Once someone is known, the next step is to connect them to others in the body. This should start by the individual being invite to connection system activities. Their next step is to choose to engage in these activities.
In a large church, you do not know someone feels connected by attendance or time alone. Connection must be noticed relationally, not inferred statistically.
The goal is not certainty, but durable signals of belonging that reduce invisibility.
Purpose:
Help people move from known to belong.
This system answers:
Failure mode if missing:
High attendance, low relational depth.
Key movement:
Noticed → Known → Belonging
Primary question:
“Do I have a place here?”
Why It Matters
Ensures people belong before they are asked to participate.
People can say:
Someone should be assigned to be responsible for moving Known -> Connected.
Once a person has taken any connection system step a "Community Guide" should be assigned to their family. The guide should not be assigned before they take a connection system step. It might be tempting to assign a guide as soon as the person becomes known. This is not recommended. - Assigning a guide too early creates artificial ownership without relational proximity. It turns the role into administrative follow‑up rather than relational care. While a Known person does not yet have a personal Community Guide, they are still owned by the Connection System, not by chance.
Assign a Community Guide once someone completes a step in the Connection System.
If no one can answer that, connection has not occurred.