Social connectedness:the role of the local church in building community

Abstract

Churches have had a traditional role in building a sense of belonging where people feel valued and can develop trusting relationships, often referred to as social capital. The local church is a place where people can connect with others as well as receive assistance, warmth and kindness particularly during times of distress. This article provides a brief overview of the role of the church in developing social capital and identifies some recent Australian studies that may be helpful to church congregations as they endeavour to engage with their local communities.

Full text

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Social'connectedness:'The'role'of'the'local'church'in'building'community'
In!the!digitised,!commercialised!western!world,!a!great!deal!has!been!written!about!the!loss!
of! community! and! the! impact! that! lack! of! connectedness! has! on! mental! health! and! well-
being!(Emery,!2012;! Hughes!et!al.,!2007;!Pretty!et! al.,!2006;!Putnam,!2000;!Mackay,! 2014).!
Loneliness!is!seen!as!an!increasing!social!problem!affecting!many!people!in!modern!society.!
Older!people,!people!who!are!unemployed,!young!mums!and!people!with! limited! financial!
means! are! all! vulnerable! and! may! experience! social! isolation! and! loneliness! as! a!
consequence!of!their!individual!circumstances.!
!
Research!confirms!that! loneliness! is!a!significant!risk!factor! for! a!wide!range!of!mental! and!
physical! health! problems! (Bernard,! 2013;! Holt-Lunstad! et! al.,! 2015;! Mathews! et! al.,! 2016;!
Qualter!et!al.,!2015;!Welsh! &! Berry,! 2009).! People! who! are! disconnected! from!society!can!
become!withdrawn,!experience!loss!of!hope!and!poor!mental!health.!One!in!two!Australian!
adults!will!experience!mental!health!problems!at!some!stage!in!their!lives! and! disturbingly!
one! in! five! children! and! adolescents! are! affected! by! mental! health! problems! (Fels,! 2013).!
ABS!data!confirms!that!one!million!people!in!Australia!suffer!from!depression!and!2.3!million!
suffer! from! anxiety! (Australian! Bureau! of! Statistics,! 2008).! Activities! that! create!
interpersonal! networks! and! provide! social! support! hold! promise! for! improving! health! and!
well-being!(Welsh!&!Berry,!2009).!Human!beings!are!made!to!live!in!community,!to!connect!
with!one! another! and! build!positive!and!meaningful! relationships,! but! opportunities!to! do!
this!seem!to!be!declining!for!some!groups.! !Indeed!it!is!said!that!the!social!fabric!is!fraying,!
civic!engagement!is!diminishing!and!individualism!is!gaining!strength!(Emery,!2012;!Mackay,!
2014).!!!
!
Churches! have! had! a! traditional! role! in! building! a! sense! of! belonging! where! people! feel!
valued! and! can! develop! trusting! relationships,! often! referred! to! as! social! capital! (Dixon,!
2010;!Norris!&!Inglehart,!2004;!Putnam,! 2000;!Schneider,!2006).!The!local!church!is! a!place!
where!people!can! connect! with! others! as! well! as!receive! assistance,! warmth! and! kindness!
particularly! during! times! of! distress! (Short,! 2016).! This! article! provides! a! brief! overview! of!
the! role! of! the! church! in! developing! social! capital! and! identifies! some! recent! Australian!
studies!that!may!be!helpful!to!church!congregations!as!they!endeavour!to!engage!with!their!
local!communities.!
!
Civil'society'and'social'capital'
Putnam’s! acclaimed! work! on! social! capital! in! America,! notes! that! churches! have! an!
important! and! unique! role! in! civil! society! (Putnam,! 2000,! p.! 63).! Churches! mobilise! both!
bonding!and!bridging!social!capital!(Bielefeld!&!Cleveland,!2013;! Hughes,!2003;!Iannaccone,!
2000;! Putnam,! 2000).! Bonding! social! capital! is! the! description! given! to! the! enduring!
relationships!that!are!established! between! similar! people!within!a!group.!The!relationships!
that!are!developed! within! congregations!in!local!parishes!are! an! example!of!bonding!social!
capital.! Bonding! social! capital! creates! a! strong! sense! of! belonging! and! is! an! important!
protective! factor! in! mental! health.! Bridging! social! capital! refers! to! the! wider! social! bonds!
created! across! various! networks,! usually! between! people! or! organisations! that! share!
common! interests! (Bielefeld! &! Cleveland,! 2013;! Hughes,! 2003;! Schneider,! 2006).! ! Putnam!
argues!that!bonding!and!bridging!social!capital!is!the!key!to!building!healthy!communities.!!

