Strengthen Your Christian Community Even When You Can’t Be Together

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How To Move Your Church Directory From The Junk Drawer To The Toolbox

Strengthen Christian community in your small church even when you can’t be together. Here’s how to move your church directory from the junk drawer to the toolbox!

My Small Church Just Did Something A Big Church Can’t Do!

I’ve worked in big churches and small churches, and I love them both. They offer different things to different people. Different programs, staff positions, challenges, and strengths.

But what I did this weekend, well, I couldn’t have done it in a big church.

So, before I dive in, here’s a call to all the small churches out there! This strange & scary pandemic season is a time for you to rise up and do one of the things you do best: Christian community. The place where everybody knows your name.

Christian Community Is Not What You Think

When most people think of Christian community, they think of their favorite Christian friends. A group of people who like each other, enjoy being together, and have lots in common. Those who share stories, laughter, and life together. A beautiful, supportive circle. Is that what you picture too?

Christian community, as Jesus showed us, is much different. Let’s remember the disciples and the diversity they represented: Simon the religious zealot probably didn’t have a lot in common with the tax collector and the stinky fishermen. There were petty disagreements and full-fledged arguments. And this is the group Jesus chose to example! He called them to be His Church.

God’s Analogy: The Body With Many Parts

God’s choice of using the human body as an analogy for the church couldn’t be more clear. A big toe can’t be much more different than an intricate brain. And the functioning of a kneecap is incomparable to the mission of an eyeball.

Christian community isn’t about girlfriends sharing over coffee. It’s full of diversity, personality mixes, and tough conversation. It’s about sticking together in the good and the bad, the happy and the difficult, as well as the laughter and the arguments. And, as most of us know, family is often full of oddballs and dysfunction. But we are still family.

The Beauty Of Christian Community In A Small Church

Here’s where the small church makes its mark. Unlike large churches, we’ve never been able to segregate into groups with lots of commonalities because there just aren’t enough of us. There’s not a young adult group because there are only 3 of them. There’s not a 5th-grade class, because there are only 4 kids in the whole elementary program.

And God shows up in a different way. Not less; just different. It’s a beautiful community that large churches can never duplicate.

Because of sheer numbers, we can’t segregate like the big churches even if we tried. And, for many in small churches, we wouldn’t want to.

We know the joy of 3 surrogate grandpas who watch out for us, 5 surrogate aunties who pray for us, and a whole slew of siblings that aren’t biologically our own. But we have each other’s backs just the same, we want the best for each other, and we walk through the joy and through the pain –– together.  

And now, in the global pandemic of 2020, we can’t see each other on Sundays. What? It’s true: No more “family” gatherings for a time.

What a perfect time to step up and quit taking our community for granted!

Social Distancing Ups The Value Of Your Church Directory

As gas prices go down and toilet paper grows scarce, the value of your printed church directory just soared through the roof.

Here’s how our church directory just became a tool for discipleship, community building, and leadership development.

A Little History Of Our Church Directory

Like most small churches, our church directory doesn’t get updated as much as it should; it gets lost and taken for granted. In many homes, it ends up in the junk drawer.

A year ago, someone in our church took it upon herself to create our own pictorial directory in Publisher. She did it herself because we wanted everyone in it, not just those who show up when the professional photographer is in charge. It was cheap and fairly easy, or so she said!

It is beautiful to have faces put to names because even in a church under 100 people, we tend to gravitate into smaller groups. And everyone doesn’t know everyone’s name.

A Church Directory Takes On Social Distancing

When we were put under gathering restrictions during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, my first thought went to our small church community. How will we keep in touch? The directory is out-of-date, people have moved, and the rest of the church doesn’t have access to all the updates in my phone contacts.

Like many churches, we started a Facebook group to keep in touch and hosted some Zoom calls.

Click to read more about that in 15 Minutes Of Ministry From Home.

But the reality is all of our people don’t even have computers. So what about them? Here’s what we did in 3 steps:

1. Update The Church Directory

I spent a few hours updating the directory, even getting a few photos we were missing over text and email. The next afternoon, I printed new directories at the church, folding and stapling them into sweet little booklets.

2. Include The Call In 1 Corinthians 12

Because everyone in a church is called to be salt and light, to be an influence, and to extend Christian care, we included a bright yellow card in each directory telling them so! 1 Corinthians 12 speaks to a higher level of church community. And calling others to this responsibility is exactly what Jesus did!

So, inside each directory, we printed the following on bright yellow cardstock. At the top, we wrote a quick handwritten “We sure miss you” note. The printed card read:

1 Corinthians 12:27

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

During these uncertain times, we can either isolate & hibernate, or we can reach out & support one another more than ever! Because our God can do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20), we are praying that our church emerges stronger than ever when we are able to gather together in person again.

Please consider reaching out to one another, even those who typically sit far across the aisle from you on Sunday mornings. We are hoping this updated directory becomes a tool of connection for you.

Pray for those on the pages inside, send a note, give a call, or drop a line by email or text. Your encouragement can make someone’s day!

As we learn some new tools to stay in touch online, please let us know if you need help:

1) Finding the Sunday morning Worship Service Broadcast, 2) Joining our private Church Family Facebook Group, or 3) Figuring out what a Zoom call is.

We are all in this together!

And (coming soon!) … hang onto your Hawaiian shirts!

When we are finally able to meet together in person, we are planning an Island Luau! If you want to help with the party planning, call Laurie or Debbie (contact info inside)!

3. Home Deliver For Best Results

Next, a few friends and I divided up the directory. We really wanted people to see the importance of reaching out to each other, so we decided to hand-deliver them (as only a small church could!). We each took about 20 households and, along with the special note, encouraged them to reach out to each other during this isolating time. 

The results of these face-to-face drop-offs were amazing! People who had been isolated for a week or two were thrilled to see a familiar face.

(We maintained social distancing in our deliveries. Putting the directory on the welcome mat, we rang the bell and then took several steps back –– never coming within 8 feet. For those in apartments, we called ahead as well.)

We had great conversation and many shared about their anxiety, their struggles, and even their current needs. They thanked us for taking the time to deliver these directories. Some of the needs mentioned, which never would have been shared without our face-to-face visit, we were able to turn around and meet.

Why Print A Directory When Most Of Us Have Our Contacts In Our Phones?

Many churches don’t go through the hassle of printing directories anymore. For large churches, printing a picture directory might not be as beneficial because in big churches many will never cross paths with each other. But for small churches, the church directory can become an important tool for prayer, a checklist for writing encouraging notes, and an invitation call list for events.

Another reason to print a paper directory is, while it’s true that most of us have our friends’ contacts in our phones, biblical Christian community is larger than our friends. And the more we communicate that truth along with biblical teaching about each person’s important role in the body, the stronger our communities become.

Our church directory reminds us of those who aren’t in our inner circle, aren’t in our age group, and who serve in different ministry areas.

Move Your Church Directory Out Of Your Junk Drawer

So lead the way and start using your directory as a ministry tool, not just an outdated address book. Put a star by each person you pray for every time you do. Put a check by each name as you write encouraging notes. Underline each person you haven’t gotten to know quite yet. And commit to praying for those by name, send regular notes of encouragement, and reach out to those you underlined.

The relic of the church directory is a much-neglected power tool!

Looking for a step-by-step guide to starting or restarting your women’s ministry?

Check out the Women’s Ministry Bundle For Small Churches!

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