supporting them” (Sangwan et al. 2009, 8). For example, as a result of the connectedness (membership) fostered after six weeks, a member of the group felt the comfort and freedom to communicate her needs to the group (emotional safety). There was a sense of belonging and a sense of identification from her with the group that allowed the individual to express her concerns in what she hoped would be a supportive environment. She expressed that she was relatively new to Canada (approximately three years) and was experiencing marital [ Page ] 50 problems. She was recently in a car accident and had injuries that left her in a difficult position. She had two children under the age of five and was unable to enroll them in daycare because she was unemployed and unable to afford the cost. Furthermore, apart from her husband, she had no family in Canada and was in great emotional distress, experiencing feelings of sadness, loneliness, and despair. The group members rallied around her and collectively offered ideas and solutions they felt would be helpful in supporting her through her challenges (self- organizing). There was an acknowledgement of her needs being important, and suggestions to help address them without first thinking about their own needs (influence). There was a sense of solidarity from the group, and the willingness to share their experiences, offer comfort, and support. The sense of identification the group possessed allowed the members to be willing to share personal resources along with working together to find solutions to help the participant in need. Finally, there was a fulfilment of needs as the individual received support, comfort, and resources. Shared Emotional Connection The members of a community must have a commonality, a shared expectation that will encourage them to desire integration and/or membership. Shared values consist of personal, family, and cultural belief systems or social bonds. Therefore, “members will share their commonalities as it relates to their experiences together. This is where stories are created together, and the sense is that, more stories will be created and experienced” (Day, 2006, 13). The small [ Page ] 51 group sessions were filled with stories of different experiences which galvanized the participants and created a kindred spirit within the group. This is reflective of the notion that the more personal interaction between the people of the community, the greater the chance that they will become close. McMillan and Chavis also makes this connection by stating the following: When people who share values come together, they find that they have similar needs, priorities, and goals, thus fostering the belief that in joining together they might be better able to satisfy these needs and obtain the reinforcement they seek. Shared values, then, provide the integrative force for cohesive communities. (McMillan and Chavis 1986, 13) Shared values are important to most people and when individuals with the same values come together and find commonalities, they discover that in amalgamating, they might be able to meet each other’s needs. Zander, Natsoulas and Thomas says, “Groups with a sense of community work to find ways to fit people together so that people meet the needs of others while meeting their own needs” (Zander et al. 1960, 333). Once again, this appeared to be evident in the small group sessions as participants discovered that they had shared values and similar situations. Moreover, the more important the shared event is to those involved, the greater the community bond will be. For example, there appears to be tremendous bonding among people who experience a crisis together (Wilson and Miller 1961, 430). It is believed that this element is the definitive element of a true sense of community due to its bidirectional influence and power to meet the needs of members while simultaneously meeting the needs of the community. The desire for integration is optimal at this stage because the human need to connect socially with others is definitely attainable. Participants experienced this during [ Page ] 52 the six-week sessions when one of the members expressed the need for prayer because he was on the waiting list for a kidney. This presented group members with the opportunity to pray for each other’s needs and created closer connection between members. Group Dynamics As previously mentioned, a community takes on many forms. In the social context, community refers to people, and how they interact or relate to one another. Rupert Brown describes a group as: Two or more people who define themselves as members of it, and when its existence is recognized by at least one other. Group members most likely share common goals and have a shared identity. This shared identity is what distinguishes the group from other groups and contributes to the group dynamics. The individual’s role in the group is important to the group dynamic. (Brown 1988, 3) For the purpose of this research paper, I focus on two types of group dynamics: intra-group conflict and the development of group cohesion. They both have effects on the ultimate goal of integration within communities. Bruce Tuckman describes intra-group conflict in this way, when “group members becoming hostile toward one another and toward the teacher as a means of expressing their individuality and resisting the formation of group structure” (Tuckman 2001, 69). The relationships among group members will differ according to the nature, purpose, structure, size, and degree of intimacy of the group. In Durkheim’s theory of social change, Graham Day points out that “the worry was that the emergence of organic solidarity would be threatened by excessive individualism and a loss of readiness to cooperate on behalf of common purses. [ Page ] 53 Instead of combining their efforts into a collective project, people might allow self-interest and competitiveness to divide them” (Day 2006, 3). This division of self-interest is echoed in Cooley’s (1909) study, in which he distinguishes between primary and secondary groups: Primary groups are small, face-to-face groups, close-knit groups such as families, friendship cliques. It is within the context of such groups that we find the deepest satisfactions and the most provoking frustrations, inasmuch as such groups are more closely involved in the satisfaction of our more basic needs (biological process, security, love). Secondary groups are defined by relationships that are less personal and intimate, and more abstract, intellectualized, and indirect – i.e., one’s occupation, school or political party. (Forsyth and Elliott 1999, 348) In other words, certain secondary groups may threaten the desire for integration. Secondary group members may tend to lack commitment to members and cease to make meaningful relationships, thereby deconstructing the sense of belonging. Furthermore, small groups might be a way of connecting people into meaningful community. “Nearly all human societies are surrounded by small groups, such as families, gangs, religious denominations, or tribes, and the influences of these groups are considerable” (Forsyth and Elliott 1999, 339). So, how can small groups affect the sense of belongingness in a community? The answer, in part, is when social support is achieved along with shared identity and values, then a sense of community can be evidenced. This appeared to be an indicator in the six-week small group sessions. The six-week small group fell into the category of primary group because of the face-to-face interaction between participants. [ Page ] 54 In the writings of Forsyth and Elliott, they assert that “Small group membership can transcend place and collapse space so that the sense of community and belongingness connects each participating member with others who share and subscribe to salient features for the group” (Forsyth and Elliott 199, 341-342). Therefore, small groups or primary groups provide the type of environment necessary to stimulate integration. “Structure and boundaries are necessary for the ingredients to work. Although too much structure can weaken a community, some structure is needed. Breaking large numbers into small groups with specific tasks and setting timelines support the concepts of situated learning and communities of practice” (Rovai 2002, 342). The six-week small group sessions created an environment where participants meaningfully engaged in a facilitator led group discussion and collaborative learning. This atmosphere in turn promoted a sense of community by helping the participants to connect with each other. Furthermore, small groups are characterized as being intimate with a desire to connect, and often, “people who identify with their groups experience a strong sense of belonging in their groups and take pride in their membership in social groups” (Forsyth and Elliott 1999, 352), or in my case, community. They are more involved in the group’s activities and willingly help the group meet its goals. People feel most connected and needed in a group setting when members share a commonality or distinct interest. Tuckman refers to this stage as the development of group cohesion: Group members accept the group and accept the idiosyncrasies of fellow members. The group becomes an entity by virtue of its acceptance by the members, their desire to maintain and perpetuate it and the establishment [ Page ] 55 of new group-generated norms to insure the group’s existence. Harmony is of maximum importance, and task conflicts are avoided to ensure harmony. (Tuckman 1977, 386) Most people thrive on human interaction. It is, arguably, crucial to human survival. Social network research shows that similarity among small groups breeds connection. Noah Friedkin and Eugene Johnsen conducted a research study on the sociological examination of small groups inspired by Blaus’ analysis of large-scale social structures, in which he hypothesizes the following: Homophilous contacts contribute to social integration. However, people long for rich relationships but find themselves wary of committing to others. Many of us hunger for intimacy but end up lonely; we suffer from a collective loneliness and empty feeling that comes not only from lack of human connection but from the loss of meaningful interaction and failure to be a part of something real. (Friedkin and Johnsen 2011, 342) The danger of secondary groups is that they generally do not provide the environment necessary to produce integration. The inability to form meaningful relationships places a gap between belonging and connection. Laura Pappano refers to this discrepancy as the “connection gap” (Pappano 2001, 8). The connection gap prevents meaningful relationships from being built, and thus, it leads individuals to feel disconnected and like they do not belong. The more people that feel connected, the more they feel a sense of belonging. Mellor, Stokes, Firth, and Hayashi believe that the failure to meet belongingness needs may lead to feelings of social isolation, alienation, and loneliness (Mellor et al. 2008, 214). John Ortberg asserts that community living is vital for connectedness with others; it is essential to human life (Ortberg 2003, 21). [ Page ] 56 According to Durkheim, there are two sets of people: those who unite organically or those who unite mechanically. Organic solidarity is based on commonalities in such things as lifestyle, social abilities, and views. Mechanical solidarity is based on commonalities in core values only. “Both types of solidarity can be seen as giving rise to forms of community, centered respectively on similarity or interdependence” (Day 2006, 3). In other words, even two distinctly different people who share a common goal or interest will still unite. Whether for mechanical or organic reasons, solidarity requires a need for connectedness or oneness to identify as a group. This is also evident in small groups as well. In the context of personality, some people exhibit organic or mechanical natures that may enhance the cohesiveness or solidarity of a group. Personality The diversity of people in a community enhances the vitality of social identity in membership. However, personalities also play a role in being connected with others. Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs were psychologists during the 1940s and the creators of the personality tests used to identify areas in which women would be well suited in the workforce. The personality indicator shows the traits of an individual and how they interact with the world. These psychologists present ideas about perceiving functions (sensing versus intuition), judging functions (thinking versus feeling) and the orientation of focus (introverts versus extroverts) and the dealing with the outside world (judging versus [ Page ] 57 perceiving). These functions play vital roles in the stability of a community and its unity (Myersbriggs.org, 2015). The perception function draws upon the strategy of how the individual gathers information and how they learn. Sensing individuals consider facts and tangible data and are most concerned with achieving solid results. They are practical and use their senses to gather information. The intuitive individual relies on making connections between ideas, using their gut feelings, and looking at the bigger picture. People with both personality types possess the capacity to cultivate strong communication and learning incentives in small groups. A combination of personality traits lessens potential learning gaps and has the potential to provide a solution with which to overcome misunderstandings. The judgment function refers to how individuals make decisions. Often, people either think or reason through a situation and calibrate before making a decision while others will measure how they feel and what their values are in the situation. Feelers work best in harmony with others, and thinkers tend to be firm-minded and provide criticism when appropriate. Extroverts and introverts contribute differently in a social environment. Extroverts tend to be more assertive and command attention. They get their energy from others. They are people who live connected to the world around them. Extroverts thrive in the moment, crave stimulation and relish social contact more than introverts. However, this assertiveness can limit their active listening skills, and sometimes, overbearing attitudes can impede learning opportunities. Extroverts seem to need people as a forum to fulfill their needs for social impact [ Page ] 58 (Cain 2013, 85). Introverts, on the contrary, are quiet and personally invested and seek meaningful connections. They spend more time in their own minds and are happiest when they are at peace. Susan Cain addresses the area of introversion and the studies and theories behind it in her book entitled Quiet. Cain describes the need for intimacy as follows: The need for intimacy is present in introverts and extroverts alike. People who value intimacy highly don’t tend to be, as the noted psychologist David Buss puts it, the loud, outgoing, life-of-the-party extrovert. They are more likely to be someone with a select group of close friends, who prefers sincere and meaningful conversations over wild parties. Conversely, extroverts do not necessarily seek closeness from their socializing. (Cain 2013, 185) Some people argue that introverts may be challenged by conformity, and their relationships with others could be at the cost of conforming to their opinions, beliefs, or standards of other members in the group. Cain provides an example by using Asian and Western cultures to compare introverts and extroverts. She writes, “Individuals in Asia see themselves as part of a greater whole—whether family, corporation or community—and place tremendous value on harmony within their group” (Cain 2013, 189). They submit their views or desires to the group’s interests (conformity), and chain of command. Westerners, by contrast, “are organized around the individual. We see ourselves as self-contained units, our destiny is to express ourselves, to be free of undue restraints, to achieve the one thing that we, and we alone, were brought into this world to do” (Cain 2013, 189). Introverts are typically quiet and reserved and extroverts possesses such qualities as gregariousness and assertiveness. Extroversion can be desirable [ Page ] 59 personality trait in many circumstances and that can turn into pressure to which many feel there must be conformity. In a group composed of introverts and extroverts, it is possible for the extroverts to persuade introverts to conform to the popular idea under discussion in a group due to their outspokenness. Arguably, Cain is using personality vis-à- vis culture because Asian and American cultures significantly differ. However, Cain points out that “some collaborative work is fine for introverts, but it should take place in small groups of three to lessen disharmony and compliance” (Cain 2013, 255). When introverts are able to experience conversations in their own way, then they can make deep and enjoyable connections with others (Hogg and Hardie 1992, 49). Introverts may even be the ideal members to create a viable sense of belonging in a community. It was interesting to observe those that seemed to be introverts or extroverts in the six-week sessions. The introverts were sitting quietly, not overly animated but giving their input when it was necessary and making connections slowly, while the extroverts were talkative and bursting with emotions or ideas. However, understanding how each “types” processed and shared information helped the group better communicate with each other. For example, knowing that introverts tend to listen, gather their thoughts, and then share their insights best when uninterrupted, I would make it a point to pause discussions periodically, and ask, “Does anyone have something to add?” and then wait a moment for a response. In terms of extraverts, I would do the opposite to some extent, by asking [ Page ] 60 them to allow other persons the opportunity to respond during our conversations, and not monopolize the discussion. In light of this, I used icebreakers during the six-week group sessions. I gave each individual the opportunity to speak, and solicited the opinions of those who were more introverted to allow them the opportunity to contribute thoughts and ideas. Emily White writes in her book Lonely, that coming together over a common cause (politics, faith, and support groups) is much more binding than the self-focused experience. She asserts that “because introverts tend to maintain just a few friendships, any attrition leaves them susceptible to loneliness if they have no community surrounding them. Community thus helps fulfill our very human need for connection without actually requiring a lot from us” (White 2010, 34). However, some introverts feel they are at a disadvantage and challenged due to their very nature. The understanding is that there are observable differences in personality preferences as evidenced by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). This was highlighted when Evangelist Pastor Adam McHugh conducted an interview with introverted Christians. He summarized his findings in this way: Without exception, they expressed some degree of frustration and sense of exclusion from their churches. Many have found that their churches, in practice and theology, are not accommodating to people of their temperament. These introverts have difficulty finding a place in their communities where they are encouraged to be who they are and to serve in a capacity that is consistent with their nature. (McHugh 2009, 13) [ Page ] 61 In light of what pastor McHugh stated, I formulated the survey questions based on the background research (i.e., interviews with pastors, readings, and personal experiences). The two survey results were compared to determine whether there was any change in the participants’ levels of integration into the group over time and identify the reasons for the change or lack of change. Additional details in terms of the discoveries derived from comparison of the pre-and post-survey data are found in Chapter 5 (Survey Data Discoveries). Although the small group was over a short period of six weeks, I attempted to foster an environment in which people became comfortable interacting with one another, regardless of whether they were either introverted or extroverted. Participants bonded with each other over time and were able to identify potential threats to group integration. This part of the study showed how people are wired in relation to social contexts, and their ability to connect is not a factor of spiritual maturity. In addition, making connections with others is not always easy because of the diversity of people’s personalities. However, when people come together and understand each other, they can create an atmosphere in which they are able to work together and move toward forming a stronger sense of community. Participation The participation of individuals and the motivation to join small groups is essential. The principles of group dynamics articulated above (intra-group conflict and development of group cohesion) are necessary in integrating newcomers into [ Page ] 62 NPWC. By creating an environment within the six-week small group where intra- group conflict is minimized and or addressed and a strong group cohesion is achieved, the hope is that the individual will want to participate. Also, a qualitative method enabled the participants to express their perspectives and provide an opportunity to get an in-depth understanding of the effectiveness of the integration process. Furthermore, Dholakai, Bagozzi and Pearo conducted research on the dynamics of social influence and its effect within community. Their framework is based on a three-tier system; value perception leads to social influence variables that result in decision making and participation (Dholakia et al. 2004, 243). Value perceptions include purposive value, maintaining interpersonal interconnectivity, and social enhancement. Social enhancement is the value that a participant derives from gaining the acceptance and approval of other members and the enhancement of one’s social status within the community on account of one’s contributions to it (Dholakia et al. 2004, 244). Social influence variables involve group norms and mutual accommodations and agreements, which lead to desires and, thus, participation behavior. Social benefits are derived from establishing and maintaining contact with other people, such as social support, friendship, and intimacy (Dholakia et al. 2004, 244). Results of the six-week small group sessions corresponded with the above framework. Participants specifically expressed that they took part in the sessions to meet like-minded people, to receive and build friendships, and to find social support (see Chapter 5 - Survey Data Discoveries for additional details). As Dholakia et al. explains, “Group influences on the participant stem from an [ Page ] 63 explicit understanding that group membership yields beneficial outcomes. Strong social identity leads to the desire to participate in the community … the community should exert influence on its members” (Dholakia et al. 2004, 243). This appeared evident in the sessions as participants supported members of the group by problem-solving, generating ideas and validating decisions made by members of the group. The Canadian Distinctive Another motivating factor with which to increase social participation is the length of my study. Using a short-term small group study rather than a longer term study allowed for flexibility and the availability of participants. I recognized that Canadians have a fast-paced lifestyle and as such, this short-term study presented an achievable level of commitment from participants. Kurt Sandholtz writes, “We are living on a treadmill diet, doing more with less” (Sandholtz 2006, 6). “The hurried society” is a term that was coined by sociologist Kerry Daly in a study in which it was concluded that there is a struggle for life balance between work, leisure, and family in a way that allows for reasonable opportunities to participate equally in all three components of life in this hurried culture (Daly 1996, 16). In Canada, the data show an increase in reported time-related stress over the last decade (Zuzanek 2000, 4). Among Canadians aged twenty-five to fiftyfour, a significant majority (between 75% and 85%) reported feeling rushed, especially during the workweek (Williams 2002, 9). Moreover, the weekends [ Page ] 64 offer little to no relief because the weekend time is often used for catching up on housework, shopping, and childcare, and for many unpaid work-related activities (Shaw, Andrey, and Johnson 2003, 16). Cara Williams makes this observation using data collected from the 1998 General Social Survey (GSS), which interviewed 11,000 Canadians aged fifteen and over in ten provinces on how people spent their time during one day. The study revealed the following: Many of us “multi-task” our way through the day. We discuss business over the cell phone as we drive to work, eat “fast food” at our desk in the office, or conduct meetings over lunch. After work, we rush home to prepare dinner, attempt to have quality time with our children, drive them to their activities and do the shopping before picking them up again. Back at home, we help with homework while doing the wash, then late at night start reviewing the report we brought home from the office. We have little time to relax and often cut down on badly needed sleep to get things done. (Williams 2002, 9) During the six-week small group sessions the participants expressed how overloaded and overburdened their lives were and how slowing down was an ongoing challenge. Having said that, the data and interaction in the sessions showed that participants found the small group experience provided a time of relief from the busyness of life, where they had the opportunity to slow down and interact with others on a personal level. The Caribbean Distinctive Caribbean culture was a crucial area to explore because there were various Caribbean cultures and backgrounds represented in the church community. This awareness identified the extent to which opportunities or hurdles may occur in developing strategies to welcome newcomers into the community. Therefore, I [ Page ] 65 addressed Caribbean culture as a specific cultural distinctive because this culture encapsulates the ethnic background of the participants (i.e., Jamaicans, Trinidadians, Barbadian, and Guyanese). The Caribbean distinctive has boundaries that newcomers can identify with as social identity. Having a specific cultural background solidifies the sense of community and guards cultural identification. Why do we guard our cultural beliefs? According to Moran, Abramson and Moran: Culture gives people a sense of who they are, of belonging, of how they should behave and of what they should be doing. It impacts behaviour, morale and includes values and patterns that influence individuals and the community as a whole. The values of a culture or subculture, determines behavior. Therefore, we guard our beliefs to protect our self-identity (Moran et al. 2014, 11). Now, it would be misguided to conclude that as long as newcomers were from the Caribbean islands, an instant sense of belonging would occur because, as I mentioned earlier in this paper, there were various contributing factors that prevented a strong sense of community from forming. The community goal to preserve Caribbean culture was a shared common interest. The participants hope to continue to raise awareness about cultural social bonds. Nevertheless, one of the potential barriers to developing a strategy for welcoming new people into the community is cultural differences. Cultural differences and various prejudices can cause difficulties for