Recently, Angela and I had the pleasure of meeting up with some friends for dinner at a local restaurant. Our married friends moved away over a year ago to work for a church in a surrounding state. We were eager to hear how things had been going for them over the past year since we too had moved away and had not caught up with them in a almost a year.
Our friends began talking about their experiences in a new church environment with different staff and a somewhat different method of ministry. Don't get me wrong, there is not one right way when it comes to church ministry. There are many types of churches all over the world that have different styles of worship (and I'm not just talking about praise and worship-music). And as one who has traveled to a few different cultures myself, I know and remember often the common phrase that I've heard and recited a thousand times before, "it's not wrong; it's just different." However, there seems to me to be one thing that I have noticed that many churches (especially in the US) are without-community. As our friends sat across the table and spoke about their recent hardships, a lack of community was the common theme that contributed to their feeling discouraged. Their church did not have healthy community. The people in this particular congregation aren't living life together, rubbing shoulders with one another. They work and then go home, alone. They meet on Sunday mornings and that's about it. Its challenging to drastically deepen relationships solely on Sunday mornings. They are missing something huge! And it is extremely sad to think about the masses of church attenders who do not experience true community as it was designed to be experienced.
One thing that characterizes our church, as well as many other churches in the area, are its community groups. A small group of 12-15 people who come together once a week to share a meal, prayer, worship, the Word, and their lives is a powerful thing. I have experienced first hand how beneficial a community can be for me personally, as well as for the body in general. Some of my lowest times have fallen in the seasons where my sense of community was lacking, when I felt isolated and alone. And, on the other hand, God has grown me and strengthened me greatly in the times when I found myself deep in rich community.
We were made to live in community, experiencing life uniquely with others, sharing in the joys and hardships. Scripture tells us that God is three (father, son, spirit) dwelling together in fellowship. God also gave us a beautiful picture of community in the book of Acts when the new church body met together to encourage one another and work to advance the Kingdom. God has shown us-we were meant to live similarly.
What about you? Do you find yourself lacking community, the deep, rich, live-giving relationships that God uses to equip us, His Church? Begin praying that He would connect you with others around you in purpose and intention. If your church offers community groups, then just sign up. You won't regret it, and you will quickly see just how God intends for us to live as you begin to open up to others and experience the same in return. If your church doesn't offer community groups as an option, then consider being the first to start a group. Pray for opportunities and just start talking to others who may be desiring the same. We were meant to know and be known!
"And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more, as you see the Day drawing near."
What about you? Have you experienced healthy community that you would like to share about? Feel free to leave a comment or a story...
jmh
