Posts Tagged ‘community’

A monastic perspective on community :: Tim Keel

December 18th, 2008

Tim Keel posted a quote on his blog that give some insight into the monastic perspective on community. I really like it! You should check it out.

And if this is really an honest way to do community, which i suspect it is, how might that change how we “plant” a community (plant a church)? It doesn’t really seem like current methods of church planting have this kind of idea any where on their radar.

An thought?

Grace and peace :: because of a baby!
Erik

PS :: i have a few more post to come. They are rattling around in brain so i’ll get em out soon. 
Stay tuned! 

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Why community planting…

August 14th, 2008

I think it might be a common question, why community planting and not just church planting. The answer is obvious to some because it’s simple but I think at the same time it’s bit more complex than the surface might let on.

The idea of community is deeply rooted in the pages of scripture and even in the life of God. God is three yet one, He is a living community. This is probably the reason why He has created us to live as a community as well. And not just to go to church.

I knew from day one, from that moment that God stirred the idea of church planting in my dreams that I wanted anything that I was going to be apart of to be more than a building that a lot of people came to, I wanted it to be more than your standard church striving for meag-churchdom, wrapped up in our western notions of success. I knew from day one that I wanted it to look like the early church (Acts 2) where people actually lived so connected to one another that life is never lived alone and people really were experiencing and living out authentic community. In Act chapter two growth was a byproduct of community not the goal, that’s needs to be remember these days! I think way to many churches say they want to live like this but then build shopping malls in the center of their building so that people can spend their money on themselves and get lost in the crowd. I want to experience with people what Paul experienced with the Philippians, this sense of connectedness and belonging, I want others to experience this as well. After all, this is how we were created to live!

I heard a question recently, “Do you like your idea of community better than the reality of community?” If we were honest most of us would probably have to say yes to that. If I were honest I would probably have to say yes to that. But I long for authentic community.

We enjoy and desire some aspects of authentic community: the sharing, the conversations, the fellowship (koinonia) during the good and the bad times of life, etc. But there is more to community. Challenging one another to live a higher standard, calling one another out when we are less than following Jesus, holding one another accountable to commitment, calling and issues of character. We might even say that we want that but when community becomes uncomfortable because it’s giving us that what do we need? Go to the next shopping mall, I mean church. Do we really want it? I say yes in theory but feel like I have yet to experience it.

This is why I desire to plant a community!
A group of people who are learning to authentically follow Jesus and share life with one another. Not only do I desire this but I need it to become the person God has created me to be, we all do.

These are just some of my thoughts. And as this conversation unfolds there will probably be many more conversations that revolve around the concept of community and how we actually live it out because I don’t just want a church building I want a community!

Dreaming of a community
Erik

P.S. There will probably be times when I use the phrase “church planting” but more often I will use the term “community planting”. I do this because I want more than just a church, I want a community! Language often gets us, doesn’t it. Bear with us.

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