​

 

 

 

 

 

About Christian Community

A Christian community is where we come alongside each other to grow and mature in our spirituality and our faith. When we come together we seize the opportunity to show each other, and the world the love of God. 

 

Community vs Congregation

Most of us experience different kinds of community. There are civil communities such as towns, villages or municipalities. There are so-called virtual communities that people experience in the digital world. Neighborhood communities and church or faith communities are more like what sociologists would define as communities. There are others as well, but you can see that the term community is used in a variety of ways. So it is with the word, congregation. It can be a mere collection of people that are brought together by a person, group, or event. Or it can be an organized body of believers in a particular locality who gather together to hear a sermon or speaker or to engage in an activity such as a dinner or a choral event. 

​

But one of the basic differences between a congregation and a community is the method each uses to state or proposes their truth. A congregation can put their energy into teaching the truth. A community can do that too but explaining what is true is not enough The truth of the key values "must be seen in the daily facets of life in order for it to be passed to the next generation."  [1]  Notice, "it must be seen. It is not enough just to hear it preached or taught as an instruction. The learner must see it in action. If a preacher teaches love that is one thing, but when students/learners see people in the community sacrificing, extending themselves, touching, and expressing affection for each other, the they are experiencing community, they are seeing in action. This makes much more of an impact than simply hearing a lesson. When little Alice goes to a picnic and meets other kids her age and enjoys playing with them and learns their names, she becomes part of something, she begins to feel a sense of belonging with these people. 

​

What's a community like?

“With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.” Acts 4:33   In the rest of the chapter we see and hear Jesus instructing his disciples in the upper room during the last supper laying the ground work for what a community should be. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.””   John 13:34-35

​

After Peter and John were released by Jewish authorities who had questioned them, we hear how the community of believers were “all of one heart and mind."  Acts 4:32 It was Jesus’ fondest dream “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17:21

In these scriptures we have a standard that we can live by in community today. When we are of one mind and heart we will spread grace in a world that needs it so badly and we will be able to continue to testify to the life and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

​

“And those who listened to them and saw how they loved one another, were moved deeply to accept the Gospel message they were hearing from them. Because those early Christian communities actually lived the love they preached, “grace was powerfully at work in them all.” Acts 4:33 Are we not challenged by this passage today? These times we are living in are still apostolic times. The world still needs to see Christians living the Gospel message in their communities. [2]

​

Division and Encouragement

No matter how committed to loving each other, the devil and his main instrument, the human ego, try to plant seeds of division. Although some conflict may occur within a community, and as long as it is loving and open to the will of God, it can bring about beneficial change. The danger is that the urge to get status or the limelight can corrupt people. For example someone who regularly objects to what is being done might be doing so for attention and might actually be  unwilling to be active and work for the benefit of the community or group.

 

To guard against the weakness and self-centered behavior, members of the community need to encourage each other, and represent Jesus by living out certain characteristics:

• Generosity

• Empathy

• Humility

• Unity

• Hospitality

• Forgiveness

• Accountability 

• Brotherly love