CityChurch is a place where anyone can belong. We fight hard to protect our culture where everyone is welcome; no matter who you are, where you’ve been or what you believe. But it doesn’t just magically happen. It requires people like us to protect this culture.
Dr. Seth Kaplan is a professor at Johns Hopkins University, and author of the book Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society One Zip Code at a Time. Seth usually writes about fragile democracies around the globe, but turned his insight toward the social decay in America during the pandemic. This conversation is critical in our understanding of what is preventing people from experiencing belonging.
The sad reality is so many people in our country lack the kind of relationships that allow them to be healthy and happy. Seth calls those THICK relationships. The kind with deep bonds where you support one another and do life together in community. In years past, these relationships were defined by your place: where lived, worked and went to school. But we no longer have deep roots in our place which undermines our sense of community, as well as our mental health and overall well-being.
CityChurch, and other churches, can become a place that fosters these deep and important THICK relationships. When we have those kinds of connections, we can truly belong.
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