The goal is to bring the Kingdom of God into existence for brief instances of time with the hope that we will learn to perpetuate that experience. The vectors required to reach alignment are:
Love, Dissonance, Energy and Time.
Because our world is full of pain we learn not to trust. Love is given sparsely because we feel vulnerable. And we dare not express inner thoughts because we fear. It takes time for people to learn to trust each other enough say what is real, hear the other and respond with mutual love. Martin Buber calls the results Dialogue with the Thou (Martin Buber (author) and Ronald Smith (translator); I and Thou; Scribner; 2000; ISBN: 0743201337).
The parable of the dishonest manager (Luke 16:1-8) shows that we do not need to reach the ecstatic state of dialogue in order to reach alignment. Given my choice, I would rather have my finger tips barely touching alignment than to have my feet firmly planted in chaos. Alignment is easier than dialogue.
Small caring groups frequently reach the performing stage and thus touch on alignment. What we know from group formation theory is that the group must be stable. Any entry or exit from the group pushes the group back to the forming stage. This is a key factor that is often overlooked. Too often we intentionally move people around. Or, we observe an exit and then add someone new a few months later to fill the vacancy. The exit and the replacement entry must be made in close proximity to allow the group to spend less time in the forming stage.
Often there is conflict in groups and we take that as a growth opportunity. Groups can provide a nursery where we can learn how to convert conflict into confrontation. But people who have learned the habit of conflict cannot unlearn that habit unless someone teaches them. Small groups need mentoring. If the group is not able to leave storming and move to norming then the group needs an intervention to add dissonance, silence the antagonism and then infuse the group with an application of love.
People know how to align their wills. War is fought by soldiers that are aligned in teams. Small groups should be able to reach the performing stage and become aligned with each other in about a year. Too often, however, those groups act like cults. The significant difference between a well functioning squad of soldiers and a small group fellowship is the goal. The goal for a small group fellowship is to reach alignment, not with each other, but to mutually reach alignment with God.
The way to reach alignment is through small groups. To ensure that each group is also aligned with the other small groups it is important for one designated person to participate in a small group leaders small group. That fabric of aligned connections holds the community in alignment. A small group is like a tree. But a lone tree on a hill is vulnerable to the wind. Trees in communities interlock their roots and form a web of connectedness.
When a small group is aligned with the will of God, then the Kingdom of God is present, even if only for a minute. With practice we can extend that to three or five or fifteen minutes. But we tend to then slip from the ecstasy of the Kingdom to the tranquility of contentment. The Kingdom is present when we act on the dissonance and act with love. When we stop moving the Kingdom slips away from us. The Kingdom requires that we act with Love, act on the Dissonance, put effort into our actions and then allow time to flow over us.