Imagine this. After church, everyone is engaged in some kind of conversation. That is a step in the right direction even if half the conversations are about the weather. Then you overhear slivers of those conversations. People are being vulnerable and speaking about matters that are important—the sermon, a parenting question, a challenge with a coworker, a dementing parent, depression that won’t quit—and those who are listening clearly care.
What can you do to contribute to a church culture where people talk openly and are vulnerable with each other, and they are drawn both into the community and into Christ?
There are two parts to this: (1) a church culture in which people listen well, pray well, avoid the pitfalls of advice-giving, and do not default to personal illustrations from their life—“Really? The same thing happened to me”—and (2) a culture in which church leadership and members are open and invite vulnerability. How can we encourage this?
We begin by knowing the culture of the kingdom of God. We have been transferred from the domain of darkness into his kingdom of light (Col 1:12–13), and there is a lot to talk about. We describe what God has done; we help
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