Many Christians crave honest relationships, but often things like fear or pride get in the way. That’s why Tom Bennardo, FEC’s Executive Director of Multiplication and Leadership, wrote a new book releasing this month called Open-Hearted People, Soul-Connected Church: How Courageous Authenticity Can Transform Your Relationships, Your Community, and Your Life. Over his four decades in ministry, Tom has helped facilitate and witness many faithful moments of God nurturing koinonia (the Greek word for “fellowship” or “communion”) in church.
“It’s a call to soul honest community,” Tom says, “a transformational level of authenticity.” A key theme of the book centers on the three levels of community we allow ourselves to experience. Level one is connecting on the surface, level two is sharing only what feels safe for you, and level three reveals how your soul is truly doing. It’s that third level of raw and vulnerable fellowship God calls us to when Jesus says things like “Abide in me,” (John 15:4) and “Love one another” (John 13:34). Tom wants readers to embrace true friendship and brotherhood in an era of artificial connections (e.g. social media).
The book’s publisher describes the heart of the book in this way: “As you learn to engage your world with your soul wide open, you’ll discover deeper connections–with yourself, others, and God–and open avenues for other lonely and disconnected souls to join you there.”
Tom’s prayer is for this book to be a catalyst to help church families revolutionize their time together to reach that more impactful openness. This could be done through small groups, ministry circles for churchgoers, or FEC programs like THRIVE for pastors and leaders. He calls it being “gloriously ruined,” explaining that “once you get a taste of heart-honest authenticity and community, you won’t be satisfied in an environment where you don’t have it.”
Open-Hearted People, Soul-Connected Church was released this spring. You can learn more here: https://bit.ly/soulConnectedBook