A!key!strength!of!churches!lies!in!their!connections!to!local!communities!and!their!ability!to!
mobilise!and!utilise!local!resources,!including!volunteers,!thereby!creating!civic!engagement!
as!well!as!support!networks!(Schneider,!2006;!Putnam,!2000).!Churches!have!been!described!
as! contributing! to! the! cement! or! glue! that! holds! civil! society! and! its! members! together!
(Beck,!2010;!Putnam,!2000).!!!The!role!of!churches!in!building!community,!developing!social!
capital!and!acting!to!empower!individuals!stems!from!a!Christian!theological!worldview!and!
in!particular!a!desire!to!reflect!the!presence!of!God!in!the!world.!!!
!
There! is! considerable! literature! providing! a! general! description! of! the! involvement! of!
churches! in! building! community! and! more! specifically! the! role! of! Christian! groups! in!
encouraging!civic!engagement!through!volunteering!in! Australia!(Cahill!et!al.,! 2004;!Hughes!
&! Black,! 2002;! Leonard! &! Bellamy,! 2006;! Lyons! &! Nivison-Smith,! 2006).! Most! of! these!
studies!conclude!that!the!level!of!volunteering!for!people!of!faith!is!much!higher!than!that!of!
people!from! the! broader! community.!This! is! attributed! to!the! Christian! message! that!calls!
the!followers!of!Jesus!to!care!for!others,!particularly!those!that!are!less!fortunate!(Leonard!&!
Bellamy,!2006;!Lyons!&!Nivison-Smith,!2006).!
!
In!the!United!Kingdom,!the!Demos1!Inquiry!into!faith,!community!and!society,!produced!two!
useful! research! reports! from! the! studies! that! explored! the! role! of! faith! in! UK! society! and!
politics.!The!first!report!entitled!Faithful)Citizens!(Birdwell!&!Littler,!2012),!released!in!2012,!
found! that! people! of! faith! in! the! UK! are! more! likely! to! be! civically! engaged! through!
volunteering!and!giving!to!charity!than!those!who!do!not!subscribe!to!a!faith!conviction.!The!
second!research!project!involved!a!case!study!of!twenty!faith-based!organisations!providing!
a!range! of!services!to!support!people!in!need.!Some! of!these!services!received!government!
funding! and! others! were! provided! voluntarily.! The! report! entitled! Faithful) Providers)
(Birdwell,!2013)!acknowledged!that!the!faith-based!organisations!in!the!study!provided!non-
discriminatory,!caring!services!and!were!renowned!as!determined!promoters!of!social!justice!
and! concern! within! their! local! communities.! In! both! studies,! faith! was! seen! as! the! key!
motivating!factor!for!involvement!in!serving!local!community!and!addressing!social!problems!
(Birdwell!&!Littler,!2012;!Birdwell,!2013).!
!
While!most!researchers!agree!with!the!concept!of!social!capital,!in!particular!the!importance!
of! developing! norms! of! reciprocity,! relationships! of! trust! and! civic! engagement,! the! term!
itself!is!contentious!!(Furbey!et!al.,!2006).!The!uneasiness!in!using!the!label!‘capital’!lies!in!
the! encroachment! of! market! terminology! into! all! areas! of! life.! There! are! a! number! of!
concerns! relating! to! the! over-emphasis! of! the! market! paradigm! as! a! solution! to! social!
problems!and!the!subsequent!co-opting!of!market!based!language!to!describe!what!in!effect!
is!the!building!of!relationships!between!individuals.!Indeed!some!authors!argue!strongly!that!
the!failure!of!markets!provides!the!basis!for!reducing!the!influence!of!the!market!particularly!
when!speaking!about!religious!matters!and!the!activities!of!faith!groups!(Dinham,!2012).!
!
Notwithstanding!this,!indeed!perhaps! because!of!the!pervasiveness!of!marketisation,! there!
is! broad! agreement! that! faith! communities! have! a! distinctive! role! within! their! local!
communities,!not!only!to!support!the!members!of!the!congregation,!but!also!to!reach!out!to!
others!and!contribute!to! building! a!good!society!that!reflects!the! values! of!the!Kingdom!of!
God.! That! is! values! of! tolerance,! inclusion,! compassion,! mercy,! forgiveness! and!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1!Demos!is!a!cross-party!think!tank!and!research!organisation!operating!in!the!United!
Kingdom.!!

