Bonding and Bridging

As I enter the second half of my sabbatical leave I'm reading some fascinating books. One of them is UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. This is a must-read for any Jesus followers who are serious about offering a relationship with Jesus among those born after Vietnam. If you don't digest and take seriously the findings of these two accomplished culturalists and researchers, don't even bother with trying to "get those young people in church."

The other is Bowling Alone by Harvard professor and researcher Robert D. Putnam. This book was given to me by a friend, and it tracks the decline of a sense of "community" in American culture. It's a little dated; written in 2000, before the emergence of MySpace/Facebook/Twitter-type social networking. Still, the overall data is telling. We don't make direct social connection like we once did, and social connection itself is being redefined.

Many of you may have already encountered this book and/or Putnam's findings and projections.
One thing that's important is the concept of "social capital" - the fact that social groupings have value and power, that affects people both individually and collectively. Putnam notes the difference between groups that are designed for BONDING (which are exclusive) and groupings that are designed for BRIDGING (which are inclusive.) He says, "Bonding social capital is...good for 'getting by,' but bridging social capital is good for 'getting ahead.' ...Bonding social capital constitutes a kind of sociological superglue, whereas bridging capital provides a sociological WD-40." (Page 23.) Both have value, and human beings gain from both. One leans toward stasis, though, while the other leans toward growth. Bonding says, "We're happy with who we are and who we have," while bridging says, "We exist to bring more in."

It seems to me that many established churches have done the bonding thing real well, but are now struggling to swing the pendulum to the bridging side. That's my two cents for the day and week. I'll see you around the next bend in the river.