Today, take a look at your list from day 4. This list should include one person from your church who you would consider one of your closest friends, one person from your church who is a good friend, and one more church member who you know but you would like to grow your relationship.
Take some time today to pray over your list. Consider all that has happened through the Bootcamp and the last 27 days and make some changes to your list if needed.
I feel that I have a little bit of space to add people in my church into the inner circle of friends. Over the course of the Bootcamp, one person from my church went from a third tier friend all the way into a first tier friend. I admit this is not normal. In fact it is incredibly rare, even for me.
The funny thing was, this guy wasn’t even on my list as a person that I targeted. I simply made an effort to continue the community building principles that I teach and we happened to spend more time with each other than usual. The thing that made all of the difference was a healthy balance between serious, vulnerable conversations and planned activities. Because we had access to both of these elements this month, we were able to become very close friends in a short amount of time.
As far as the people on my list are concerned, I feel that I was able to maintain my close friendship as well as possible. My targeted second tier friend and I became much closer and I am very pleased with the progress we have made in our friendship. I expect that this time next year, he will be in my inner circle of friends. My third tier friend and I did not see much progress, but this is mostly due to schedule. In order to combat this inevitable problem, we are making plans to do a project next month.
Remember that the Bootcamp can help you to grow in relationships very quickly, but schedules, both yours and theirs, are an ever present reality. Maybe this bootcamp has revealed your need for more flexibility in your schedule, or more intentionality allocating your time.
What has your experience shown you about the nature of your relationships? I’m curious about your story. What have you noticed about how a little bit of relational intentionality has changed your church experience? If you have a story, let me know!
Jason Hundley 