Community costs

Community is something that is everywhere in Bible; God creates man in community, yes initially only with Adam and Eve but community is part of the programme of creation (go forth and multiply).  Abraham is called to leave one community not to be isolationist but to start a new community, a different community, God's community and his family become that community as they grow and expand.  Before, during and after the exile the promise is of a returned and restored community back in the land once again.

Then in the gospels Jesus gathers people into a community around himself, as he calls disciples to give up and come follow me.  As the church begins in Acts we see community is a natural outworking of the gospel as first in Jerusalem, then in Judea and Samaria, then all over the known world these Jesus communities keep on popping up as people trust in Jesus and are knit together by his grace and love.

And they are not communities marked by monoculture.  Just think about the disciples - a former tax collector, some fishermen, a zealot and a bunch of others.  Think about the early church, think about a church like Philippi; Lydia a well to do business woman, a former possessed slave, and a jailer among others form this church.  Different ages, different backgrounds, different personalities but one Lord and Saviour.

It is such a tragedy that in our day community is missing and not just in society but in church.  What makes community in not sameness in its members it is a unity in purpose, it is grace in action.  The gospel forms community.

I've been thinking about the challenges we face in doing community in our UK culture and society as a church.  Here are a few challenges:

1. Foolishly allowing technology to get in the way of community
There are lots of great thing about technology, I regularly have to fight my inner gadget geek.  But no amount of instant messaging, SMS, tweeting, Direct Messaging, or wall posting will ever replace face to face interaction for building community.  Those things are great for disseminating information and arranging to meet up but they must never replace committed, time rich meeting up.

2. Network not Neighbourhood
Our society functions by network not neighbourhood.  Think of who you work with, who you relax with, who you play sport with, who you go to church with, how many of those people live within 10 minutes walk of you?  That makes it hard to build community because it will mean travel and more commitment than if we lived 10 minutes walk from each other.

What difference would it make to church if we all lived just 10 minutes walk from one another?  If we saw one another at the shops, or all our children went to the same school?  Or what about if everyone in your bible study lived within 10 minutes of each other?  Would it revolutionise your relationships, your sharing of the gospel together and with your community?

3. Easier is not more beneficial
Some relationships are more natural than others.  Some people have the same outlook as I do, some people take less bearing with than others simply because they see things my way.  Some people are just like me.  But that doesn't make them more beneficial for me, in fact I wonder if the gospel doesn't point us in the opposite direction, that actually those who are unlike me, who think differently, and potentially rub me up the wrong way are actually better for my becoming like Christ.  Only the gospel will enable us to value and commit to a community like that.

4. Bigger is not better
When did you last use your local hardware shop?  (If you are asking what one of those is you need to get out and look for one)  Or do you always drive to B&Q?  Why do you use the big store?  It has everything under one roof (to coin a phrase), there are special offers, everything is on a bigger scale. 

Instead of hardware store insert church and now ask the same question, why do we drive past small faithful bible teaching churches which are alive and seeking to reach out to the community we live in to attend the big church?  Better music?  More people my age?  Better children's work?

But if church is about a community gathered around Jesus and putting Jesus to work in each others lives and in the community then is bigger better?  Better for whom?  Better for the kingdom?  Better for the gospel?  Better for the local community?

But I want to add a caveat to all this.  You can all live within 10 minutes and yet fail to be a gospel centred community, because you are missing intentionality.

I've been really struck by the thought today of what would church be like if we all lived within 10 minutes of each other.  How would that change the way we related, the way we have each other in and out of our homes, the way our children related to one another, our impact on neighbours, friends and family?  An impossible dream, maybe but I don't think so, but there must be ways we can overcome the barrier and build community even in our network churches.  Maybe that's for another post another day?