individuals from one background when interacting with individuals from another background. Research conducted by various sociologists and social psychologists, suggest that developing deliberate relationships or contact with individuals from different [ Page ] 66 cultural backgrounds can be a catalyst in overcoming tension and prejudices (Tropp and Pettigrew 2005, 1147). They elaborated by saying, “This happens because such contact helps to disconfirm stereotypes that people may hold regarding people from different backgrounds” (Tropp and Pettigrew 2005, 1148). A common symbol system with which to diffuse prejudiced interaction is language. People from the Caribbean have a distinct way of speaking, and language is what binds them together. English tends to be the predominant language. However, it is their distinctive accents on words or expressions that generate conversation that gains a mutual exchange of understanding of their identity. It was through conversation and sharing experiences from different backgrounds that I was able to overcome prejudiced interaction with newcomers. The six-week small group was comprised of individuals from the different Caribbean Islands, and this was a good opportunity to develop deliberate relationships and contact with the participants. It was observed that the participants respected each other’s opinions and thoughts while at the same time learning from the different cultural context. Another method to diffuse prejudiced interaction among newcomers is the practice of community. Wenger, McDermott, and Snyder assert that “communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems or a passion about a certain topic, and who wish to deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis (Wenger et al. 2002, 5). Christians, who like to learn how to deepen their faith through Bible study, would be an example. Although they have different approaches to [ Page ] 67 reading or interpreting scripture, there is value in their interactions. “They create a sense of intimacy by discussing their situations, aspirations, and needs” (Wenger et al. 2002, 5). This builds a sense of emotional safety and trust so that individuals can express their thinking and opinion. In addition, this sense of intimacy fosters a social bond and brings value to learning that is done together. “This value is not just instrumental, but they develop a common sense of identity, a community of practice” (Wenger et al. 2002, 5). A community of practice echoes the process by which newcomers to a community can develop a sense of connectedness and emotional safety. Cultivating common community practices is not unilaterally accomplished. There is a need for reciprocity from the individual members and the broader community to reach personal investment and fulfillment. Furthermore, newcomers may take on the roles required of them in a given situation. They might feel compelled to assimilate with the already established community. Instead of bringing one’s own personal identity, newcomers may create a persona to give a false sense of belonging. This is true when community members fail to develop trust. They may believe their real self may not be acceptable. The existing intimacy of communities can create a barrier for newcomers, or a blindness to new ideas, and a reluctance to critique each other. Now, to be clear, I am not blaming the newcomer. Instead, I am revealing the deficiencies that communities may possess. Feeling alone is not a sentiment that newcomers should embrace. Wenger, McDermott and Snyder sheds some light on this by writing: [ Page ] 68 A community of practice can become a clique when relationships are so strong, and they can dominate all other concerns. Frequently, clique communities are dominated by a power for group that as an imperious gatekeeper. They become exclusive, either intentionally or as unintended out of the tightness of their relationships … Though they do not intend to be exclusive, their efforts to gain new members have been only marginally successful, and the core members feel satisfied to maintain their current relationships rather than expand membership. (Wenger et al. 2002, 145) Assimilation would only continue this behaviour. Therefore, cliquish communities need new members who seek to become personally invested and contribute their personal identities to actively engage and participate in becoming connected to the community (Wenger et al. 2002, 145). Likewise, when a community is too large, “it diffuses or disperses to actively engage members and the sense of identification remains superficial. Many people sign up but do not commit nor honor their commitments” (Wenger et al. 2002, 146). Newcomers may join a community just for the sake of joining with no specific intention, yet they run the risk of automatic diffusion of responsibility to the community. They do not share an interest in feeling connected to or building anything meaningful within the community but, instead, become observer-members, which challenges the process of integration. Consequently, they will eventually drift away and isolate themselves from the group. The strategy to diminish the chances of having this occur is to establish and address their purposive value to the group and explore how the group can facilitate their purpose, to develop trust. It is argued by Chavis and Wandersman, that participation in a community offers the opportunity to cultivate social ties with not only persons other than family, but also peers within different social settings, and this helps one to gain a [ Page ] 69 sense of belongingness and strengthens his or her social identity and identification process (Chavis and Wandersman 1990, 55). With this said the aim for working with newcomers was to create an environment in which to help them achieve a sense of belongingness and, with that, a desire for integration. The sense of connectedness was a recurring theme among the members of a community, and as such, newcomers could positively influence the feeling that they belong. A sense of community can be a catalyst for social involvement and participation. Forsyth and Elliott address the need for connectedness and community by highlighting the importance of small groups: Groups make possible connections between individuals, and so they can protect them from loneliness. Groups are critical source of social support, which becomes beneficial when people experience trauma or other forms for stress. Also, groups are critical socializing agents providing members with values, attitude, roles, activities and behaviour skills. Most of all, groups can contribute directly to the development of identity. (Forsyth and Elliott 1999, 353) They may also be able to experience a sense of belonging and find support as they begin to integrate into the life of the church. Breton agrees that churches “are frequently the center of a number of activities; associations are formed and collective activities are organized under their influence and support” (Breton 1968, 201). Summary This chapter focused on some significant social science literature related to community. A psycho-social perspective of what a true sense of community looks like was presented; the four elements of a true sense of community are [ Page ] 70 membership, influence, the integration and fulfillment of needs and shared emotional connections. The sociological perspective provided a framework that would influence the Building Blocks of Belonging (BBB). A feeling of belonging was a constant. The security, intimacy and desire to integrate were the intended goals because these findings fostered a strong sense of community. Influential factors such as introversion and extroversion, participation, and cultural traits were explored. The Caribbean distinctive provided the newcomers with an environment where cohesive social bonding took place, a sharing of experience and the building of trust, commitment, and fulfillment in a thriving community. The overall effect of this psycho-sociological viewpoint helped me to think about and plan intentionally toward what a true sense of community should be. As I began the actual project, I looked forward to bridging gaps between newcomers and the community so that strong bonds and deep relationships could be established. [ Page ] 71 CHAPTER 4: PROJECT, METHODOLOGY AND METHOD In this chapter, I take a close look at my particular research methodology and methods. I aimed to create an intentional environment in which people who are new attendees of NPWC could begin to discover friendship and belonging to a church community. Using some of the principles of action research, a qualitative method that seeks to explore, as John Elliot puts it, “a social situation with a view to improving the quality of action within it” (Elliot 1991, 69). Qualitative research is fundamentally concerned with understanding people’s perceptions of the world (Bell, 2010, 5). This qualitative method enabled the participants to express their perspectives and provided an opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the effectiveness of the integration process. In a most basic sense, using some of the principles of action research, according to Allan Feldman, “happens when people research their own practice to improve it and to come to a better understanding of their practice situation. It is action because they act within the systems that they are trying to improve and understand. It is research because it is systematic, critical inquiry made public” (Feldman 2002, 240). In this chapter, I explore the specifics of this research project’s methodology, using some of the principles of action research. I also [ Page ] 72 highlight the particulars of recruitment, the participants, data collection, data analysis, ethical considerations, and findings from my interviews with three integration pastors, project implementation, and consent/confidentiality. Principles of Action Research Action research is a social experimental technique that involves the use of qualitative measures to assist in solving a defined issue. Kurt Lewin is often credited with coining the term “action research.” After a series of practical experiences in the early 1940’s, he came to view action research as a process that “gives credence to the development of the powers of a reflective thought, discussion, decision, or action by ordinary people participating in collective research on private troubles that they have in common” (Adelman 1993, 8). Therefore, he called on “social scientists to bridge the gap and combine theory building with research on practical problems” (Dickens and Watkins 1999, 128). Using some of the principles of action research, I utilized a participatory approach to research, closing the gap between the absence of feelings of connectedness or belongingness and the integration of newcomers into NPWC. I selected aspects of this mode of research because action research aims to develop social relationships among and between groups to sustain communication and cooperation (Adelman 1993, 9). As the facilitator of this six-week small group research, my aim was to uncover the participants’ private troubles and improve the social conditions that limit opportunities to gain a sense of belonging. I hoped that communication and cooperation would be present and this was achieved [ Page ] 73 because small groups tend to foster meaningful relations through shared experiences, which was true in this case. Participants felt secure enough and openly discussed concerns and issues they faced on a regular basis. The participation of the individuals in this research indicated an active willingness to come together to identify issues that they had. Moreover, through active discussion, I anticipated uncovering common challenges among the group, which could provide solidarity and, thus, form social bonds and, ultimately, relationships. Ernest Stringer points out that action research encourages people to formulate accounts and explanations of their situations and develop plans that may resolve these problems (Stringer 2007, 9). I used group discussions as mapping guides to bridge the gap between those who shared minimally and those who had the tendency to not want to share, and in doing so, participants became part of the solution in making the group more interactive. This approach was a highly reflective, experiential, participatory mode of research in which all individuals involved in the study, the researcher and subjects alike are deliberate and contributing factors in the research enterprise (Wadsworth, 1998, 2). I used surveys, interviews, ethnographic observations, and research journals, for my research. These methods are all participant-focused and were used to analyze and interpret the data. Participatory AR focuses on participation empowerment. Thus, surveys were used to assess the current social conditions of each participant. In addition, I used the interviews from three pastors who had successfully achieved integration among their individual congregations. These [ Page ] 74 interviews provided insight into different perspectives and methods to achieve the ultimate goal of an integrated community. Furthermore, ethnographic observations were used to collect data about behavior, communication patterns, and group dynamics. It is a scientific approach to discovering and investigating social and cultural patterns and meaning in communities’ institutions and social settings (Schensul 1999, 26). I understood that, as a facilitator, I was unable to capture every moment. Therefore, ethnography served as a secondary lens in cases where I might have missed or misinterpreted the discussion. Lastly, the reflective journal includes personal accounts about the group dynamics, observations of the discussions, responses, and conclusions I came to in each session, and how I came to such conclusions. By doing that, I recorded any changes of behavior, measured interest in topics, and attendance. This