“Loneliness isn't just an uncomfortable feeling; it's dangerous to us as individuals and as a society.” 

In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy went so far as to declare it an epidemic. "Being socially disconnected is...[as detrimental as] caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day..." Failing to address it would lead Americans to "further retreat to our corners—angry, sick, and alone."

But what if churches held the key to addressing this growing problem? In this new season of the Fresh Expressions podcast, we'll explore the loneliness epidemic and how contextually-rooted Christian communities can draw people to Jesus and to each other.

To kick off this discussion, host Heather Jallad will be joined by Luke Edwards, author of Becoming Church, and Fresh Expressions Director of Training Shannon Kiser. We'll dig into what the loneliness epidemic looks like and how we have seen God work through the church to spread love and connection.

Fresh Expressions is a worldwide movement of everyday missionaries who want to see churches thrive in the places we live, eat, work and play by leveraging the creativity and endurance of the inherited church. To learn a simple five-phase process for starting a new expression of church go to freshexpressions.com/howtostart.

If you love this free resource, you can access our entire library of practical and inspiring training materials and connect with other church leaders on FX Connect. Sign up for your free account at fxconnectus.org. 

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