{"id":1912,"date":"2022-09-26T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/2022\/09\/26\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/"},"modified":"2025-11-15T13:23:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T13:23:36","slug":"rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/","title":{"rendered":"Rebuilding Church Community: What\u2019s Actually Working?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\t\tOne ongoing impact of the pandemic is that, today, pastors find themselves shepherding congregations that are more divided and more relationally distant. How can ministers cultivate deep, authentic fellowship in congregations struggling with superficial or polarized relationships? Pastors are trying out both new and time-tested ways to rebuild authentic community in their churches. Here, pastors from across North America share what\u2019s actually working in their congregations. <\/em>\n\t\t<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mix Things Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I transitioned to a new church during the pandemic and quickly observed three groups of people: those who were already in a deep community (with no room for others to join), those who attended church but were not part of a community, and those who were church-shopping and looking for a community. A word God gave me was gather<\/em>, so we started an event called Gather Together where we created space for people from these three different groups to build community organically over a shared activity. Volunteers hosted dinners in their homes. It was a beautiful event where people of all ages and ethnicities gathered together and quickly dove into deep conversations. Many met people they would\u2019ve been unlikely to have dinner with and decided to continue to gather regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Lydia Choi, associate pastor, Bethany Community Church in Seattle, Washington.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emphasize Love of Neighbor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I have single-mindedly repeated to my congregation that although we each come to Jesus in a personal way, our faith is not just about the individual. I put it this way: The Christian faith is not just about you; it\u2019s about us. From the time of Micah, who called his people to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with God, to Jesus who commands us to \u201clove the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind\u201d and to \u201clove your neighbor as yourself,\u201d we are called to work for the common good of all people. We need to regain this love, even more so at a time of great polarization. I\u2019ve been preaching, \u201cLove God and neighbor. You will be doing all that God requires of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Mike Maroney, minister, First Presbyterian Church in Chatham, Ontario, Canada.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prioritize Play<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After the past few years, our congregation had grown anxious, disparate, and deadly serious. To move toward a more integrated and joyful fellowship, we needed to rediscover rhythms of playfulness. So we took advantage of our Southern California weather and purchased outdoor activities to place around the church patio\u2014Ping-Pong, gaga ball, and Spikeball. And we provided easy opportunities to eat together as often as possible. From doughnuts after worship to communal meals following Communion services (the taco cart is very<\/em> popular), sharing stories over food helped bond us across partisan divides and renew us after pandemic exhaustion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Courtney Ellis, associate pastor, Prebyterian Church of the Master in Mission Viejo, California.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Offer Short-term Opportunities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the fall of 2021, we started a 10-week-long midweek gathering including a meal, Bible study, and prayer time. The format was very well received, with 50 percent of the congregation attending. So we did another 10-week session in the spring, from February through April, finishing before Holy Week. By God\u2019s grace, this format has been fabulous at bringing us together around God\u2019s Word. It has also been effective in providing several new families an opportunity to become better integrated into our church community. We don\u2019t know how long this format will serve our congregation well, but it is just right for this season of our life together, and we\u2019re hosting another 10-week session this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Greg Starr, pastor, New Life Church of Hershey in Pennsylvania.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n\n\t\n\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Article<\/a><\/span><\/div>\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThe Pandemic Destroyed My Certainty\u2014Or Was It God?\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t

\n\t\t\t\tRick McKinley\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

View Preaching as Pastoral Care<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic initially highlighted the corrosive effects of technology on community. The rapid proliferation of livestreams extended our reach, but it also amplified congregants\u2019 consumeristic approach to worship. The antidote, we discovered, is to embrace the fact that preaching has always been a form of pastoral care. In times of shared crisis, empathic preaching helps a disconnected and polarized community name common experiences, anxieties, and pains. Placed within the uniting story of God\u2019s redeeming work in Christ, especially in crisis, such preaching remains a powerful tool of community building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014John Lee, senior pastor, Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Center, Iowa.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Leaders, Embrace Hope<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The immense pressures caused by pandemic challenges and other difficulties highlighted my need to personally embrace hope and to disperse it throughout our community. Our hope is in Jesus. And we know ultimately his kingdom will come and his will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. So, I had to learn fresh ways to take the hope of the eternal and apply it to the temporal. Using technology, preaching, prayers, stories, and other applications, we learned\u2014and are learning\u2014how to take the hope that Jesus offers for our tomorrow and bring it into our today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Mark Strong, lead pastor, Life Change Church in Portland, Oregon.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Share Meals and Build Unity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In my small congregation, we usually have lunch together after our services. Sharing meals gives us a very real experience of the Revelation 7 picture of \u201ca great multitude \u2026 from every nation, tribe, people and language.\u201d We had to put these on hold due to the pandemic, and the feeling that we had lost something important was palpable. We were able to resume them about a year ago, and more than anything else, these meals together have given us a sense of being \u201cback to normal.\u201d Our meals together reinforce the biblical teaching that church is about relationships more than it is about services, programs, and activities. It helps us maintain the perspective that Jesus values our unity more highly than he does many of the things that threaten to divide us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Steven Barrett, senior pastor, Christ the Rock Fellowship in Worcester, Massachusetts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n\n\t\n\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Article<\/a><\/span><\/div>\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tStrategies for Preaching to the Polarized\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t