reconciliation.!Schneider! (2006,! p.264)! suggests! that!faith! communities! have! three! distinct!
functions:!!
1. As!a!spiritual!well!for!participants!
2. As!a!source!of!community,!providing!social!and!instrumental!supports!to!its!members!
and! others! who! seek! help,! and! fostering! social! and! cultural! capital! among! active!
participants!
3. As!a!source!of!empowerment!and!change,!both!individual!transformation!and!change!
in!institutions!or!society.!
!
Churches'in'Australia'
There!are!many!ways!that!churches!in!Australia!are!connecting!with!their!local!communities,!
particular! with! those! who! may! be! experiencing! loneliness,! grief,! social! isolation! or! other!
stresses!associated!with!the!pressures!of! life.! Most! local! churches! have! access! to! property!
and! resources! that! provide! the! ideal! setting! for! a! range! of! community! building! activities.!
Across! Australia,! local! congregations! from! various! denominations! are! contributing! to! the!
development! of! social! supports! that! both! engage! and! empower! individuals! and! build!
community!capacity.!These!include:!
• Providing!hospitality!and!support!through!community!meals!
• Connecting!with!young!families!through!play!groups!!
• Providing!poverty!relief!through!food-banks!and!other!forms!of!material!aid!
• Building!individual!and!community!capacity!through!music!groups!
• Helping!people!to!develop!relationships!through!friendship!clubs!
• Engaging!and!supporting!asylum!seekers!and!people!from!culturally!diverse!
communities!
!
There! is! growing! interest! both! from! within! the! various! Christian! denominations! as! well! as!
from!external!actors!on!how! local! congregations! engage!with!their!local!community!and!in!
particular!the!impact! that!this!has!in!strengthening! community!bonds.!It!is!anticipated! that!
the!2016! National! Church! Life! Survey! will!provide! some! useful! insights! to!the! contribution!
made! by! congregations! and! people! of! faith! more! generally,! as! will! the! various! reports!
stemming!from!Study!of!the!Economic!Impact!of!Religion!on!Society,!due!for!release!in!2017.!!
!
Engaging'with'diverse'demographics'
It!is! acknowledged! that! churches! in! Australia! operate! in! many! different! environments!and!
contexts.!The!challenges!and!priorities!experienced!by!small!rural!congregations!are!likely!to!
differ!from!those!experienced!by!churches!in!the!metropolitan!area.!Moreover!the!profile!of!
congregations!will!vary!depending!on!local!demographics,!the!style!of!worship,!the!strategic!
focus! of! the! local! ministry! team! as! well! as! a! range! of! historical! factors! that! may! have!
impacted!the!particular!church.!!
!
Ageing'population'
Australia’s!population!is! ageing!and!this!is!reflected! in!many!congregations!(Powell,! Pepper!
&!Hancock,!2016).!!While!presenting! some! challenges! to! churches,! the!increasing!numbers!
of! older! people! within! the! community! also! creates! opportunities! for! local! congregations.!
Older!people!are!generally!retired!and!have!time!to!devote!to!volunteering!in!various!church!
and!community!activities!(Taylor,!2014).!Moreover!baby!boomers!are!likely!to!have!access!to!
resources!not!yet!available!to!younger!members!in!the!congregation!(Bickers,!2013).!Taylor’s!

