A Soul Seeking…Unity in COMMUNITY

 

According to Oxford Online Dictionary, a COMMUNITY is:

• A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
• A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

In our last post we sought to clarify the context in which our souls are being formed in the process of salvation. We discovered that the content of God’s character is displayed in the context of His creation. We learned to…

 

“see God in our COMMUNITY and in the faces of those we love”

 

This concept of COMMUNITY is derived from the Latin word communis, meaning common.

 

At its’ core, a COMMUNITY seeks to operate in unity…

displaying a common character…

 

                                    sharing common attitudes or beliefs…

 

                                                            holding common interests…

 

                                                                                    and accomplishing common goals.

 

The common place for the COMMUNITY of faith to live out this type of unity is within the relationships formed in a congregation.

 

A congregation can be seen as a “community where faith is formed.”

 

C. Ellis Nelson perceived that faith is communicated through "a community of believers" as they seek to discern faith’s implications together. A congregation functions as a holistic ecology of faith meanings and practices, which proves to be the critical environment for nurturing it.

 

One imperative notion about this community of faith is that it INCLUDES & NECESSITATES every AGE & STAGE of life.

 

The loud and lively infants…

 

have as much to offer the seeking, growing and knowing congregation…

 

                                                                                                        as the scholarly seniors.

 

Fred P. Edie and Mark A. Lamport in their article “Nurturing Faith: A Practical Theology for Educating Christians” assert that,

 

“Children learn to think and act in new ways through close relational ties with different kinds of persons more experienced than they. Similarly, adults are invited to reconsider the nature of faithful life when stimulated by the faithfulness and passionate questioning of children who do not yet take for granted the "normal" expectations of their faith tradition.”

 

Simply stated…

Intergenerational faith formation is COMMUNAL & RECIPROCAL.

 

So we affirm the need for and the value of a COMMUNITY of faith, but how do we create or foster this culture in the local CONGREGATION?

 

There are some simple strategies that posture a CONGREGATION to…

 

            KNOW who they are COMMUNALLY…in character and beliefs

                                    

                                    DO the work of ministry…to address COMMON interests & goals

 

                                                                        BECOME a Connected, Christ-Like COMMUNITY.

 

The first step is to draw in key leaders in the ministry who will prayerfully affirm and advocate for the implementation of an intergenerational COMMUNITY of faith.

 

This Spirit-guided team then works in unity to create a "zone of proximal development" where persons are drawn to grow by sharing together with more experienced members of a faith community.

 

This “zone” now becomes the breeding-ground for faith formation as every member of the congregation contributes to the unity and growth of the community.

 

We BECOME…

• Story-tellers of FAITH through… intergenerational story-linking
• Passionate & playful participants in FAITH formation through… Godly Play
• Enthusiasts of FAITH formation activities through…congregational events
• Multigenerational instruments in song & scripture through…worship
• Hospitable hosts & recipients of love from the “least” through…missions

 

As a COMMUNITY of faith living in the context of the local CONGREGATION,

 

We LEARN to LIVE in LOVE,

 

In CHRIST who made us ONE!

 

 Come and journey with me in seeking...UNITY in COMMUNITY.

 

This is a prayer of Jesus for the UNITY of believers:

"I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

John 17:20-23