How does it work?
It’s simpler than you might think.
You might have read our mission statement, and if you did you know a big piece of The Cathedral Project is community. But The Cathedral Project isn’t a church (at least we’re pretty darn sure it isn’t), so…
How does our community work?
We’ll lay the steps out for you below, and the first one—the bedrock of our community—is so simple it might stun you.
It works. Ready?
(hint: “where two or more are gathered…” and keep scrolling)
Get together with friends every week.
That’s it. Just commit to have a group of fellow “unchurched” friends over, maybe on Sundays, to replace that community void left when we start to exit church life. No sermons. No parking problems. No fog machines. Just friends and families, in homes, like a recurring party for no reason other than the fellowship itself.
Often the simplest idea is the best idea, and it can be slow to dawn on us. The work of the people is what drives real change in this world. The global church has within it some beautiful works of the people, but it’s easy for us to forget those works all started at the grassroots level. If we want to do something different with our faith, it’s the simple, consistent work of the people which will create lasting change.
Have doubts about gathering?
Does it just feel awkward?
It can at first. It really does seem like culturally, we’re losing a bit of our collective social ability; hosting gatherings, breaking the ice in social settings, etc. That is actually an issue The Cathedral Project hopes to address. Want some tips?
Get a group text thread going. This will help you work through everyone’s schedules and make sure you can at least get started with a group of 3-4 people. (We recommend a max of 10-12 adults, not counting kids.)
Involve food regularly. Who’s bringing what? Do we want to do a taco night? Order pizzas? Eat dinner before we come and everyone bring a dessert? You’ll be shocked how much this breaks the ice before the get-together even happens.
Laugh. Ever heard of Heads Up? It’s an iPhone app a lot like Charades. Trust us, it will loosen everyone up.
Someone, anyone, break the ice and start the group talking about their deconstruction/reconstruction experiences. What led you where you are now? What kind of stuff are you reading? How are you feeling now? What’s working and what’s not?
As you begin to meet more often, share your needs and struggles. This will open the door to receiving help and opening compassion in yourselves for one another.
Are you an introvert?
Hey, we get it. But introverts need community life, too. Human beings are social animals. Maybe you aren’t the person to start your gatherings, but could you find a person who’s good at that kind of thing and encourage them to make the effort of arranging a social event?
Having a hard time finding post-church friends?
That can be tough, but don’t lose hope. Sometimes it’s enough just to know you’re not alone. At the time of this writing, The Cathedral Project is still new, but once we’ve established a large enough audience for Google Meets, we’ll begin hosting group calls for those of you having trouble finding a local community in the post-church space. In the meantime, head over to our Facebook group, Ground, and request to join. You can start getting connected there! facebook.com/groups/cpground
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