A growing number of churches embrace new programs to serve others only when opportunities exist to engage people personally and form relationships. Whether the setting involves serving people locally or on mission trips to other lands, focus continues to tighten on personal interaction as the priority.

Pastor Dan Kinnas from Bethel Church in Zeeland, Michigan, says his church's mentoring program at a local school unifies their congregation: "Like a powerful sermon brought to life, " "each story of a changed life opens people up to the possibility that God will use them to reach others."

What difference does a relationship really make in a person's life?

The Search Institute, a prestigious child development research organization headquartered in Minnesota, believes that question plays a tremendous role in what kids need to succeed. In 1990, Search introduced the 40 Developmental Assets—a groundbreaking framework for youth development. This April, in considering the new "three Rs" of ...