In the book of Genesis, we read the account of creation. God created man and as He stepped back to admire what He had done, He commented that His incredible creation is not only good, but “very good.” Yet, shortly after this, God said that it’s not good for man to be alone so he created a companion for Adam. That’s proof from the beginning of the world; from the beginning of time, that we are relational beings who naturally crave community and were born to partner together to do great things for God. It’s all a part of God’s design.

Jesus modeled this so well. He didn’t need to recruit the 12 disciples. Think about it… He was completely capable of accomplishing all that He needed to without their help. But instead, He spent years building meaningful relationships with them, praying with them, partying with them, encouraging them, teaching them, and my favorite… breaking bread with them! He told fascinating stories and asked thought provoking and many times controversial questions that took them deeper in their relationships with not only Him, but one another. I really believe that this is what made them stick by His side when life got crazy and times got tough. (Okay, quit judging… so there was a time or two when they got a little scared and hid like little sissies but I’m not convinced that I wouldn’t have done the same thing considering the circumstances.)

If all of that is true, and we believe that it is, then our organizations should exude the value of community as well. We should do everything in our power to create an environment where people feel a genuine sense of belonging. The truth is that creating community is not really optional; it’s imperative, in order to create a culture where volunteers stick for the long haul.

So if we’re created for community, how do we create community in our organizations? Keep reading in the weeks ahead as we reveal four strategies for creating community among volunteers.