The Main Thing

by Larry Osborne

Senior Pastor
North Coast Church, Vista, CA

I find that “sticky church” principles are important for lots of reasons. But one stands out above all others. I don’t see any way we can bring people to full maturity and fulfill the back half of the great commission without first producing the kind of significant long-term relationships that velcro people to one another and our local churches long enough to get the task done.

What do you think?

Some of my friends in ministry seem to devalue and even dismiss long-term, deep friendships as if they get in the way of real ministry. A small group that stays together for years isn’t applauded for its community. Instead it’s labeled as ingrown, self-indulgent, and a death-knell for evangelism.

Perhaps the problem resides in...