MODULE 5: NURTURING BELONGING

As you grow in numbers, what will hold your movement together over the long term?

You will need to grow in commitment to one another, developing a sense of trust, fellowship and welcoming of new people. Team building!

In Alongsiders we call this the core value of Belonging.

In this module, you will think about how to nurture a deeper sense of Belonging at every level of in your movement - not only with the Alongsiders and their little brothers and sisters, but also between Group Leaders and their Alongsiders group, between Area Reps and Group Leaders, and finally between Coordinators and their Area Reps.

Everyone in the movement, no matter what their role, should feel fully welcomed, valued, and included, in the beautiful Alongsiders community.

So how do you create that sense of Belonging? Here are some useful team-building principles:

Build Trust – In all relationships, you build trust with your team by spending time with them. Make decisions together, worship God and pray together, do fun learning activities together, and maybe most importantly, be vulnerable and honest in sharing your struggles and needs with each other.
Be Vulnerable - You can be a role model of trust with your team through your humble and transparent attitude that is willing to say things like, “I don’t know the answer. Let’s solve this problem together”; or “I’m sorry, I made a mistake. I will try to do better next time”; or “I need help. Would some of you be willing to help me with this task?” When you do this, something amazing happens. Your leaders feel like they belong to your team because you trust them to be honest and solve problems together.
Encourage Conflict – You can model healthy debate by creating a safe environment for everyone to speak up and share their ideas. Sometimes the leaders who speak the least have the best ideas, so make sure every voice is heard and respected, even if you or other team members don’t fully agree with the all the ideas that are shared. When your team members see that you and others are willing to listen to their ideas, their sense of belonging and commitment to the movement will grow even more!
Achieve Commitment – You can see that there is a natural progression from each of these principles to the next: As you build trust among your leaders they will feel more free to speak up and debate their ideas with the team. And when they have the opportunity to provide input and discuss solutions, they will feel a stronger commitment to the movement, to the team, and to the decisions that your team makes together.

QUESTIONS

Who is facilitating this session today?

Who else is part of the training?

1. Let’s examine your movement together. Which relationships do you think need a stronger sense of belonging?

Alongsiders and LBS.

Alongsiders with other Alongsiders.

Area Rep with Group Leaders.

Coordinators with Area Reps

2. Consider different ways to foster a sense of Belonging in your movement. Which are you already doing?

Annual Camps

Regular fellowship or retreats

Symbols of Belonging such as wristbands

3. Are there any of the above list you would like to adopt more? List and explain.

4. What are some other ways you can think of to foster a sense of Belonging in your movement?

Any other comments, questions or concerns about Belonging?

ROLE PLAY ACTIVITY

Role play a situation where a group of old Area Reps are ignoring two new Area Reps who are at their first meeting. Practice noticing the exclusion and addressing it in a fun and engaging way.

BIBLE STUDY

Nehemiah chapter 3 describes how the Jews took their part in the construction work. With the exception of the nobles of Tekoa (Neh 3:5), everyone pitched in, from the high priest (Neh 3:1) to goldsmiths and perfume makers (Neh 3:8,31) and even women (Neh 3:12).

People had their own section of the wall, however, they worked day and night together towards the same purpose. Nehemiah did not work alone. He raised and empowered a whole team of builders. They put trust in each other's skills to build the wall or gate. They together put trust in God who would give them success. Even through life-threatening oppositions, people stayed strong together. Nehemiah encouraged them:

"Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, wives and your homes." (Neh 4:14)

Do you work together as a team? What can you do to grow that trust and sense of belonging in one another? Everytime an Alongsider welcomes and loves a vulnerable child, they are practising this teaching.

Take some time now to pray and allow God to show you any areas of your movement where welcome and belonging are missing.

inspiration

A crucial part of welcoming anyone – whether a vulnerable child or a new leader in your team – is listening to them. Here are some lessons on Active Listening that you can share with your Alongsiders. How can this example help us practice inclusion and listening within our team of leaders as well?

Karuna was a little sister. She was lonely and isolated. When a young Christian from her village became her Alongsider everything changed. For the first time in her life she experienced the radical welcome of Jesus. Now she is extending that sense of belonging to another little girl…

What’s Next?

We’ve already looked at Purpose, Ownership and Belonging. In the next module we’ll look at the final of the four keys God has given us to unlock the power of a discipleship movement. Are you ready?

Mobilizer 201: Module 5