Gary Neal Hansen

Theology. It's good for you.

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You are here: Home / Archives for Community

Exploring Authentic Church

June 21, 2017 by Gary Neal Hansen 11 Comments

I have not blogged on the topic of Christian community for a long time. That doesn’t mean I’ve left the topic behind. In the last couple of years just about everything in my life has been in major transition. It has not been possible to keep every project rolling forward. I have a long-term book project […]

Filed Under: Community, Theology

Helping Christian Communities Thrive: Keep Central things Central

October 12, 2015 by Gary Neal Hansen Leave a Comment

Keeping Central Things Central

As you think about what your Christian community should be all about, I suggest an experiment: keep your focus on just four key practices. For thriving community over the long haul, keep central things central. I’ll tell you a secret: That’s the biblical approach. It is also a good pragmatic approach. Think of the community like a tree. You […]

Filed Under: Bible, Community Tagged With: Acts 2:42, Helping Christian Community Thrive, Keep Central Things Central

Helping Christian Community Thrive: Drawing Close to God

October 6, 2015 by Gary Neal Hansen 2 Comments

If you call your faith “a personal relationship to God” you already know it is true: You should be drawing close to God. How can you say you have a relationship that matters if the two of you don’t spend time together? There’s a name for drawing close to God. It’s called praying. Christians used […]

Filed Under: Community, Prayer Tagged With: Acts 2:42, Community for Mission, Divine Office, Lord's Prayer, Prayer, psalms

Helping Christian Community Thrive: Going Deep With Christ

September 28, 2015 by Gary Neal Hansen 5 Comments

How do you go deep?

So you started a brand new Christian community. That’s great. How do you make sure people are going deep with Christ? So your Christian community is diving into mission. That’s great too. How do you make sure they don’t burn out? The earliest Christians in Acts had a great approach. They did what it took to […]

Filed Under: Bible, Community Tagged With: Communion, Eucharist, Going deep with Christ, Helping Christian Community Thrive, Lord's Supper, Supper at Emmaus

Helping Christian Community Thrive: How Do You Build Relationships that Matter?

September 9, 2015 by Gary Neal Hansen Leave a Comment

Do people really connnect with each other in your congregation? How do you build relationships that matter? Imagine running a survey in your Christian community. Two question: First, list the relationships you have that matter deeply to you — soul mates, heart friends, Starbucks buddies. We’re only counting the handful of people with whom you share life. Which […]

Filed Under: Bible, Community

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Theology. It’s good for you.

I'm a Church historian by trade. My writing, speaking, and teaching explores the Christian past to equip today's disciples. Join me here for regular posts on the best of theology, spirituality, community, and ministry. read more…

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