One-on-ones at Bethany
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6 years ago, we invited the congregation to meet with each other 1-on-1 and to join us for a half day retreat at church to answer the question, “Who are we?” Today our congregation is about twice the size it was, and we believe we have a strong identity as a place for open-minded, wholehearted, hands-on faith.
It’s time to get to know who we are now. We have an ambitious goal: 250 one-on-ones between now and our next congregational retreat on Saturday, May 18th.
Think: going out for coffee with someone you know from book group or coffee hour, but have never really talked to. Think: reaching out again to someone you enjoyed talking to at a Pass-the-Peace meal.
Want to think about why? Keep reading. Don’t care? Go ahead and ask someone to get together — or text back when someone reaches out to you.
Looking for a cheat sheet? There you go. Happy connecting!
In church terms, a one-on-one is the cellular level of the body of Christ, the basic building block of community.
In community organizing (where we get the idea of a “one-on-one”), it’s an intentional, 45- to 60- minute conversation, between two people, held face-to-face (in person or online), in order to build a public relationship.
The relationships are “public” because they’re about more than whatever friendship exists between two people. A public relationship is one that builds collective power to love and change the world the way God calls us to — and to be changed ourselves.
Sometimes a one-on-one leads to powerful strategies: “Turns out we’re both passionate about mental health. We should join forces!” Sometimes it leads to powerful overlap in interests and gifts: “I’d also love to make a Bible study happen!” Sometimes these conversations lead to powerful connections that come from simply knowing a person better: “Thank you so much for sharing your story with me.”
