Communality: Understanding Our Life Together

A Movement of Blessing

God works through the people of God to bring “shalom” (peace, completeness, justice, reconciliation) to the world.  We call this the mission of God.  The mission of God is simply participating with what God is doing in the world.  God’s mission of blessing is for all people in all places around the world.

A Missional Community

As a small group of God’s people united through faith in God’s work of blessing in the world, we find our purpose in participating in God’s work – the mission of God - to the fullest of our abilities.

Mission comes before church

God’s desire to bless all people comes first.  The church, in whatever form it takes, is secondary.  There should be no tension or competition between these two.  The church exists for the sake of the world.  This means that our first concern is for the community around us.  Our concern for the church is that it will be (1) a place where God’s blessing can be easily seen, (2) a place where we can grow in our faith and (3) a support for our service to the world around us.  Seek first the kingdom of God…(Luke 12:31).

Community comes before congregation

Because of our common faith in Christ we have become a spiritual family and one body.  Christ is present among us through the Holy Spirit every day.  So, just like a family, we need to love and support each other at all times.  Our weekly meetings are like a family dinner.  They are important times to be together but, by themselves, they are not “church.”  Our church is our community of relationships and our worship is our common service to the world.  Our gathering time is a reflection of these two dimensions.

Grounded Community

As Wendell Berry defines community, we are a “placed people.”  We live in a wider community of family, friends, neighbors, and strangers.  Our surrounding space is the place where we are in mission.  It is important to remember that our relationships are at once personal, spiritual, social, economic and political.  We will find countless ways to serve others by participating in all of the things that happen in the wider community.

Each of us is a “priest”

Whether we understand it or not, the reality is that we have been blessed by God to bring God’s blessing to others.  The miracle is that God will work through each of us in a particular, holistic way to make sure that we all have something important to contribute.  In fact, God has chosen to work through each of us in unique and personal ways to do things that won’t happen without us.  We all have an important role to play in God’s work.