I find myself often caught between the two tensions of being missional while developing community life. Both are vital. Both are part of the calling of Christian living. Neither one is mutually exclusive of the other. I firmly believe that if we can balance these two we will see a unique synergism that will draw people to Him by our love.
My last post reflected on the essential of being outward focused. So... to sustain the aforementioned tension, I want to quote from a traditional pastor of a traditional church (Peter Marty) who has some excellent input to give on community life:
"What life have you if you have not life together?" Words of T. S. Eliot from his 1934 play The Rock point to the power of receiving life and nurturing life within the context of relating to other human beings. "There is no life that is not in community. And no community not lived in praise to God," wrote Eliot. When people become aware of the limitations of individualistic thinking and the drawbacks of disengagement from their neighbors, they hunger for alternatives. They yearn for something beyond themselves...
Surprisingly, a richly textured communal spirit is absent in many congregations. There may be experiences aplenty of social togetherness. And friendliness may be an abundant part of all these experiences. But this is not the same as participating in and being deeply entwined with a spiritually grounded community. The two should not be confused. Inhabiting the same ecclesiastical space for an hour on Sunday morning is not the same as belonging to a community where your presence truly matters to others and their presence truly matters to you...
A communal spirit blooms where people are deeply in touch with one another, thriving because of the faithful interaction with one another...
Holiness is born out of communities, not solitary lives...
Uniformity does not constitute biblical community. If anything, it threatens it. Henri Nouwen coined the all-important definition of community as "that place where the person you least want to live with always lives." A resurrection-minded community will not emerge so long as individuals are busy surrounding themselves with only those people with whom they wish to live...
One of the apostle Paul's determinative moves was to take the diversity of the church and, through hard work and grace, form a spirited community. This was how he believed the wisdom of God would get through to the world: "That through the church," he noted, "the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known" (Eph. 3:10). It is the rareness of such a body that captures the attention of the world. The manner with which this body or organism begins to move together has more than eye-catching appeal. It is also happens to be the church's most effective way for transforming the world.
Peter Marty wrote these words to help pastors give shape to the community life of their local congregations. I believe his challenges are worth considering for our own simple communities where we desire to see "intimate bands of allies" form for the purpose of both growth and effective mission. May we not gather in homes and still discover that the "communal spirit is absent." May we not become so independent (in our quest to not be part of organizational Christianity) that we lose sight of the importance of interdependence whereby we belong to a community in which our "presence truly matters to others and their presence truly matters to [us]."
Can we be rich in community life AND missionally effective?