(2014)!research!identifies!several!ways!in!which!churches!can!engage!with!older!people!and!
provide! them! with! opportunities! to! share! their! unique! gifts! and! resources,! thereby!
developing! social! capital.! Taylor! focuses! on! the! importance! of! helping!older! people! to!
flourish!and!‘live!life!to! the! full’.! This! includes!organising!various!activities!to!support!older!
people! such! as! running! workshops! on! the! transition! to! retirement,! distributing! material!
relating!to!active!ageing!and!creating!spaces!for!people!to!make!connections!with!others!and!
develop!meaningful!relationships.!Taylor! also! suggests!that!the!wisdom!and! life! experience!
of! older! people! can! be! of! great! benefit! to! others! within! the! community.! This! can! be!
optimised!through!the!development!of!elder!mentoring!programs!and!creating!places!where!
older!people!can! volunteer!to!use!their! time! and!skills!in!ways! that!add!enormous!value!to!
the!whole!community.!
!
Cultural'and'Linguistically'Diverse'communities'
The!cultural!diversity!of!many!Australian!communities!is! another! factor! that! influences! the!
make! up! of! congregations.! Increasingly! churches! from! all! Christian! denominations! are!
engaging! with! people! from! culturally! and! linguistically! diverse! backgrounds! and! in! many!
instances!forming!ethnic!specific!congregations.!Monica!Short’s!(2016)!study!of!three!rural!
Anglican! churches! is! a! helpful! resource! in! providing! insight! into! the! way! in! which! these!
congregations!engage!with!people!from!ethnically!diverse!backgrounds.!Her!final!summation!
of! this! research! project!provides! six! useful!recommendations! intended! to! assist!
congregations!in!becoming!more!culturally!sensitive!and!reflecting!the! diversity!of!the! local!
community!in!their!ministries.!!The!six!key!recommendations!focus!on!the!following!areas:!
1. The!importance!of!providing!cultural!competency!training!specifically! for! leadership!
teams!in!rural!churches;!
2. The!benefits!of!developing!connections!with!multi-ethnic!community!networks;!
3. The! need! for! prayer! and! reflection! in! analysing! the! local! demography! and! in! the!
creation!of!inclusive!opportunities;!
4. The!importance!of!planning!and!developing!a!culturally!sensitive!vision;!
5. Actively! engaging! with! migrants! and! ensuring! that! the! church! leadership! team!
represents!the!diversity!that!is!present!in!the!local!community!
6. The! need! to! ensure! that! church! activities! respect! and! assist! migrants! to! consider!
their!ongoing!involvement!in!development!of!the!church’s!ministry!
!
A! further! very! useful! resource! in! assisting! local! congregations! to! develop! bonding! and!
bridging! social! capital! is! the! Handbook! for! Building! Stronger! Parishes! (Dantis,! 2016)! [refer!
full!book!review!in!this!edition!of!Pointers].!This!skilfully!compiled!handbook!provides!details!
of!various!Catholic!Parishes!involved!in!community!building!activities!and!the!benefits!that!
flow!from! these,! not! only! to! the! local! congregation! but!also! to! the! wider!community.! The!
Handbook!includes!various!practical!tools!that!can!be!used!by!congregations! in! developing!
their!vision!and!plans!for!building!stronger!parishes.!!
'
Conclusion'
While!the!primary!role!of!churches!is!to!nurture!the!spiritual!health!of!their!members,!other!
activities! such! as! reaching! out! to! those! in! need! within! the! local! community! follows! as! a!
natural! outcome! of! obedience! to! the! teachings! of! Jesus! (Schneider,! 2006).! Most! Christian!
churches! acknowledge! that! they! have! a! key! role! in! building! community! and! the! Christian!
Research! Association! has! an! interest! in! exploring! the! many! ways! that! local! congregations!
throughout!Australia!serve!their!local!communities!and!develop!social!capital.!In!this!edition!
of! Pointers,! we! showcase! the! ministry! of! St.! Martins! in! the! inner! Melbourne! suburb! of!

Collingwood,!in!reaching!out!to!the!local!community.!We!hope!to!make!this!a!regular!feature!
of! Pointers! and! invite! other! church! groups! to! contribute! their! own! community! building!
stories.!!
!
! !

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