type of data collection aided in the reflective component of my research. The participants communicated and cooperated within the short period of the study, as well as they created a window of opportunity to share their experience during the research. The ultimate objective was to create a sense of belonging, and I trust that using some of the principles of action research provided insight on how to achieve this goal. [ Page ] 75 Recruitment As a church leader and assistant pastor at NPWC, I recruited newcomer participants from the church’s newcomers list. Every second name was picked from the list of one hundred individuals on the church’s newcomer list. These individuals were called several times within a three-week time frame. I eventually connected with thirty individuals, introducting myself as one of the pastors of NPWC. The idea of a six-week small group session was discussed with them, and they were invited to participate in a study. A total of fourteen of them agreed. A second call was made to those who agreed to further explain how the study would look and to get a commitment to participate in a small group setting for six weeks. All fourteen individuals agreed and were invited to an information session. However, prior to the session, five people called to inform me that they would not be able to participate because of their busy schedules. It was challenging to connect with everyone at first because phones were not answered on the first call. I had to leave several messages and requested a call back more than once for some of the visitors. This was not any different from my usual calls to newcomers but it was a bit challenging because I was anxious to get my research project started. Nine committed individuals agreed to participate in the study, eight females and one male. They had all visited the church more than once. Each of the participants noted that they would like to connect with others and was willing to share in a [ Page ] 76 group setting. They all agreed to keep the information shared in the group confidential. The integration pastors were outside sources that were consulted to inform my integration process. They were recruited from the Brampton Guardian’s list of churches in Ward 7, where North Park is located. These pastors were selected because I believed they were most likely to enjoy participating in the study. Data Collection In this section, I lay out the varied forms of data I collected to frame my research project of “Creating Belonging: A First Step at an Integration Model for New Attendees at North Park Worship Centre.” The data collected consists of interviews with three integration pastors, the results of surveys given to participants, reflective research journal entries, and ethnographic observations. Three integration pastors from the community of Brampton were interviewed between September and November of 2016. The interviews were conducted in the privacy of their local church offices. I found this to be suitable because it was convenient for each pastor, and their schedules allowed for it. They all had over five years of experience working with newcomers, and they shared their successes of using an integration model, along with some challenges they faced. They had both similar and dissimilar experiences of interacting with a newcomer integration model. The integration pastors were from different denominations: Baptist, Pentecostal and Harvest. Two of the churches are large in numbers (over 800 in attendance); the other one has over 100 attendees. Two of [ Page ] 77 the churches are multicultural and the other was an African-Caribbean church. I used two of the churches because they are similar in size to my church, and the African Caribbean church was selected because it was similar in culture to NPWC. The interviews with the three pastors were audiotaped and transcribed word-for-word to be examined at a later stage to gain a more extensive understanding of how to improve the social context being studied. With regard to this project, the meetings with the three integration pastors were semi-structured and completed in a one-on-one setting. Because of the tight schedules of the pastors, there was only one opportunity to interview them. In the course of the discussion, I used an interview guide to help facilitate the conversation, while maintaining an informal approach. This gave me the opportunity to venture into other areas of curiosity if something of interest came up that I wanted to investigate further (refer to Appendix A). The second research method used in this project was surveys. Surveys were conducted at the beginning and end of the six-week small group sessions. The goal of the pre-group survey was to gather information about participants to gauge their levels of participation, to see if they would be willing to answer the questions, and to get insight into any potential issues that may occur throughout the small group sessions, such as the likelihood of anyone dropping out (refer to Appendix B). This opened the opportunity to make any necessary adjustments to accommodate participants. [ Page ] 78 In this pre-group survey, ordinal, open-ended, and closed-ended questions were asked, and a Likert scale was used to measure some of the responses. To reduce survey error and increase the clarity of the questions, Don Dillman says that it is important to “develop a query that every potential respondent will interpret in the same way, be able to respond accurately, and be willing to answer” (Dillman 2000, 32). The post-group survey questions were designed to help me understand the views of the participants and get their feedback about their overall experience in the small group sessions (refer to Appendix C for the post-group survey). The participants also evaluated the various aspects of the sessions, such as the location and the atmosphere that was created in the group and whether or not the sessions met their expectations. To get their responses, open- and close-ended questions were also used, as well as a Likert scale to rate their levels of agreement or disagreement regarding their experiences during the small group. A third method used in this project to collect qualitative data was a reflective research journal. After each small group session, I wrote my own reflection on what had transpired. Writing notes in this timely manner ensured I would not miss important details that I had observed. Reflective writing is done in the first person and can be subjective. It is understood that whatever is written down is related to the experience of the author (Jasper 2005, 250). Doing this reflection enabled me to learn from my experiences of interacting with a small group and collecting qualitative data to assist me in analyzing the six weekly sessions. The notes were handwritten in my personal journal, which I used daily. [ Page ] 79 Some of my notes were detailed, when possible, and descriptive when I was able to write them immediately after each session. For example, I wrote down direct quotes from various participants when I could clearly remember them. All my reflections were guided by self-reflection questions on the process of the project (refer to Appendix D). These questions helped me to stay focused on the process as I thought about information that was relevant to the project. Finally, the fourth method used during this project was ethnographic observation. This research tool enabled for empirical data collection. In addition to the surveys, I used a stenographer who took notes and observed behavior, including the way in which participants interacted with each other. I understood that as a facilitator, I would not be able to capture every moment. Therefore, the stenographer provided a secondary outlet in cases where I missed or misinterpreted the group’s dynamic. Using this method allowed us to be present while interacting with the participants to gather information about their experiences as they worked together in the sessions, including their emotional responses. The method assisted us in observing and identifying some needs that were not articulated by participants. Data Analysis Using some of the principles of action research enabled me to think more objectively about the interactions with the participants (i.e., answered their questions, asked them questions, and solicited comments about the research). In this chapter, I outline the data collected throughout the duration of the study from [ Page ] 80 the interviews, surveys, ethnographic observation, and notes from my personal research journal. As there was a substantive amount of raw data, using the coding method would allow for effective data management in qualitative research. This process used a four-step method, which varied pending on size of sample and outcomes and concluded at various stages. The initial stage was to code the data using patterns that emerged within the data themselves. Auberbach and Silversetin define this stage as “making the text manageable” (Auerbach and Silverstein 2009, 43). This particular stage was vital, as a filtering process was required to determine what data was relevant and what data could be discarded, (i.e. responses that veered off the topic at hand). Relevant data was then taken to the next stage. Relevant text was determined by reading through the raw data and highlighting any data that was relevant to the research concern (Auerbach and Silverstein 2003, 43). Secondly, I labelled repeated codes to assist me to conceptualize (See Appendix H). This was when data from different participants began to connect with one another. Repeated ideas naturally surfaced from the research as data was analyzed and the use of the same or similar words emerged from various participants. Thirdly, in order to group concepts into core categories, I used the memoing method (Birks, Chapman and Francis 2008, 68). For a category to be considered core, that category must be frequent in the data. Trust, openness and security were revealed as core categories as they were frequently mentioned. These categories became frequent when they described a suitable environment for feeling comfortable in a social setting. Fourthly, I interpreted core categories into a theme. It was during this step that a [ Page ] 81 realization occurred that participants in the project had many things in common. Reasonably, “interpretation of the data will be of only several ‘right ways’ in which the data can be interpreted. If your interpretation is supported by the data, then it is valid, even if there are other ways to interpret the same data” (Auerbach and Silverstein 2003, 32). Given that the data of this sample was relatively small, three core categories were sufficient to yield a key discovery; that comfort was a key component to achieve a sense of belonging. Compliance with Ethical Standards My role as the assistant pastor at NPWC could be seen as persuasive. Hence, it was important that I did not intentionally use my authority to coerce or manipulate participants in any way in my research. The participants involved in the research project were people new to the church. In February and March of 2017 participants were contacted and given a brief overview of the overall project, its timeline, and the expectations for those involved. An invitation was given to all participants to attend an introductory session on April 9, 2017. It was communicated that no negative consequences would occur if they decided not to participate. The risks involved in this project were minimal because participants were not asked to engage in the activities that had any more risk than their usual engagement with the church. The lead pastor and associate pastor were in full support of my thesis project. The new people who participated were individuals that I had not yet developed relationships with, but they were aware of my position as the assistant pastor. [ Page ] 82 An ethical review was completed for this research project by the DMin delegated research ethics board at Tyndale Seminary in September 2016. The project was in compliance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (Canadian Institutes of Health Research et al. 2014). All participants gave informed consent, and all data was kept secure in a password protected form and/or a locked desk in my office. The application outlined the reason for this research project and clearly highlighted any possible ethical considerations of which I was aware. The application was re-submitted because I made some adjustments and required clearance so that I could start the research. The approval was received to complete the study by the Tyndale Research Ethics Board in March 2017. All participants were informed that this was the first undertaking of the integration process for NPWC. In terms of the three integration pastors, they were given the letter of invitation and consent (refer to Appendix E). In terms of the nine small group participants, they were given the letter of information and a consent form to read and the opportunity to ask any questions, or share concerns at the first session. Participants were also asked to sign the consent page to confirm that they understood the content and would be participating in the study (refer to Appendix F). They were made aware that they could withdraw from the study at any time without any consequences. They were also advised they could skip any difficult or uncomfortable questions as they saw fit. This information was provided to make participants aware that their information and privacy would be protected throughout and after the study. As such, they were made aware that [ Page ] 83 their real names and identities would not be included anywhere in the write up of the study or in any other material related to the study. However, a pseudonym would be assigned to the data, and as a researcher I provided additional explanations related to data protection to those who had further questions. Review of Survey