Why community?
The simple answer is that Jesus told his people to do it!
The reason why community is so important today is that in the wake of "globalization" society is becoming increasingly individualized and secularized. A key foundation of truly human life is vanishing in this atmosphere: personal relationships. Even Christians, whose faith and very existence should be based upon a personal relationship with God and with each other, are affected. For many, their experience in the family, at their work place and even in the church is far removed from the hopes that one connects with the words “fellowship” and “community”. Many deeply question if human relationships can succeed at all and if “community” is even realistic to hope for in face of the challenges of our time. Some Christian groups, afraid of confronting the threatening reality of the “outside world”, capsule themselves off. For other men and women, their clique, with its strict activity-orientation and “cool” aloofness, offers a bland substitute for true community.
In contrast, the first Christian fellowships were rooted in a completely different soil. They were persecuted from the start but refused to give up. They opened themselves to outsiders and strengthened each other within. These were not mere “Sunday-fellowships”; they were “every-day communities”. The early believers lived and worked together but were, through their jobs and responsibilities, part of the fabric of society. This brought with it, of course, the danger of “worldliness” the risk of losing one’s eternal perspective in the whirlpool of life. The Apostle Paul frequently addressed this danger in his letters to the young churches of the New Testament. But by having both feet solidly planted in the world, these men and women had a dynamic influence on their society. These early Christian fellowships were not exclusive clubs but were marked by a breath-taking openness and inclusiveness: slaves and masters, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, old and young met together for daily worship and prayer. In spite of the sometimes radical differences in their lives and circumstances, they lived in spiritual equality and fellowship. We are convinced that this dynamic Christianity is only possible in community and that a vital and infectious community is the only way that many today can be persuaded to take another look at the Faith. In such a community, people can discover each other as real and find a place of daily orientation and worship.
What are some dangers to community?
