Connecting
God is love, and as Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a relational God—and his church should also reflect this nature. Building healthy relationships is one of the most important and urgent tasks of the Christian church. The love lived out among the followers of Jesus is a central characteristic identifying them as belonging to God.
It makes their faith authentic. It is fundamentally impossible to love God and ignore one’s fellow human beings. Christian fellowship must be built up and lived out; it is more than the mere gathering of several people in the same place to attend a spiritual program. Connecting churches make conscious efforts to form authentic and loving relationships across generational, cultural and social boundaries and come in contact with people both in and outside the church. This is particularly important for the young people in the church, because it is essential for their spiritual growth that
they have relevant relationships not just with their peers, but also with adults.
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.