Interviews with Three Integration Pastors Before implementing my model, I interviewed three integration pastors from the Brampton area. Although my model was different from their models, their insights and responses helped to give me some insight about the visitor follow-up package, the use of food in helping persons to connect, and the creation of a visitor follow-up database to track activities. My interviews with the three integration pastors (all of whom engaged with visitors from a multicultural church context and from an African-Canadian Caribbean cultures) yielded insight about the overall integration of newcomers. The most interesting of the three models is the Newcomers Welcome Café located in the lobby of the P2 church. This was a great idea for the expansion of the small group. However, due to limited space at NPWC this will not be possible now, but it may become possible in the near future if the church acquires larger facilities. [ Page ] 84 Project Implementation The project took participants through a six-week small group session. All sessions were held at NPWC (May-June, 2017) (See Appendix G for the small group schedule). Week One In week one, participants met for the first time and were introduced to each other and a stenographer who would be assisting in the sessions. Name tags were provided for everyone, after which the interaction started among them. The session started with prayer, and later, the participants were engaged in a five- minute icebreaker in which they had to further interact and identify ten things they had in common with each other that were not related to work or their appearance. Icebreakers were done every week to build momentum and encourage more engagement from participants. Because participants were coming straight from home, they had already had supper, so only light refreshments were provided. The food was set in the open, and participants could choose to eat whenever they wanted. This was done so as not to restrict their movement, and to make them comfortable. High energy was observed in the one hour they were there, and it was noticed that participants moved around the room to talk with each other. This observation told us that belonging was not contingent on the length of time spent with each other; one could experience a sense of belonging in a long or short time frame. Joseph Myers states, “In reality, time has little to do with a person’s ability [ Page ] 85 to experience significant belonging … Belonging is not controlled by time, and time by itself does not develop belonging” (Myers 2003, 11-12). The social environment created, with food and icebreakers, was designed to foster a sense of belonging. At the end of the session, participants completed the pre-group survey so that I could gather information about them. Week Two In week two, the group started out with fifteen minutes of interactive time during which the participants talked with each other and ate the food that was provided. However, one member was missing due to work obligations. The session opened with prayer, followed by an ice breaker called object stories. A bag was filled with different items, and each member chose three items and described different aspects of their lives related to the items. All group members that were present participated. Participants were engaged in a short discussion using a question and answer format. They were asked if they felt connected to church and why they went to church. I also asked “What is the relevance of the church in your life, and does it connect with the rest of your life?” Each week, I read a portion of David Fitch’s book Faithful Presence (2017) in preparation for the weekly study. This was in support of the theme I choose, recognizing God’s presence in the busyness of our lives, which I found to add value to our discussion because the Canadian distinctive mentioned in Chapter Three was that it is a “hurried society,” as noted by sociologist Kerry Daly (1996). I hoped this theme would continue in future [ Page ] 86 sessions if participants agreed. I chose the topic because there were no suggestions of topics offered by the participants. Each week, the study was half an hour in length. It took on a discussion format that I led, whereby participants were allowed to ask questions and take their own notes. No handouts were provided. We closed with prayer at the end of each session. They were invited to give their prayer requests, and I led the group in prayer, which was directed toward living out the theme in their daily lives. Week Three Week three started out with three participants absent due to personal obligations. Participants interacted for the first fifteen minutes while they ate their food. Prayer was offered, followed by an icebreaker where participants chose three coins from a bag and shared what they were doing in the year noted on each coin. Participants were asked to continue with the discussion from the previous week, which we did, and in addition, we spoke about how easy it was to miss God’s presence when we were leading busy lives. The participants vocalized their desires to revisit a prior conversation that alluded to the idea that people are looking to engage and connect. “People crave connection, not contracts. They want to participate in our rituals, even though they may not yet fully understand their meaning” (Myers 2003, 27). Week Four In week four, the session opened the same as it did in previous weeks, and two participants were absent. The icebreaker this week was “What Animals do [ Page ] 87 you like?” Participants were asked to choose an animal they would like to be and to give a reason why. Everyone participated in this activity. The discussions this week were also built on those from previous weeks. We continued discussions of David Fitch’s book. One question was asked: Where have you encountered God’s presence? All group members responded to the question by referencing parts of Fitch’s book. Week Five In week five, four participants were missing. However, the others spent the first 20 minutes interacting and spoke about how their weeks had gone. The extended time spent interacting and sharing spoke to the development of a community: “True community can be experienced in a public space. Public space is not mere togetherness; it is connectedness. It is family” (Myers 2003, 43). This week’s icebreaker was ‘sentence starters.’ Participants were asked to provide an opening line to a sentence, and each of them had to add on to it to come up with a story about the group. The discussion started out with the topic “Loss of God’s presence in the modern world, even among Christians.” Out of this question, other questions came up, such as what would happen if we were interrupted by God’s presence? Would there be transformation if we recognized Christ in our midst? This was an engaging discussion in which group members voiced their opinions regarding this topic. [ Page ] 88 Week Six Two members were absent from the week six meeting. This week, we did much reflection because this was our final group session. Each member brought a potluck meal, which they shared with one another during the first twenty minutes of the session. There was no icebreaker because participants wanted to interact more with each other. After the meal, participants were asked to “tell us something that has happened or changed in your life over the last three weeks as a result of being a part of the group.” This time was filled with emotions as members shared highs and lows, from their child’s graduation to two members in the group preparing for marriage, to other personal issues that they had been facing. Group members were empathetic, listened with compassion, and offered their help if it was needed. This showed elements of belonging: “Belonging happens when you identify with another entity-a person or organization, or perhaps a species, culture, or ethnic group” (Myers 2003, 25). Participants were able to share and find compassion in a group with which they could identify. Through the reflection activity, it was observed that the environment for connection was created. It was demonstrated in the intimacy that the participants chose to reveal as they shared their experiences. Myers had this to say, “We shape environments, as opposed to creating groups. When the environment is healthy, people will find connection on their own and form groups spontaneously. This approach gives freedom to individuals, because people will experience belonging and a sense that this helps them with their life” (Myers 2003, 76). [ Page ] 89 Participants enjoyed the environment to the extent to which they declined an icebreaker because they wanted to control and shape the interactions themselves, and they potentially found icebreakers to be limiting their ability to connect. This goes to show there was the potential for the development of social relationships and a sense of belonging, even after the six-week study was over. After the sessions ended the next step in the integration process would be to move to the next stages which are membership and discipleship. Gantt Chart Showing Phases and Timetable The Gantt chart in Table 1 describes measurable action steps throughout each phase of the project. Gantt charts are visualizations of the steps it takes for a project to be completed (Duffy 2016, 134). The Gantt chart shows the dates, activities, and sub-activities that were carried out. Table 1: Gantt Chart Showing 2016-2017 Phases and Timetable [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Table 1 details ] [ Page ] 90 [ Table 1 continues, please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Table 1 details ] Summary In this chapter, the project timeline, which occurred from May 2017 to June 2017, was provided. Other integration models in the community were examined to determine the successes and challenges that could be encountered should a model be implemented at NPWC. To ensure ethical standards were upheld and in agreement with the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, I ensured my role as the as the assistant pastor at NPWC had as little influence on the selection of participants as possible. Furthermore, when the participants were selected, I did not use my authority to manipulate participants in any phase of the research. The methodology used was described, and an explanation of the research collection methods was given in the section on data collection. In Chapter five, I described the findings and interpretation that led to the discovery of the outcomes. [ Page ] 91 CHAPTER 5: OUTCOMES AND INTERPRETATION In this chapter, I provide the results of some of the principles of AR conducted over the course of six weeks. There were nine members who participated in this research project. Each has been coded as M1 through M9 to protect their identities and help them remain anonymous. Throughout this section, I refer to the members (M1-M9) as I discuss the outcomes of the surveys. The three integration pastors are identified as P1, P2 and P3. In addition, the small group sessions had a stenographer who observed and took notes during each session. I use an inductive approach to help explain my findings and interpret categories by coding qualitative data. I coded the raw data by identifying reoccurring themes in their open-ended responses in the surveys and small group sessions. The outcomes and discoveries of the collected data showed meaningful insight and interpretation within this research. The research indicated that all participants experienced a sense of belonging while going through the Building Blocks of Belonging. The section on key discoveries includes insights in areas such as trust, openness and security, which is explained further in this chapter. [ Page ] 92 Integration Pastors In my thesis-project, I referred to the interviews with the three integration pastors as P1, P2, and P3. All of the churches incorporated a visitor’s card package, which I also used in my recruiting process. An information database was set up to email, visit, or contact the visitors. The database also measured the frequency at which visitors attended the church. To build relationships, P1 said, “The act of eating food can take away barriers and put people at ease.” P3 shared the same thought: “conversation is important but eating together can create community and friendship.” Like the three pastors, I used food as means of helping participants make connections. This was observed as participants ate together, and conversations were generated at each session during this time. The data collected from the integration pastors had less relevance to my six-week small group sessions and more relevance to the overall integration process of moving individuals from newcomer to membership at NPWC. Key Project Discoveries The coding method assisted me in identifying concepts, categories, code words and a theme. The data collected presented a theme of comfort. Using the code words (See Appendix H) concepts such as, “open to share feelings”, “ideas or personal issues” and “feeling secure without fear of stigma”, were translated into three core categories; security, trust and openness. This provided evidence that people would not integrate where they did not feel comfortable. Using this methodology led to similar discoveries using data between the surveys and small [ Page ] 93 group sessions. The six-week small group demonstrated their need to connect, establish comfort and trust while being open minded through discussion participation. Some sessions proved the desire to belong and connect by the quick friendships formulated over the first couple of weeks. The stenographer observed participants arriving with each other, discussing conversations held outside of the group sessions as well as plans to reconvene over the weekend for social outings. Small Group Sessions The data collection from small group sessions were analyzed as ethnographic data. Although this