For spiritual community, you should have a personal relationship with Christ and be involved in public worship. These are the two relationships God has commanded for us and promised to bless.
But we see variations on a third kind of relationships all through scripture – social, personal, and transparent – that we also need.
Not everyone needs all three of these interpersonal connections. It could depend on your stage and season of life. But you should have at least one, or you’ll end up with a two-legged stool. You will have to work harder and use more of your own strength to stay upright. And that strength never lasts as long as you think it will.
We are created to connect to God and to one another. We all need a relationship to God through faith in Christ. We all need to connect with God (and others) through public worship. And God grows us in connections with each other and different levels of relationship.
Social
Groups of 20 or more that gather for a common purpose. Less focus on the individual and more on the specific goal. Examples – Men of Faith, Women of Faith, ministry teams
Personal
Groups of 8-20. More focus on nurturing relational connections, caring for one another. An example of this would be community groups.
Transparent
Deep friendship or mentoring with maybe 2 or 3; these grow out of community groups or direct, personal, intentional connections.
