The Sociology of the Christian Faith

Groups.There are lots of good quotes about groups, if you care to look.Amy Poehler once said (how many sentences start out like THAT?), “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”Across the years, I have been blessed to be a part of many groups and teams. One of the first groups that made a substantial impact on me was my youth group at church. As I got older, I developed a close-knit association with several high school friends; it was “my group.” They were good guys, and we sponged each other’s behavior. Looking back, I chose wisely.But when I went off to college—my youth group and sports groups disseminated—I had to look for new groups.I believe that human beings have an innate desire to be a part of a group (I took a sociology class in college, so that qualifies me for the following discussion). People want to be a part of a team. People want to feel like they belong. People want to feel welcome. People want to feel a sense of home, and often they look for that in a group. A group that, as the group Alabama once said, “Feels So Right.”There is a group in Birmingham, Alabama called Church of the Highlands. I am one of thousands upon thousands of COTH church members (Thirty-thousand? Not sure). I am amazed at the hordes of cars jockeying every Sunday morning to get to the service on time (there are now 5 services). I have often said that they need to organize a Parking Lot Prayer Team, because the after-service traffic congestion is ridic and it’s comin’ to getcha!For several months now, I have been interested in writing an article on the sociology of Highlands. It fascinates me. Why do SO MANY people decide to go there? What is it about Highlands that makes it so attractive to so many people? My hypothesis, partly, involves sociology (people want to be a part of something great) but also structurally (the model for Highlands’ ministry is genius, absolute genius).The other has to do with Pastor Chris. He’s the leader of the group. And without leadership, groups don’t work. I think people also feel an intimacy toward Pastor Chris—as if he’s “my preacher.” (Love you Pastor; still waiting to do that story on you…hit me up sometime on my cell.) I certainly feel that way when I attend. I’ve digressed a bit, though. Let’s get back between the ditches.Structurally, Highlands is big (massive Sunday morning church service with swooping cranes) and also little (small groups). Small groups supplant Sunday school.No Sunday school?? Dreadful, you say! Well, hold on Mother Agnes.Small groups are genius for two main reasons:1) The small groups don’t meet at the church (whaaa?)2) You can host (or join) a small group on anything you’re interested in.(Mother Agnes nodding in assent).So, if you’re single, there’s a small group for that. If you’re into origami, there’s one for that. If you like clowns, there’s a small group for that (well, maybe not). So not only are you able to be a part of a group, you can be around like-minded individuals (AND share the Gospel while you’re doing it). Genius! Genius.Lastly, Highlands doesn’t make you feel a sense of condemnation once you walk through the doors. You feel welcome. I’ve been to some churches that I could have dressed up like Catwoman (Tallulah Bankhead version) and somersaulted down the aisle and no one would have noticed. I’ve also been to churches that made me feel like my sins were stuck all over my body with Post-it notes.Which brings us to the discussion at hand. What groups are you a part of? (I know I’m ending that sentence with a preposition. Get over it, Grammar Hitler.)Are your groups providing nourishment for you? Offering support? Building you up or tearing you down? Someone once said to me, “Name your five best friends. Now that’s who you are.”We conform to the groups we are in (groups are often averse to non-conformity; it’s the strength of the majority), and after a long enough while, we begin to identify ourselves with our groups. If we aren’t careful, our group will become our identity.I think about my life and I often wonder why I “fell off” when I got to college. It is partly because I’m cursed (the simple fact that I’m a human being means I’m a bit of a savage), perhaps it was because I did not seek out groups to supplant my middle and high school youth group. This may sound terrifically simple to you, but I think it has merit.In my day (I sound old), we didn’t hang out with youth group once we went to college (becoming the proverbial Wooderson of church- see Dazed and Confused). So I didn’t have a youth group. Honestly, I failed to realize the void left behind. That element of my faith was virtually nonexistent in my last years of college; I do not blame that for my demise, I simply wonder if things might have been different (and the debauchery been neutralized) had I gotten plugged in to a Christ-centered group. It’s worth considering.Our associations are so key to growing in our faith. Hanging around good people is huge (as well as saying see-ya to the renegades and ruffians). People who want to support you. People who are rooting for you. People who have your best interests at heart.The most important concept I have learned from being a part of a team is not “What can I get out of a group?” but “What can I give to it?”Thankfully, we do not have to resort to being an islander, stranded alone on this terrestrial sphere. We can be a part of something. What we choose to be a part of is integral.So next semester, I’m starting up a small group called “Single clowns making origami.” Not really, but I’ll do whatever it takes to get Pastor Chris to call me. 78 Al is the owner of 78 Magazine. He also took that picture above. Check out more of his writings and other stuff at wwww.facebook.com/78mag