Community

It is just about impossible to be a Christian without doing so in the context of a community of believers. I know that the darkest times in my life have been those during which I was not actively connected with a church. I think that much of my difficulty with last semester had to do with the fact that Carrie and I had not yet found a consistent place to worship each Sunday. Now that we have started to settle into Christ Chruch in White Fish Bay, I am feeling much more at ease.

So much of what Jesus did in his ministry on earth had to do with building communities that worshiped together and that loved and cared for one another. I suppose I have always known this, but recently it seems to be jumping out at me from all kinds of different angles. I have been thinking a lot about various ways that one might go about planting a church. I am starting to think that the best way to reach unchurched people would be through small Christian communities that demonstrate the love of Christ. These don't even have to look like churches, in fact it might be better if they didn't!

You can preach the need for a relationship with Jesus all day long, but I think more people would respond to a small, loving group of Christians who demonstrate that love. St. Francis said that we should preach the gospel always but that we should only use words when necessary. I think there is a lot of value in this assertion. No one can be the body of Christ by themself, this is too large a burden. If we carry the burden together, however, we can be much more effective.