\n\t\t\t\tBenjamin Vrbicek\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This article is a part of our fall CT Pastors issue.
You can find the full issue here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One ongoing impact of the pandemic is that, today, pastors find themselves shepherding congregations that are more divided and more relationally distant. How can ministers cultivate deep, authentic fellowship in congregations struggling with superficial or polarized relationships? Pastors are trying out both new and time-tested ways to rebuild authentic community in their churches. Here, pastors Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":1915,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"tax_ctp_authors":[2424],"tax_ctp_books":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[142,154,160],"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory":[],"tax_ctp_field_guides":[],"tax_ctp_format":[131],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[153],"tax_publications":[179,182,140],"tax_ctp_tags":[3422,3976,4604,5213],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-1912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tax_ctp_authors-markus-miller","tax_publications-2022-ct-pastors","tax_publications-all-things-new_2022-ct-pastors","tax_publications-ct-pastors","tax_ctp_tags-anxiety","tax_ctp_tags-fear","tax_ctp_tags-pastor","tax_ctp_tags-unity"],"acf":{"scripture_references":null},"yoast_head":"\nRebuilding Church Community: What\u2019s Actually Working? - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pastors respond.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rebuilding Church Community: What\u2019s Actually Working? - CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pastors respond.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-09-26T06:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-15T13:23:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/130891.jpg?resize=1200,628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Compiled by Markus Miller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CTpastors\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CTpastors\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"CMS Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/85018388509706870f1ad6829069e1a3\"},\"headline\":\"Rebuilding Church Community: What\u2019s Actually Working?\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-09-26T06:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-15T13:23:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/\"},\"wordCount\":995,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/130891.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/\",\"name\":\"Rebuilding Church Community: What\u2019s Actually Working? - CT Pastors\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/130891.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-09-26T06:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-15T13:23:36+00:00\",\"description\":\"Pastors respond.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/130891.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/130891.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rebuilding Church Community: What\u2019s Actually Working?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\",\"name\":\"CT Pastors\",\"description\":\"Timeless wisdom for pastors with forward-thinking solutions\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Christianity Today\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg\",\"caption\":\"Christianity Today\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/CTpastors\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/85018388509706870f1ad6829069e1a3\",\"name\":\"CMS Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b746e0581dc75423e361301b595167f5234d819bbff5b0a82621db777cbfeb9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b746e0581dc75423e361301b595167f5234d819bbff5b0a82621db777cbfeb9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"CMS Admin\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rebuilding Church Community: What\u2019s Actually Working? - CT Pastors","description":"Pastors respond.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rebuilding Church Community: What\u2019s Actually Working? - CT Pastors","og_description":"Pastors respond.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/","og_site_name":"CT Pastors","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors","article_published_time":"2022-09-26T06:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-15T13:23:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/130891.jpg?resize=1200,628","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Compiled by Markus Miller","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CTpastors","twitter_site":"@CTpastors","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/"},"author":{"name":"CMS Admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/85018388509706870f1ad6829069e1a3"},"headline":"Rebuilding Church Community: What\u2019s Actually Working?","datePublished":"2022-09-26T06:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-15T13:23:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/"},"wordCount":995,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/130891.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/","name":"Rebuilding Church Community: What\u2019s Actually Working? - CT Pastors","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/130891.jpg","datePublished":"2022-09-26T06:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-15T13:23:36+00:00","description":"Pastors respond.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/130891.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/130891.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rebuilding Church Community: What\u2019s Actually Working?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/","name":"CT Pastors","description":"Timeless wisdom for pastors with forward-thinking solutions","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization","name":"Christianity Today","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg","caption":"Christianity Today"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors","https:\/\/x.com\/CTpastors"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/85018388509706870f1ad6829069e1a3","name":"CMS Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b746e0581dc75423e361301b595167f5234d819bbff5b0a82621db777cbfeb9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b746e0581dc75423e361301b595167f5234d819bbff5b0a82621db777cbfeb9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CMS Admin"}}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Rebuilding Church Community: What\u2019s Actually Working?","url":"http:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/130891.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/130891.jpg"},"articleSection":"Uncategorized","author":"Compiled by Markus Miller","creator":"Compiled by Markus Miller","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"CT Pastors","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2022-09-26T06:00:00Z","datePublished":"2022-09-26T06:00:00Z","dateModified":"2025-11-15T13:23:36Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Rebuilding Church Community: What\\u2019s Actually Working?\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/content\\\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/content\\\/rebuilding-church-community-discussion-pastors-working\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/19\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/130891.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/19\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/130891.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Uncategorized\",\"author\":\"Compiled by Markus Miller\",\"creator\":\"Compiled by Markus Miller\",\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"CT Pastors\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[],\"dateCreated\":\"2022-09-26T06:00:00Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-09-26T06:00:00Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-15T13:23:36Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/christianitytoday.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/130891.jpg","byline":{"writer_byline":"Compiled by Markus Miller","writer_byline_override":""},"primary_category":null,"secondary_categories":[],"featured_video":null,"related_articles":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1912"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60600,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions\/60600"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_authors?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_books","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_books?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_categories?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_field_guides","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_field_guides?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_format?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_multimedia","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_multimedia?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_point_editor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_point_editor?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"tax_publications","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_publications?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_tags?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_topics?post=1912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}