We are starting this week our fall campaign where we as a church focus on one aspect of our Christian walk. This fall we are focusing on Community from our Children’s church and Youth Church to the Adult weekend experence.
Last week we had a guest speaker at our church Nancy Ortberg, she was off the charts. I would have to say that she was one of the best we have ever had.
Nancy touched on some very vital points on what community is and what it isn’t. I found what community isn’t to be particularlly interesting.
In our staff meeting the week before Nancy came we had a healthy debate about what community is and what it isn’t.
For the first post of this series let me ask you this question. How would you define community what does it look like today? What are the marks of true community. Let the debate begin.
Sam, I feel community is the church acting like the church is supposed to. Reaching out to those in need, meeting regularly with one another (more than Sunday), breaking bread together, being involved in each other's lives, and spreading the name of Jesus to those surrounding them. That is why at Keystone we say "Love God, Love Others, Love Life". We feel these summarize what community is.
On another not, I love your blog. I find your postings thoughtful, well thoughtout, challenging, and thought provoking. I would like to feature it in a posting on my blog as well as add it to my links. Is that cool with you? Thaks again man, and Great Question!
Thanks JohnnyE! for your kind words. I agree the church needs community. I do however believe that the church has a funky view of what that is suppose to be. I agree Love God, Love Others, Love life. Great stuff. This week, I will as nacho libre says get into the nitty gritty.
Thanks again for your kind words. God Bless.
One word: Others.
Imagine if all of us focused on others… but what about me and my needs you ask. The beauty of being others focused is someone would be focusing on you. I realize that may come across as an "imbalanced" statement and I fully recognize there's a balance. Certainly in my own life I'm constantly challenged to live more on the others side of the balance than I do.
I spent a couple of days on my blog last week thinking out loud about community, and came to the conclusion that community, regardless of how we define it, gets built by selfless servants…
Sam, I feel community is the church acting like the church is supposed to. Reaching out to those in need, meeting regularly with one another (more than Sunday), breaking bread together, being involved in each other’s lives, and spreading the name of Jesus to those surrounding them. That is why at Keystone we say “Love God, Love Others, Love Life”. We feel these summarize what community is.
On another not, I love your blog. I find your postings thoughtful, well thoughtout, challenging, and thought provoking. I would like to feature it in a posting on my blog as well as add it to my links. Is that cool with you? Thaks again man, and Great Question!
Thanks JohnnyE! for your kind words. I agree the church needs community. I do however believe that the church has a funky view of what that is suppose to be. I agree Love God, Love Others, Love life. Great stuff. This week, I will as nacho libre says get into the nitty gritty.
Thanks again for your kind words. God Bless.
One word: Others.
Imagine if all of us focused on others… but what about me and my needs you ask. The beauty of being others focused is someone would be focusing on you. I realize that may come across as an “imbalanced” statement and I fully recognize there’s a balance. Certainly in my own life I’m constantly challenged to live more on the others side of the balance than I do.
I spent a couple of days on my blog last week thinking out loud about community, and came to the conclusion that community, regardless of how we define it, gets built by selfless servants…
Sam, we have talked about this, but I thought I would participate in the discussion. I would define it as John Ortberg has said… A place where people (be it a few but expanding group of friends) who know the good, the bad, and the ugly and still love you anyways. Refering to the "healthy debate" we had in staff meeting, some had remarked about how great community was being built in a certain church because people were spending time together and letting each other use their cars and such. So after we have spent bookoo time together, and have given each other thousands of dollars… What good is that if I go home feeling like this person doesn't REALLY know me… Or better if we think if my friends really new this about my past or a sin or weekness istruggle with would they still love me. Ill put in basic terms…all of us where masks that present to people who we dont know what we want them to think of us. Community is when you are able to take off that mask and be yourself in a redeemed and redeeming enviroment. When nancy was here the examples she used for her 3 points of inclusion, conflict and contribution was perfect. I end with a quote from nancy from our weekend service… " community is not perpetual niceness". People speaking the truth to ud or us opening up might not be attractive on the surface, but in the end isn't this what we really want? To have people know us, really know us and to know somebody else, really know them is I believe the God given desire every single person has!
clarification: for peple to know us, really know us and for us to know others, really know them and love them in spite of everything (means i love you weather you are a successor failure) is the God given desire of every person- christian or seeker!
Sam, we have talked about this, but I thought I would participate in the discussion. I would define it as John Ortberg has said… A place where people (be it a few but expanding group of friends) who know the good, the bad, and the ugly and still love you anyways. Refering to the “healthy debate” we had in staff meeting, some had remarked about how great community was being built in a certain church because people were spending time together and letting each other use their cars and such. So after we have spent bookoo time together, and have given each other thousands of dollars… What good is that if I go home feeling like this person doesn’t REALLY know me… Or better if we think if my friends really new this about my past or a sin or weekness istruggle with would they still love me. Ill put in basic terms…all of us where masks that present to people who we dont know what we want them to think of us. Community is when you are able to take off that mask and be yourself in a redeemed and redeeming enviroment. When nancy was here the examples she used for her 3 points of inclusion, conflict and contribution was perfect. I end with a quote from nancy from our weekend service… ” community is not perpetual niceness”. People speaking the truth to ud or us opening up might not be attractive on the surface, but in the end isn’t this what we really want? To have people know us, really know us and to know somebody else, really know them is I believe the God given desire every single person has!
clarification: for peple to know us, really know us and for us to know others, really know them and love them in spite of everything (means i love you weather you are a successor failure) is the God given desire of every person- christian or seeker!
Great stuff guys.
Gareth yes others focused. I don't believe community can ever happen in a "I need to be feed" atmosphere. Every point in Nancy's message was based on focusing on others.
Mike: what can I say but yes and yes. It all boils down to some sage advice I once received from a now former youth pastor "guys, keep it real, just keep it real."
Great stuff guys.
Gareth yes others focused. I don’t believe community can ever happen in a “I need to be feed” atmosphere. Every point in Nancy’s message was based on focusing on others.
Mike: what can I say but yes and yes. It all boils down to some sage advice I once received from a now former youth pastor “guys, keep it real, just keep it real.”