approach involved a participatory observation, the stenographer remained intentionally silent to observe the interactions, comments, and behaviors among the researcher and participants. Her notes served as “memoing,” a component of the inductive process. “Memoing is an assisting tool to the researcher in making conceptual leaps from raw data to those abstractions that explain research phenomena in the context in which it is examined” (Birks, Chapman and Francis 2008, 68). Her notes are included as raw data, which included but was not limited to comments, inquiries, statements, body language and receptiveness within each session. By using the memo method, code words like social identity, personality, support, confidentiality and discussing personal challenges, became easier to conceptualize the culture of the group. Although each participant had a varied Caribbean decent, his or her social conditions were very similar. Their stories regarding work, lifestyle, children, marital status, vulnerabilities, cultural identity, child rearing, feeling lost, [ Page ] 94 hardships, resentment were repeated codes that presented a broader concept; products of socialization (Appendix H, I). M2 retold their challenging upbringing in a single parent home, and M4 chimed in agreement as a divorcé and “all the emotional rollercoaster one goes through”. M1 replied with “I still don’t speak to my father and it’s been 20 years”. These codes were repeated in week one, three and six. These weeks were selected for inclusion because the results had noticeable impact during those specific sessions. Week two, four and five had remained relatively the same, which may be the result of inconsistent participation or absenteeism. The stenographer recorded a shift in the group dynamic when certain participants were absent. Some participants were observed to be less vocal and exhibited apathy. Isolating these instances would require further data collection to draw any conclusions. However, it was clear that certain participants affected the group by their mere presence or social interaction. M2 was absent in week four and it was observed that M4 and M6 were concerned as they had asked the researcher M2’s whereabouts. It appeared that M2 made an impression on the group, as they appeared to be genuinely concerned. Usually the icebreakers had great participation but that particular week, M4 and M6 decided not participate and rarely answered questions posed by the researcher. Observing through the lens of the stenographer, as well as my journaling, allowed for insight into the formation of social bonds and relationships. Participants exemplified the writings of Westheimer and Kahne who define community as “a result of interaction and deliberation of people brought together by similar interests and common goals” (Westheimer and Kahne 1993, 325) and [ Page ] 95 McMillan and Chavis who define a strong sense of community “As a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met through their commitment to be together” (McMillan and Chavis, 1986, 9). The small group sessions became a developing community among strangers, who later became members who now have become friends. How? By journeying through the Building Blocks of Belonging, elements of security, openness, and trust were basis of this process. Strangers became friends by gaining a sense of comfort and their journey produced a sense of connection and a desire to belong. See the illustrated model below. Figure 4: Building Blocks of Belonging [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Figure 4 details ] [ Page ] 96 The blocks begin with trust, openness and security. It represents a base that holds the blocks together. As a base, the components build a zone of comfort where the desire to connect, and build relationships occur. At the top, is the sense of belonging where participants gain a desire to integrate and create social bonds that bind them together as a group. Security Participants require an environment that feels safe and secure in order to participate in discussions and icebreakers. “Having friends and feeling known is good,” said M6. “I really like coming to these sessions, I feel like I am with people I can confide in” echoed M2. “I feel valued,” said M5. The six-week small group was a safe context because it created comradery, inspired participants to keep going and allowed the possibility for meaningful sharing to occur. Openness Participants agreed they felt the sessions were a “non-judgmental” zone where they could express their feelings, present challenges or received open- minded advice and support. M1 noted, “It’s good to know I’m not the only one going through this.” M4 confessed, “It gives a calming effect that you’re not alone.” Openness amongst participants relieved the feeling of discomfort and stress and created a sense of hope that going through this six-week small group could lead to friendship. [ Page ] 97 Trust Participants were able to trust each other and opened up about their histories, narratives, and vulnerabilities. M5 concluded, “Being vulnerable with others is a risk and often requires a greater measure of trust.” M6 revealed, “honesty” is an attitude that participants need going through these sessions.” One of the highlights for M8 was the level transparency that developed throughout the six-week session. M8 appreciated, “everyone being honest about what their situation was and where they were at.” This level of trust was helpful because participants learned more about each other after meeting over the six-weeks. Comfort Participants all agreed that feeling comfortable was vital to wanting to participate in a small group. “Open and conducive to a friendly environment” proclaimed M9. M3 similarly said, “Acceptance” and “Speak freely gives me comfort to be myself.” Security, openness, and trust were the machineries that enabled the inner workings of honesty, friendliness and confidentiality to harvest a sense of belonging. Without these four Building Blocks, participants might not have experienced a sense of belonging throughout the six weeks, nor would they have wanted to integrate into the wider church community. Interaction Participants appeared to have been enthusiastic about participating in the small group. Their interaction were subtle when they first introduced themselves to the group. At the first session, M1 through M9 all began with their names, [ Page ] 98 occupations, and marital status, until one of the participants made a joke. M1 and M6 were the first ones to show their humor by saying, “okay, who wants some more food? And what does everyone do for fun instead of working and speaking about their kids?” “I shop and look at cars I can’t afford, said M5.”The atmosphere became more relaxed, and anxiety levels seemed to lower. By session four, there were sidebar conversations, requesting food from each other and more mingling and laughter. The sessions almost became more of a familial gathering. For example, there was a challenge one of the participants was facing as it pertains to their child. To remedy the situation, the group came together. They provided recommendations about social organizations, volunteered for personal assistance, and most of all, offered a listening ear. Behavioral Change As time progressed, the sessions grew increasingly long; up to half an hour over the schedule time even with an on-time start. Field notes indicate that participants spoke more about their present conditions, upcoming events, and individual victories among their newfound friends. The hesitation to speak minimized and attempts to help, seek advice, or just listen to challenges became the focus when addressing the group as a whole. The guard of vulnerability was down, and participants offered to help each other by volunteering to take care of their children and brainstormed ideas to alleviate the challenges. When M3 was facing challenges with nine- month old child and work obligations, M4 volunteered to babysit that night. The action of caring for each other stimulated [ Page ] 99 the desire to form friendships. This small group research satisfied my hope that participants would feel secure enough to want to have open discussions. The participation of these individuals in this research indicates an active willingness to come together to identify issues that they may have. Moreover, by memoing active discussion, I was able to uncover challenges among the group, which may have provided solidarity and, thus, formed social bonds and ultimately relationships. M7 was facing challenges with her husband and the decision whether to stay in Canada or return to her home county. She cried during her story and the group supported her with tissues, advice and a professional legal assistance. It was evident that in developing a sense of comfort, the participants soon developed a sense of caring for each other. If one part of the social body was bruised, they all were. They shared laughter as well as tears, as people with social bonds generally do. Survey Data Discoveries The pre-survey served as a marker to gain an understanding of the participant’s willingness and the necessary conditions to participate in small groups (Appendix H). It was revealed that of the nine respondents, seven of them required “honesty from people in the group” (M8), “friendly people I can talk to” (M7), and “friendly people” (M4). The selection of these responses were based on the commonality of the code word: friendliness. This code was repeated more than five times. The needs of participants must be addressed to create a welcoming environment. Even though participants in this session demonstrated [ Page ] 100 honesty and openness, it is not guaranteed that the environment will be similar for future groups. Therefore, upcoming participants will be encouraged to help create a space that is open and conductive to a friendly environment. Moreover, it was clear that food and no homework were overwhelming reasons to join a small group (Appendix H). See Figure 5 below. Figure 5: Reasons to Join a Small Group [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Figure 5 details ] The data show that eight of the nine participants preferred not to receive homework, followed closely by the necessity of food. Recall food as an identifier mentioned earlier. This survey shows that food was a buffer that stimulated conversation, ideas, and stories, which I discuss in more detail later on. The purpose of the pre-survey was to identify the components to commence an integration process at NPWC. The post-survey data satisfied my anticipation for participants to form relationships among the group. One hundred per cent of the participants answered that they made new friends in the group. Using the post- [ Page ] 101 survey data, it can be concluded that the majority of the group hoped to be in a safe environment, which this environment could potentially satisfy. When asked about what specifically helped them to share within the group, M2 said, “I felt comfortable and everyone was so friendly and open,” M1 said, “one way or another we connected,” M4 said she “appreciated the comfortable atmosphere but wanted more members,” M5 said, “the group members made me feel comfortable, I felt no pressure to be a certain way,” and M6 said, “everyone was warm sharing their views, it made me feel comfortable.” This beginning point is necessary as participants need to feel comfortable as they begin to connect with other members; moreover it is hoped that this will propel them to move to the other stages of the integration process, namely membership and discipleship. Comfort was a very interesting discovery. It was a recurring concept and theme in this research. Most responses, if not all, referred to feeling comfortable when it came to sharing. The post-survey responses mirrored responses from the pre-surveys. To share, all participants desired a comfortable setting. They sought honest and friendly people with whom to share experiences and discuss challenges and disappointments (Appendix I). The journey to establish a comfortable setting appeared to be a quick venture as respondents became acquainted with each other. Toward the end of the small group sessions, it was also shown that seven of the nine who responded to the question “After these six weeks, would you return for a longer term small group?” answered “yes.” Data in the post-survey offered a resounding “yes” when asked, “Did the group composition help in fostering relationships?” Using the scale of [ Page ] 102 helpfulness, M1 through M7 responded with “very helpful.” Interpreting this data as “very helpful” or “yes” brings to light the potentiality of forming relationships or friendships within the group (Appendix I). Given the composition of group, the members shared a common goal—to participate in a small group. However, what makes them distinct are their reasons for participation. What was required for participation and forming these relationships was a comfortable atmosphere in which to share. According to Wright and Bell (2003) in “An exploration of why people participate in second life social support groups,” they write the following: The connectivity to a large, network of people who have diverse backgrounds, similar experiences, and varied attitudes makes multiple sources of information and diverse viewpoints. Together, these characteristics increase an individual’s sense of confidentiality and willingness to disclose personal information, and reduce the sense of isolation and potential stigmatization. (Wright and Bell 2003, 466) In other words, using different viewpoints for participating, there is still a sense of confidentiality and willingness to disclose personal information in a comfortable space. This space lessens the sense of isolation or stigmatization from others. The fear of feeling vulnerable could have hindered the formation of relationships, but this was not the case here. Instead, the condition of security