Church as Community?

Within the life of a Christian, it is important to denote that it is not a life led alone. Instead, Christianity is all about building relationships. However, in a society where we are so individualized, it has become difficult to understand what living life together really looks like.

As Christians, it is incredibly easy to become focused on our spiritual life alone. However, it is important to realize that we are to be building one another up as well. (Ephesians 4:29) Within Scripture, we see many examples of the early church, who broke bread together, sold what they had to give to the poor, and served together with "gladness and singleness of heart." (Acts 2:42-47)

"We say we want community, but are unwilling to make the sacrifices for it to happen. It's too inconvenient and messy. We want the benefit of church without her demands. Something has to change," says Jonathon Dodson in his Boundless article "Stop Going to Church." The beginning of finding a solid community to be a part of is being willing to make it happen. This can mean anything from sharing with those who are in need to opening your home for hospitality.

Too often, we look to see what we can get from church instead of how we can give to the Church. What are ways in which we can serve? Get involved? Love the Body? Joshua Harris would claim that you need to start by "Pour[ing] Your Life Into It."

Yes, going to church is an important thing. It quickly loses its excitement, though. But being the church is drastically more important. God should not be seen only in our relationships on Sunday morning. Instead, He should be evident in every relationship we have. There should always be this aspect of "koinonia." That is, fellowship and community.

Within the body of a church, one way to begin pursuing the idea of living life together is through small groups. For instance, Todd Hunter cast a vision for 3 is Enough groups. They "provides an imagination and structure for prayerfully paying attention to the Spirit, the people, and the events of our life," reads the website.

An interesting take is that only white people need small groups. Being a very white person myself, I can actually easily understand this line of logic. Perhaps for the typical white Christian, we need that extra push to connect with others. After this extra push, though, we should branch out and bloom.

Yet, don't forget that it is not all about us! Instead our ministry is through the power of the Holy Spirit and not of ourselves.

Once we have caught onto the vision of what it is like to share the events of our lives with others, then we can branch out and begin to pursue Christ-centered, meaningful relationships on our own. Then each relationship becomes a reflection of His glory for the good of others. What a different picture of the church than just a building with a steeple!