An Invitation to Community
Community is a catch phrase in culture today. It represents a place of belonging, a place of safety, a place where you can be honest, be known and be accepted. This idea of community is not new, it has been the basic building block of civilization since the beginning of time. At the creation of the world, each step along the way, “God saw that it was good”. Until we get to the creation of man. Genesis 2 gives us the more detailed version of Genesis 1:27. In the first 17 verses of the chapter we see a picture of the process God goes through to create a beautiful and beneficial environment for man. Then in verse 18 we hear for the first time that something is not good… “it is not good for man to be alone”. Now, it is at this point in women’s events that I make the joke: we all know it is not good for men to be alone, and we are afraid of what we will find when we get home! But all joking aside, from the beginning of time community was established for the good of mankind. The rest of the story continues with the creation of Eve and the development of the first family; a community in which the new creatures can not just survive, but thrive.
Over time the idea of community has changed, especially with the challenges that the traditional family unit has faced. This has led to people finding their community in places outside the family unit. Many times these communities are developed around common identity; shared hobbies or interests, same workplace or school, common culture or lifestyle. Much of the ebb and flow of our everyday life, whether we recognize it or not, is experienced in community. When these communities break down, more than our relational health is impacted. We learned this lesson during the worldwide COVID-19 epidemic in 2020. The medical and economic conditions created by a worldwide pandemic and ensuing lockdown were difficult to navigate. Resources and creativity were stretched to the limit. But what many did not expect were the severe and lasting consequences of the isolation created by keeping people separated from one another. The subsequent mental health crisis continues to remind us that community is an essential element of life.
This leads me, as a pastor, chaplain, and educator, to consider the role of the church. For many, we see “the church” as buildings of various sizes and designs scattered across our cities. Others think of organizations, sometimes those that benefit society, other times those that are corrupted by greed and perversion. Then there are some that think of family tradition and cultural experiences that make up distant memories of the past. Few think of church as the community of believers, sharing life, faith and friendship, in the way it was originally intended. I am challenged in this season to rethink the church, explore models more consistent with the development of community grounded in authentic relationships. The New Testament example of the church was centered around people, not projects; relationship rather than religion prevailed. I am challenged by the picture of mutual, selfless community found in Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 4:31-37. If you are struggling with the church, I invite you to journey with me in finding community in the body of Christ.
