Ever think about the good your congregation does for the community – even when you aren’t trying? Yes, we know that congregations are critical parts of every community’s safety net. As the Boston Globe reported, with thousands of refugees needing assistance, it is often faith communities that organize the food, shelter, clothing, and other assistance that is needed. Those are the obvious ways congregations help.
But there are less obvious ways that even the smallest congregation may be contributing. A healthy community needs healthy citizens – not only healthy in body, but also capable of participating in meaningful ways, like voting and speaking out and organizing. And you may be helping with that, even if you don’t have any organized community programs.
“A healthy community needs healthy citizens…and you may be helping with that, even if you don’t have any organized community programs.”
Let’s take the healthy body point first. People who actively participate in religious communities tend to be healthier than those who don’t. That may be because of direct health information or services like blood pressure checks. But it also seems to be a matter of having a community that cares about you. That regular social interaction is an important part of a healthy life.
Those same active participants are also better citizens and neighbors. They are more likely to vote and volunteer. That may be because they are directly encouraged and facilitated by people in their congregation, but it is also because they have practiced that kind of involvement in the congregation itself. Think about all those committees that need members and leaders. And those teens who get to lead services on a Youth Sunday. People who learn to do those things in their religious community carry those “civic skills” out into the community.
So maybe it’s time to do a process assessment of your congregation to see how the way you do things may be having an impact you hadn’t even thought about. And maybe you’ll discover that there are ways to invite more people into the roles where they can gain skills and form relationships that can sustain healthy lives and healthy communities.
And if you are interested in the research behind these findings on health and civic engagement, head on over to the Latest Research section of this site. Select “civic engagement” or “health & wellbeing” as your topic and find an extensive bibliography of sources
