Living in community...

Community.... what is community?  Do you live in a community somewhere?

We all live in some sort of community.  Whether we live in an apartment building, a residence hall (we called them dorms back in the day), a neighborhood, on base, in a province, a town, a village, etc.  It's community.  Shared space.  However, shared space doesn't always mean shared living, does it?

I live in a neighborhood that has several cul-de-sacs and is great for kids to roam and play.   Since there is only one way in and out, we don't get lots of traffic.  There are folks who walk, who take their dogs for a stroll, etc.  We'll say "hi" and wave and we might even talk from time to time, but we really aren't a tight-knit group.

What does it take?  It takes intentionality.  Maybe if we were to throw a few block parties, fire up the grills or the fire pits, throw on some food, have some beverages, etc. we might get to know each other a little better. 

But we're all pretty busy these days, living our own lives. 

What about in our communities of faith?  We gather together with a purpose weekly.  Are we a tighter-knit group than our neighborhood or place of residence?  Maybe yes.  Maybe no.

When I think of living in community, I think of sharing the journey with other folks on the journey.  Hikers on the path.  Pilgrims on the way.  Whatever analogy works for you.   I believe that with purposeful intentionality we can cultivate and grow community in which we can share responsibilities, burdens, joys, laughter, sadness, concerns, etc.

This type of community might be a small group.  I hope and believe it can also be a church.  The bigger the church, the harder it might be.  Churches are made up of people.  And we people make mistakes, don't always have the right focus, get tired and fussy, etc.  Kinda like family.  But we still love family, even through the hard times, right?!?! 

Diana Butler Bass talks about church family in Strength for the Journey: A Pilgrimage of Faith in Community: "The members of God's household are bound together through the practice of faith, the sacrament of grace, and the experience of the Spirit.  And it is a big household.  As with biological family, there are those you like and those you do not.  You fight.  But families stick it out, arguing, winning, and losing, and reshaping the stories that will be passed down to their children." (258-259) 

Butler Bass writes about "intentional spiritual communities" referring to two churches.  Despite their differences, both were being intentional in that they were "congregations purposefully remaking their traditions, attempting to create meaningful worship and spiritual practices, engaged in intellectually credible reading of the scriptures, and reaching out to serve the world with near-evangelical zeal." (270)

As I camp out on those words for a few moments, these words strike me: purposefully, create, meaningful worship, spiritual practices, engaged, reading of the scriptures, reaching out to serve.  These words resonate within my soul.  As you reflect over the passage, other words might stand out to you. 

I'm blessed to be in a community of faith that is becoming more and more intentional in its spirituality.   Butler Bass says this of intentional churches: "intentional churches welcome lay participation" and that they attract people because of "a connection with God embodied in the spiritual practices of a distinct tradition in the context of a particular community.  They are pilgrim communities--communities that practice faith in the world yet live at some tension with the surrounding culture." (274)

Butler Bass continues: "The higher the sense of cultural tension, the greater the sense of spiritual journey or pilgrimage.  With a clear call to living as a pilgrim, congregations attract members who take faith seriously and engage in distinctive spiritual practices to enrich their journey and deepen their connection to God.  This spiritual purposefulness breeds congregational vitality.  A committed core of spiritual practitioners will reach out and bring new members, who in turn, embrace the practices and continue the cycle." (275)

Do you have a group of people like this?  Are you in a community of people who are seeking, exploring, living intentionally?  I hope so.  It's a tremendous blessing.   I wouldn't be where I am on my journey today if it weren't for people in the Emmaus/Chrysalis/Crossroads Community, several church communities, accountability groups, prayer groups, Sunday School classes, mission trips, fellow lay speakers, etc. 

My journey has been impacted positively by living in community.

May your journey impact others positively as you seek to live intentionally in community and may others impact your life positively as well.

~Debra