Made to Belong: Five Practices for Cultivating Community in a Disconnected World

Even though we are connected more than ever through digital devices and social media, we still find ourselves feeling lonely and disconnected.
 
We are asking questions such as: Who are my people?  How can I build meaningful relationships?  Where do I belong? 
 
Author and pastor David Kim shares his experiences with loneliness as a Korean American immigrant and delivers compelling research about belonging that includes the revolutionary five practices for developing meaningful relationships.  As the discipleship pastor of WestGate Church in Silicon Valley, Kim decided to research the reasons why—and uncovered surprising answers.
 
In his survey of more than 1,300 Christians, Kim discovered that the number-one common struggle is loneliness. We crave life-giving relationships and community yet realize they are difficult to find and cultivate.  We want to belong, we just don't know how.  When we are left to ourselves, Kim says, we naturally drift away from God and others, and we begin to believe the lies of the enemy:  
 

• You are all alone. No one else feels this way. 
• No one cares about you. How could they? 
• You don't belong anywhere.

Kim combats those lies with the incredible hope found in the Five Practices for Cultivating Community:  
 

1. Priority: Let's talk about our commitment issues
2. Chemistry: The difference between clique and click
3. Vulnerability: Lowering the wall of shame for connection
4. Empathy: Supporting others well in a self-absorbed world
5. Accountability: The necessary road to Christlikeness 

 
Kim teaches us that true belonging takes intentional effort.  Through sound wisdom from the Bible, proven research from the social sciences and his own data, and examples from his pastoral ministry and moving personal anecdotes, Kim shows us that we are uniquely designed by God to belong to one another for our flourishing.  We are made to belong—to each other and to Jesus. 

David Kim is the discipleship and formation pastor at WestGate Church in Silicon Valley, California. His children's book on dealing with change was selected for Oprah's Favorite Things List. He completed his Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and cares deeply about the intersection of spiritual formation, theology, mental health, and the cultivation of authentic Christian communities. He lives with his wife and two daughters in San Jose, California.