was established enough for the members to openly share with others. Summary In this chapter, the outcomes, findings and interpretations of the six-week small group sessions implemented at NPWC were outlined. The chapter highlighted the key discoveries throughout the research project. First, every participant indicated that they experienced a sense of belonging as was discussed [ Page ] 103 in the Building Blocks of Belonging. Second, it was discovered that the motivation for the participants in the six-week small group was achieved, as they made clear. Third. It was established that the core categories found in the survey were trust, openness and security, which led to comfort and ultimately to a sense of belonging. The inductive process helped to materialize these findings by using coding, memoing, and conceptualizing. The experience of the integration pastors show that there are several ways to integrate newcomers into a community, but the basis of them all is to meet the individual at the basic need to feel comfortable. [ Page ] 104 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION This study aimed to provide an environment in which participants could experience a sense of belonging through newly formed small group as the beginning process of integration into the community of the local church. The small group had nine participants, and it is through their voices and experiences that the outcomes were able to be captured. This chapter starts with the summarization of the project and the linking of the chapters to one another. Included within this chapter is the evaluation of the six-week small group with a focus on what could be done in a more effective manner in the future, and finally the evaluation of the Building Blocks of Belonging (BBB). The chapter ends with implications for NPWC and beyond our local church, and my personal journal reflection on what I learned doing this project-thesis. Project Summary This project came out of a desire to see new attendees at NPWC begin to experience friendship and belonging. After being appointed as the part-time associate pastor, my primary responsibility was to focus on new people who visit the church. I soon realized that NPWC did not have anything in place for new people who were coming through our doors Sunday after Sunday. It was out of [ Page ] 105 this opportunity that I saw the need to develop an integration model as my DMin focus for NPWC that fostered friendship and belonging for newcomers to the church. I think that every church should have something in place to integrate newcomers into the church community. In Chapter Two, I explored a theological approach to the importance of community life within the Christian context. God has demonstrated that relationship and communion is vital at every level, from the Trinity and God’s relationships with people, to the Christian community. The Trinity demonstrates that we, as human beings, were not created to be satisfied living in isolation; rather, we were created to live in harmony with one another, loving each other and loving our God together. Within Christian fellowship, believers should truly experience the mercy and grace of God in the form of the Christian community. Integrating into a Christian community benefits not only the believer, in terms of sharing in a common life, but also the church body, aligning with God’s plan for humanity. In Chapter Three, I investigated how to create an environment for newcomers to gain a sense of belonging and connectedness to form a strong sense of community. The small group sessions provided the opportunity for this to happen. The concept of a strong sense of community is defined as a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met through their commitment to being together. Elements that help to achieve this strong sense of community are membership (the primary distinction between church membership and other forms of membership is the [ Page ] 106 necessity for individuals to have a personal salvation relationship with Jesus Christ); influence, the integration and fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection. Other crucial aspects include primary and secondary groups, personality and participation, as well as the Canadian and Caribbean cultural contexts. Each element plays a crucial role in how a community will bond. Although the small group sessions only lasted for six-weeks, these elements were clearly identifiable as the sessions progressed. In Chapter Four, I outlined the implementation of the six-week small group model in a detailed manner, along with how the research data was collected and analyzed. Through interviews, surveys, ethnographic observation, and my personal research journal, data was collected, and the results were analyzed and outlined in Chapter Five. In Chapter Five, I outlined the discoveries and discussed the interpretations of the data collected from surveys, interviews, six-week small group, ethnographic observations, and my personal research journal reflection. After analyzing the key discoveries, which were social interaction, engagement, and the formation of relationships, I can say that the belonging component of the CBE model that includes the visitor’s follow-up (S1), the six-week small group sessions (S2), worked to create an intentional environment for participants to begin experiencing friendship and belonging. The BBB produced evidence of a sense of comfort for individuals to participate. The core categories that were established are family obligation, shared experiences, and comfort. These core categories will be explored further for the completion of this model, and I will [ Page ] 107 look for ways to refine the belonging component of the CBE model to help newcomers to NPWC experience community. I believe these findings provide evidence that I am on the right track in creating an integration process tailored to the needs of newcomers to NPWC. Evaluation of the Six-Week Small Group Sessions In evaluating the project, a qualitative methodology that involved observation was employed. The ethnographic observations helped guide the potential future directions for improving small groups for newcomers at NPWC. During the six-week small group, it was observed that all participants actively participated in discussions and icebreakers, which they enjoyed. Participants experienced a level of comfort in sharing their narratives and experiences with each other, and this increased week-by-week until the sessions ended. The environment that was created encouraged openness and transparency. This was evident when members of the group showed empathy and offered assistance when difficult stories were shared. The greater the sense of comfort that each participant felt appeared to impact their experience of connecting and feeling a sense of belonging in the group. Some of the participants described the new outlook they acquired about building new relationships and the bonds that they formed, which they associate with being a part of the small group process. Further, I noted that the sample size could have been increased to allow me to replace individuals who dropped out or did not attend all the sessions due to circumstances that were uncontrollable or the loss of interest in participating. [ Page ] 108 Even though the sample size was not increased, participants were able to connect with each other through sharing and participating each week. Having five more participants might have enhanced the discussions and may not have brought harm to the group. It was also possible that some aspects of the researcher’s and the stenographer’s behavior could have prevented the participants from being natural in the setting, especially at the beginning of the session, which could have impacted the data collection, even though all efforts were made to avoid potential bias. Evaluation of the Building Blocks of Belonging The BBB proved to be a process that can be effective in helping people to connect in meaningful ways. The process revealed that individuals require a certain environment and space to allow strangers to become friends. Admittedly, I approached this research with preconceived ideas because I believed from the beginning that integration was important and I designed the six-week small group to lead to specific outcomes.” The data collected, along with the participant’s behavior during the six-week small group sessions and literature review, helped in creating this Building Blocks of Belonging (Figure 6). This BBB allowed participants to share and feel safe enough to be themselves. The efficacy of the small group is evident because it bore fruit with which to establish a connection to the desire to belong to a community by forming meaningful relationships. The most important signifier of efficacy of this belonging process is time. Over a short [ Page ] 109 six-week period, this process produced friends from strangers and, ultimately, members of a community were cultivated. Figure 6: Building Blocks of Belonging [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Figure 6 details ] The different components that make up the Building Blocks of Belonging were foundational to moving the participants from strangers to friends. For strangers to connect, there must be an element of security, which was experienced throughout the first week when the ground rules (i.e., confidentiality, being open and honest and showing empathy) for sharing were reinforced and followed through by each participant. Participants then felt safer when expressing themselves and started building trusting relationships with each other. This moved them towards comfort where they became more open in their conversations, [ Page ] 110 which led to sharing experiences without feeling judged. The arrows move bidirectional because persons may go back and forth between the various components. Since it was a general theme that family life and other experiences were important, all participants developed a comfort level with each other, which led to a sense of belonging. This also shows that people are seeking to connect, and the church environment mirrors the same desire. As people walk through our doors, it is our goal to assist these individuals to connect and form friendships by means of a biblical approach. Implications for North Park Worship Centre Previously NPWC had nothing in place for newcomers to the church to connect and experience belonging over time. Therefore, it would be prudent for the leaders of NPWC to examine where they are regarding newcomers to the church. The leaders now have the opportunity to use the three stages (Six-week small group, Membership, Discipleship) of the Belonging component of the CBE model to improve the visitor experience to NPWC and then to integrate them into the wider church community. As such, I recommend they make an intentional effort to use it so that the desired outcome for newcomers will be achieved, which is integration into the life of the church. The church needs to consider the importance of fostering meaningful relationships, which takes place when newcomers feel they belong and can connect with others. Therefore, leaders should evaluate the effectiveness of this [ Page ] 111 component within the CBE model with the aim of improving upon it over time to manage the impacts it has on newcomer’s integration. For the Belonging component of the CBE model to be effective at NPWC, the leaders within the church will be trained on how to facilitate the three stages of the Belonging component (S2-Six-week small group, S3-Membership and S4- Discipleship) in the process of integrating newcomers. It will be my responsibility to initiate contact for the first stage - S1-visitor follow-up. I will encourage the newcomers to become a part of the integration process. The training will include meeting with the leaders and taking them through the three stages (six-week small group, membership, discipleship) of the Belonging component of the CBE model. Members of the congregation will be made aware of this effort in order to solicit prayer and, hopefully encourage a mindset of being a welcoming church. Implications for the Wider Community Stage one and stage two of the Belonging component of the model has been implemented at NPWC and has proven to be successful in enhancing a sense of belonging to one another through a six-week small group. The other two stages of the model (S1 membership and S4 discipleship) will be executed. After the completion of the implementation of the integration model, and based upon the effectiveness of the model, it will be recommended to other Afro-Canadian churches within the community to adapt aspects of the model or implement a similar model for newcomers to their congregations. Furthermore, this model can be used within other church contexts because churches within the Region of Peel [ Page ] 112 open their doors to multiculturalism, which includes individuals from African- Canadian and Caribbean backgrounds. The model could also prove useful in engaging newcomers in these churches. Having said this, the model can also work in any church and be successful, if those who implement it follow the same steps and apply it to another culture of their choice. Given the significance that building connections with newcomers can have in integrating them into the life of the church as they experience a sense of belonging, leaders in other Afro-Canadian churches within the community can incorporate this successful model, in part or completely, so that newcomers can experience belonging and, ultimately, integrate into church life. Additionally, church leaders can train key leaders in the church to intentionally carry out this component of the model and get other members involved to have continuity. Future Implication The implementation of Creating Belonging: A first Step at an Integration Model for New attendees at North Park Worship Centre from my perspective and that of the participants