The Power of Community

A few weeks back, I had a conversation with someone who self-identified as “a Christian Pilgrim” – by which they detailed that they did not follow any denomination, but went from church to church each Sunday. This person had been a guest at our service, and stayed after service not to join our coffee hour, but to tell me explicitly why they would not be coming back.

Their discourse notwithstanding, what stayed with me after reflection was a sadness. Not that we wouldn’t see them again, as our faith community was evidently not a ‘good fit’ – and I do wish them blessings on their journey. My sadness was rooted in recognising that this person had chosen to be without Christian community at all. They were clear that they were not looking for community; they were happy to be permanently itinerant.

By moving each week to a different house of worship, they are denying themselves the benefits of that community: people with whom to pray and praise, to study and discuss, to serve alongside.

Church is not just about being in the pew; it’s about being the people of God together. We learn from one another and gain new perspectives as we discuss how we sense God calling us. We are challenged into different interpretations of scripture as the lectionary takes us into the whole of the book, inspiring us to move beyond our favourite passages and into understandings that evolve as we ourselves grow and mature.

In community, we hold one another accountable, we discern together, we minister together. We respond to the needs of the community: within our broader geographic location, and within our spiritual connections. We laugh and love together, we join one another in celebration, we support one another in suffering, we do our best to be faithful companions.

But we never do it alone. Every teaching of Jesus invites people to go in pairs or groups, every epistle is written to build up the community of faith, every time of fellowship is designed to bring us closer to each other as the children of God.

I love being part of healthy church community: I have been blessed more than I can detail by people I’ve journeyed with. And with technology we have means to stay connected as never before. My hope is that we all find a community to which we can belong; with God at the centre, keeping us connected in holy ways.