Shattered. Fractured. Disrupted. Fragmented. Splintered. Split. Ruined. Destroyed. Those terms are all capable of turning joy into sadness and lament when applied to something that was originally intact, but is now broken, seemingly beyond repair. Deep grief assumes that the disintegration is irreversible. That informed diagnosis is an honest assessment of our American culture, c. Q3/2025. Is there a course-change that could potentially reverse the ruination we’re feeling?

I’ve explored this theme with you in the past; I’ve become more certain of its foundational importance as our American experience continues to degrade. What’s really going on?

Flip back to Day #1, from the Genesis account. To compress a much broader story, God made people – men and women – to experience connection as a vital component of life. Connection with Him; connection with one another. The Evil One – whose rebellion in Heaven resulted in the sentence of eternal separation – has been hell-bent on breaking up divinely-designed connection ever since.

Sin drives a wedge into the cracks between God and people, and then, between people. Forgiveness – between God and people, and between people – rejoins what had been fractured and rebinds the relationships in a once-again healthy manner.

How are those connections to exist, for you and for me? And, once established, how can we – and should we – expect our experience in life to be enhanced? There are four levels of relational connection that we should always have in place for a well-established life model. What are they?

Congregation. We need a community of Jesus followers who are regularly together – to realize the biblical blueprint for the local church – populated by redeemed people who embrace a common creed. No one in that crowd knows everyone, but all know the One. The Bible is taught, and the Lord Jesus is worshiped. No outcasts; no cultural hierarchy; no social barriers to entry. That leads to… 

Cohort. Beyond the ongoing congregation is a like-minded cohort. Among the all-comers crowd from the weekend service is a valuable grouping that finds power in commonality. Some level of similarity allows life experience to be experienced with a compatibility founded on shared faith. Congregational life emphasizes personal spiritual growth; the cohort assumes an opportunity for missional engagement with the benefit of a shared-life multiplier. That leads to…

Colleagues. Among those who continue in growth in congregational life, then find missional emphasis within a shared-lifestyle cohort, there is a formation of Teams around a common and committed focus creating opportunity for people to share involvement in Kingdom initiatives while exercising their individual divinely-designated giftedness. That leverages their efforts expecting 100x outcomes. That leads to…

Confidants. Ultimately – from the pool of people who are already embracing and participating in congregational life, cohort assemblage and collaborative action – a circle of committed companions emerge who fit the “iron sharpening iron” relational distinction about which Solomon wrote in his Proverbs. These are the few who don’t cut-and-run:

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

Few – but, mighty.

The Enemy is always looking for ways to create distance between people – individually, and in groups – which is evidence of the efficacy God always intends when the right people are connected.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Always smart; today, “all the more…”

It’s time to do some personal soul-searching: how’s your current status regarding these four crucial connection layers? To increase your networking power moving forward, in which context do you need to become proactive in upping your connections – or reconnections – in a meaningful way?

I’m staying in-concert on all four, and continuing to expand my pool of people,

Bob Shank

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