was successful. The participants who went through the six- week small group sessions achieved a sense of belonging and saw behavioral changes (BBB). Since the project was completed, I have begun stage three of the belonging component of the model (S3 Membership). This stage was employed February 25, 2018 and will run for another six-weeks. The non-members who had gone through the six-week small group sessions are now part of the Come Grow with Christ Class (S2.5) that began on March 11, 2018. The future phases [ Page ] 113 of this project on integrating newcomers to NPWC will involve the following categories: Improvement to the Six-Week Small Group The following improvements could be made to the six-week small group: • Move the location from the church site to a place where there is less distraction, for example, booking a community room for six weeks or using the pastor’s home basement study area. • Have participants choose a topic for discussion, which may bring about more engagement from them because it would be a topic of their choice. • Find out ahead of time if individuals have commitments within the six-week time frame, and if they do, discuss the option of participating in another small group session that is convenient for them. • Increase the number of participants in the small group to allow a group dynamic to continue if a few people are absent. Framework of the Model for Further Integration The following improvements could be made to the model: • The two other pastors at NPWC will be involved in the integration process of newcomers (S2-Six-week small group, S3-Membership and S4-Disciplship). As of April 2018, I began recruiting newcomers for the next cycle, which one of the other pastors will lead. • Offer a three -step set of groups: 1. Newcomers group 2. Membership/discipleship group 3. Integrate into the church group • Have a future facilitator who has been trained, assigned in each group who will be prepared to take over and continue leadership of an existing group, so that additional groups can be started. I will continue to be the recruiter who will start new belonging groups and then turn it over to leaders who have been trained to continue with the group. [ Page ] 114 Church of God of Prophecy—Eastern Canada Every local church needs to be intentional in making newcomers feel a sense of belonging that could lead to integration into the wider church community. In February 2018, the visitor follow-up (S1) and the six-week small group (S2) parts of the model was presented to the Bishop of the organization who gives oversight to the Church of God of Prophecy in Eastern Canada in February 2018. The presentation was well received and I was able to share about the effectiveness of the beginning process of making newcomers achieve a sense of belonging. He was very interested in me giving an overview of the model in the next leadership seminar with the pastors of all the churches in Canada, which is about 30. Individual pastors who were at the presentation of my thesis in 2017 have approached me to learn more about how the model could be implemented within their church context. So there are opportunities unfolding to collaborate with Church of God of Prophecy, Canada to help local churches be more purposeful with newcomers to their churches. Personal Journal Reflection Before I began this project, my passion for seeing newcomers feel a sense of belonging and then integration into the life of the church was just an idea. However, having gone through this process, my learning has been enhanced in discovering how best to put my passion into practice. The insights that I gained from my literature review readings, interviews, and surveys helped me in [ Page ] 115 developing a strategy for a six-week small group for connecting with newcomers to NPWC and integrating them as a foundational discipleship practice. My intention in this process was to use a neutral approach during my project sessions. However, I realized that I my position of pastor was an inescapable element in terms of how I was perceived by the participants. In spite of that, I sought to create a social space that allowed individuals to share their experiences without judgement. I believe I was able to do this successfully, because the participants appeared to relate to me not only as pastor but also as a person. The created environment left participants feeling that they were able to speak to me before and after the small group. I also noticed that none of the nine participants referred to me as pastor, but instead by my first name. One of the ways I sought to create a safe and welcoming environment was by icebreakers and food. Participants were comfortable in discussing their backgrounds, histories experiences and family challenges, during both the activities and the meal times. Further evidence of a safe environment was apparent, as hesitation to speak became less each week, and attempts to help, seek advice, or just listen to challenges became important when addressing the group as a whole. The guard of vulnerability came down as participants began helping each other, from volunteering to take care of other’s children to brainstorming ideas to all alleviate challenges one of the participant was facing. The action of caring for each other stimulated the desire to form friendships. The created environment left participants feeling that they were able to speak to me before and [ Page ] 116 after the small group. I believe that this was key in allowing me to capture data that was relevant to the project. I learned that relationship building plays a key part in any church and at NPWC specifically. When an individual decides to visit a church, they are doing so for a reason. They are looking for a congregation to be a part of, and maybe looking to connect and build relationships. Jesus himself in his ministry, interaction, and response to the needs of the multitudes, invested the largest percentage of his time and effort in building unique relationships. His goal was to see spiritual development, preparation, and continuation of his ministry through his disciples. This learning process gave me the opportunity to see that I must be intentional in implementing and managing an effective method for purposeful relationship building and integration of visitors at NPWC. Even though, I experienced challenges with the research process, once I completed each section in the set timeframe, my confidence level increased, and I was motivated to take on the next task. This spoke to the effective use of my time to meet deadlines for each chapter. One of the most frustrating part of this process I found was people calling in on the day of the session to say they were not coming. This affected the planned activity to some extent, such as the icebreakers. Another aspect to consider for executing this process in an improved way would be in relation to the location. I feel the process would have gone smoother if I held it at another location, such as my home. This would have allowed for limited distractions, as opposed to at the church, where individuals were always coming in for appointments and meeting other church staff, which caused some [ Page ] 117 distraction. In spite of that, 80 percent of the time, participants were engaged in the small group sessions. This project taught me how to categorize information and identify themes from feelings, experiences, and challenges by using the pre-survey, post-survey questions and the ethnographic data. Using categories allowed me to create themes, such as the overall theme of feeling comfortable. The participation of these individuals in this research indicates their active willingness to come together to identify issues that they may have. This is the beginning of the process of integrating into the broader community. Summary This chapter outlined the process used to implement the second component of the CBE model—“belong”—and the Building Blocks of Belonging that was created out of that component and applied at the NPWC. The project was recapped from its inception by linking each chapter to the others. The role of the developer was reflected upon, and improvement for the six-week small group sessions and the BBB. The chapter concluded with implications for NPWC and other local churches and future applications of the model. There seems to be many possibilities for NPWC in the future. [ Page ] 118 APPENDICES [ Page ] 119 APPENDIX A: Interview Questions for Integration Pastors 1. Please describe how you integrate newcomers to your church? 2. What literature did you find helpful in devising your model? 3. Which church models did you find helpful? 4. What changes have you made to your model over the years and why? What changes would you still like to make? 5. How do you measure your success? 6. What advice would you give someone devising an integration model? [ Page ] 120 APPENDIX B: Pre-Group Survey for Participants in Small Group 1. How comfortable are you making connections with people you don’t know? 1- Very Comfortable 2- Comfortable 3- Somewhat comfortable 4- Uncomfortable 2. Would this be your first time in a small group? • Yes • No 3. Circle any of the reasons that would help you to consider joining a small group: • short time frame • dinner first • mixed group with males and females • relevant topic • no homework required • Other features __________________________________ 4. Are there any topics that would be of interest to you to discuss in the group? Please list: 5. What day and time frame would help accommodate your ability to participate? Please circle all applicable times: A. Weeknight: Tuesday (5-7) B. Weeknight: Wednesday (5-7) C. Weeknight: Thursday (5-7) D. Saturday (5-7) E. Sunday (5-7) [ Page ] 121 6. What environment would you feel most comfortable in for a small group session? Rate these locations from 1-3, 1 being the least desirable and 3 being the most desirable A. North Park Worship Centre B. Williams Café – Queen Street Brampton C. Pastor’s home 7. What features would help you to share in a small group setting? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 8. Would you prefer to participate in a co-ed group or singlegender group? Please comment: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 9. What would help you to build relationships in a small group setting? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 10. Are there any reasons why you would be hesitant to join a small group? Please comment: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________ Thank-you for taking the time to complete this survey! [ Page ] 122 APPENDIX C: Post-Group Survey for Participants in Small Group 1. How satisfied were you with the meals that were prepared? (1) Very satisfied (2) Satisfied (3) Somewhat Satisfied (4) Not Satisfied 2. Did you feel that the environment was conducive to connect with others within the six weeks? (1) Strongly agree (2) Agree (3) Disagree (4) Neutral 3. Did you form any friendship with members of the group? (1) Yes (2) No 4. After the small group sessions ended, did you contact any group member/s? (1) Yes (2) No 5. What helped you to share in the group sessions? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 6. Was the location for the small group sessions a comfortable space for you? Please answer and comment: (1) Yes ____________________________________________________________________ (2) No ____________________________________________________________________ _ [ Page ] 123 APPENDIX D: Self-Reflection Journal on the Process of the Project 1. Did I use my position as a pastor to influence how participants answered interview questions? 2. Did I create a safe environment for participants to share their experiences regarding the integration model? 3. Did I use the facilitation tools effectively? How? 4. What was accomplished by initiating and completing this integration project? 5. What did I find frustrating or not about this project? 6. Have I change my perspectives or have new idea after engaging in this project? 7. What did this project tell me about how I learn and process information? 8. Did I observe any change in participant’s behavior forming friendships and engaging in the church community? If so, what were the changes? [ Page ] 124 APPENDIX E: Letter of Information and Consent Form for Integration Pastors [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix E details ] [ Page ] 125 [ Appendix E continues, please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix E details ] [ Page ] 126 APPENDIX F: Letter of Information and Consent Form for New Attendees [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix F details ] [ Page ] 127 [ Appendix F continues, please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix F details ] [ Page ] 128 APPENDIX G: Small Group Schedule 6:00pm–Welcome & Grace 6:05pm—Light Snack 6:15pm—Icebreakers 6:20pm—Study and Conversation 6:50pm—Prayer 7:00pm—Depart [ Page ] 129 APPENDIX H: Pre- Group Survey Code Word, Concept, Category, Theme [ Pleae contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix H details ] [ Page ] 130 [ Appendix H continues, please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix H details ] [ Page ] 131 [ Appendix H continues, please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix H details ] [ Page ] 132 [ Appendix H continues, please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix H details ] [ Page ] 133 APPENDIX I: Post- Group Survey Code Word, Concept, Category, Theme [ Pleae contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix I details ] [ Page ] 134 [ Appendix I continues, please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix I details ] [ Page ] 135 Appendix J: Small Group Sessions: Code Word, Concept, Category, Theme [ Pleae contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix J details ] [ Page ] 136 REFERENCE LIST Adelman, Clem. 1993. 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