Building Community

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Building Community

• Ministry Training
• Course 3
• Diocese of Savannah

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Community A Sociological, Theological, and
Catechetical Perspective

• Community defined
• the interpersonal union of a group of individuals
  around a common need or interest that they pursue
  together aided by on going communication and
  cooperative behavior.

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3 Elements of Community

• a common need or interest
• ongoing communication
• rules of cooperative behavior

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Sociological Perspective

• Primary Community
• Satisfy most basic human needs
• intimacy and affection, personal identity and
  self esteem, psychological and physical security,
  support and encouragement

Secondary Community Common need or interest
around which people gather membership
intentional, shared vision and values,
agreed upon code of conduct
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Theological Perspective

• Emulation if God as Trinity (community of
  Persons)
• Gods goal for humanity
• the reign of God, loving brothers and sisters in
  peace and justice
• the People of God, united in a common covenant of
  love
• the Body of Christ, bound to Jesus and the Holy
  Spirit into unity like the parts of a human body

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Catechetical Perspective

• Forming community is integral to the very nature
  and mission of the Church
• Context
• communal setting provides the most ideal
  atmosphere for sharing and nurturing faith
• Content
• one of the goals for catechesis to teach how to
  relate and function as community

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Group discussion (20 min)

• Based on your experience, how would you describe
  primary community?
• To what extent does your parish possess the
  characteristics of a secondary community? For it
  to grow as a community, which characteristics do
  you think need to be addressed common goal?
  cooperation? communication?

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The Dynamics of Forming and Maintaining Community

• Group Dynamics
• like a living organism that is adaptable
• external
• internal
• size of the community influences its behavior
• large more resistant to change than small
• large longer to reach consensus decisions
• large more resources in times of adversity

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Dynamics Common Goal

• Sense of Ownership
• involvement in defining groups goals
• understanding the mission
• involvement in how to achieve goal(s)
• appreciate, recognize, and use the gifts and
  talents of the members
• Share the history (story) of the group

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Dynamics Communication

• Interpersonal
• face to face encounter
• know your own preferred style of communication
• become familiar with preferred style of others
• basic rules
• maintain confidentiality
• give others full attention when speaking
• be open and honest when sharing
• allow equal time to speak
• be sensitive to each persons comments
• be sensitive to members body language

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• Are there any other principles you would add?

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Dynamics Communication

• Organizational
• Answers questions
• What information is need to achieve and task?
• When do people need to know it?
• principles for good communication
• involve group in developing answers regarding
  content and process
• be clear about who is doing the communicating
• establish regular routine of communication
• involve group in periodic evaluation of process

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Dynamics Cooperation

• Exercising Authority
• held in common resides in entire community
• exercise of is always directed toward achieving
  the common good
• role of authority figure will rote within the
  community, depending on present circumstances

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Dynamics Cooperation

• Decision making
• help members understand the nature of consensus,
  its importance as a means for the community to
  exercise its authority, and the time commitment
  it requires
• help members identify and distinguish those
  issues for which arriving at consensus is
  critical to cohesiveness and harmony of the
  community from those where other decision-making
  processes are adequate.
• provide members with the skills and processes
  needed for arriving at consensus

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Dynamics Cooperation

• Conflict Resolution (Management)
• admit it exists
• define it
• bring the right people together
• provide a facilitator

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Group discussion (30 min)

• Identify a secondary community to which you
  belong. Do its members tend to have a strong
  sense of ownership of the communitys goal or
  purpose? Which dynamics have been at work to
  foster this ownership?
• To what extent does your parish community have a
  sense of shared authority? To what extent do
  those in leadership positions function as
  facilitators of that authority? To what extent do
  you function that way in your role as leader?

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Community in a Catechetical Setting

• Principles of Community Community Building
• be realistic about what you hope to achieve
• provide the opportunity to experience it
• train and then rely on volunteer catechists to
  foster a sense of community

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Fostering a Sense of Community

• Attitude
• think community
• utilize new vocabulary
• rules of behavior (promoting mutual respect and
  the common good)
• Environment
• mood and atmosphere
• HOSPITALITY (greet and learn names)
• physical environment
• conducive to community (cheerful, circle v.
  classroom rows, etc.)
• Program Structure
• small group format

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Small Group Format

• Overall degree of informality
• Getting started start session with prayer
• Sharing time share important events since last
• gathering
• Main body of session reflect, discuss, learn
• about topic of the day
• Application time apply what is learned in a
• practical way
• Business time announcements, assignments, etc.
• Closing prayer

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Identifying and Fostering Ownership of a Common
Goal

• Discern what can be named or authored
• come up with a community name and/or motto
• Assist the group in naming a goal or goals
• motivation increases as goals are made and
  achieved

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Communication in a Catechetical Setting

• model good communication
• insist on basic rules of politeness and mutual
  respect
• develop and display the rules of good
  communication adapted and paraphrased for the age
  group
• provide opportunities for the group to discuss
  and share

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Fostering Cooperation in a Catechetical Setting

• Train catechists in group dynamics and
  facilitation (catechist as member)
• Help the group formulate rules of behavior and
  appropriate sanctions
• Periodically group members evaluate and offer
  suggestions for improvement
• Select activities that require cooperation rather
  than competition
• instill the principles of Christian charity

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Celebration to foster a Communal Sense

• Well planned
• does not need to be elaborate
• can evoke new insights into familiar truths
• Timely
• around important events
• just periodically

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Group discussion (20 min)

• How realistic do you think it is to expect your
  catechists to function as facilitators who share
  authority with the group rather than as authority
  figures? What problems would you see resulting?
  How could they be overcome? Do you want to pursue
  this? Why or why not?

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Building Community with Catechists, Parents, and
Parish

• When working with adults try to
• create at least some sense of community among the
  group
• provide experiences that help teach or improve
  community building skills

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HospitalityGoal to help
participants feel important
and safe extend greetings to
people as they arrive provide name tags to get
acquainted give directions on property if
needed chat ask about what is going on in their
livesmeeting space should be neat and
clean attention to seating arrangement
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Ownership of the Common Goal

• Notification of gathering, clearly explaining
  what is to be achieved with the time, place and
  duration
• Once gathered explain the purpose and importance
  of the gathering and allow for clarifying
  questions if needed.

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Communication

• Principles for preparation
• carefully planned and rehearsed ahead
• well organized
• brief
• Foster interpersonal communication
• include opportunities for sharing and/or giving
  feedback

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Cooperation

• if possible, invite the group to participate in
  making decisions, solving problems, and resolving
  conflicts
• if a large group, form small groups around
  specific tasks
• ask yourself, how can participants exercise their
  authority and use their talents

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NEVER

• ask adults to share ideas or make decisions if
  you are not willing to take them seriously
• ask a group to make a decision if it lacks the
  knowledge of expertise to make it
• reject decisions or suggestions without providing
  an explanation for your own decision
• involve adults in complicated decision-making
  processes on trivial issues

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Building Community with Intentional Groups

• usually, already share a common interest or goal
  and therefore have a sense of ownership
• are typically small, making it easier to foster
  interpersonal communication and a spirit of
  cooperation
• employ the small group format
• share the role of facilitator
• celebrate special events
• clarify group size

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Group discussion (15 min)

• Share some practical things you might do to help
  foster a sense of community with adult groups.
• Identify and share one competence in community
  building described in this lesson in which you
  feel you need to improve. What steps can you take
  to improve it?

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Assignment

• Identify and give specific examples of how you
  will use what you have learned about Building
  Community in your ministry setting.