Healing Growth Communities

I am interested in producing healthy Christians and healthy churches. Pete Scazzera wrote a good book on the topic a few years ago and currently teaches on the topic but more is needed IMO.

It is hard to think of any emphasis on growth by anyone in modern society.Maybe we are moving too fast. Farmers, recovering addicts and coaches talk about growth and development. The New Testament, on the other hand, is filled with the topic. It was a farming and fishing era so growth was essential to survival.

While getting a Doctorate on the topic of training Christian Counselors I became  interested in the marks of a healing-growth community. I had been a school teacher, a coach and a Counselor Educator. In those jobs  I learned the need to develop intentional communities of learners. It is called a Paideia Community in education.

One topic was group therapy. I found there are guidelines for developing groups that promote awareness, insight, problem solving, setting goals, and emotional catharsis. There are also check lists of things to avoid in educational and counseling settings. We want to avoid these factors that disrupt the health and wellness of the culture/ Paideia.

So, I set out to discover the marks of a Christian healing-growth community. They are found in scripture and education, counseling, and group dynamics. If interested, you can find them in Hope and Change for Humpty Dumpty.