What is the Role of Relationships in the Life Cycle and Stages of Congregational Development?
Relationships joins with vision to fuel the forward progress of growing congregations. Congregations that are growing younger tend to focus on vision and relationships. Congregations growing older tend to focus on programs and management. Infancy is the first stage of congregational development where relationships expresses itself in a fully developed or dominant form. At that stage it helps crystallize the identity and focus of a congregation. It also defines the disciplemaking style of the congregation. In practice relationships cannot happen haphazardly in a congregation. The relationships process must be an integral part of the strategies, structures, and systems of a congregation. Careful attention to the relationships process can enhance the effectiveness of the disciplemaking process of a congregation. Relationships is the main day-to-day factor contributing to qualitative and quantitative growth of congregations. After vision, it is the most important factor on which a congrega
