In this fragmented and individualistic culture, my suspicion is that the deep longing of a majority of people - whether they know it or not - is to experience authentic community. But where is this authentic community to be found? As a follower of Christ, I would love to say that this community can only be found in the church, for such is the ideal that is presented in our Scriptures. Too often, however, this is not the case.
What is more often the case, in my limited experience, is that church is a "place" people go because it has become "the thing they do on Sunday morning." They trickle in, find their normal seats amongst others of the same color, listen or watch the show and go home, without uttering more words than the proverbial "good morning" to an usher or the collective "amen." In bigger congregations - the so called mega churches - the sanctuaries are more like movie theaters. You come in and take your seat near the aisle, making sure that you leave several seats between you and the nearest fellow worshipper, without realizing how foreign this mentality is to the historic People of God. My friends, this is not authentic community.
To my surprise, I have seen authentic community at the neighborhood Starbucks. It is clear that people know each other as most people who come through the door are greeted warmly, not only by the employees but by several patrons. The employee hands them their favorite drink and asks how they are doing, genuinely interested in the answer. There are people of all races, and diverse languages can be heard spoken in adjoining tables. For many, it is like coming home to family.
In our local Starbucks, there is a developmentally delayed woman named Francis who often comes in. She is never with anyone, so it appears that she lives by herself. What is amazing, however, is that the entire community has adopted her. Every employee knows her by name and knows what is going on in her life. Most of the regulars know her and regularly welcome conversation with her - she often will interupt patrons to say "hi," and be invited to join them. One night, we noticed that she had fallen asleep in a chair. No one bothered her or woke her up to ask her to move along. When she did wake up, she was a little disoriented. It was dark out and it was clear that she didn't know what she was going to do. One of the men noticed her apparent consternation and proceeded to call her a cab, wait with her outside for it to come, help her into the cab, and pay the driver out of his own pocket. It seems to me that this place has all of the marks of authentic community.
What is unfortunate is that, although they do community well, at the end of the day Starbucks can only offer a person a warm beverage and a clean, well lighted place to sit awhile. The church has in her possession the treasure of the living Gospel, with the power to transform lives. But this treasure is often obscured by inauthentic community. If the church could begin to live into the ideal of her Scriptures, we might see people pining for the Story in the way they now pine for a white chocolate mocha.
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18 comments:
Wonderful questions here, Jackson. I'll pick up a few and see what others say. 'Where is such a community to be found?' Well, the first thought that comes to mind is, 'minority churches.' Whether it's African-American churches or ethnic congregations in America, I've seen a more fully integrated practice of community in predominantly non-white churches. To be fair, I've only been to a few minority churches--one over the course of the year. So, while it isn't fair to suggest that minority status equals faithful community, there is still something about community that white Christians can learn from their brothers and sisters in predominantly African-American/ethnic churches. Community parenting is here. The interaction post-benediction is more lingering and sharing table than it is a diaspora. Just a few examples....
The other thought that occurs to me is that Christians talk about community more than any other people I know. And like a friend of mine at Duke said, 'all these conversations and still I've never washed dishes with anyone here.' Christian community has integrity, meaning that it is fully integrated. The apostolic community was fully integrated with 'the apostles' teaching, the 'life together,' the breaking of bread, and the prayers.' Somewhere American culture is winning the schedule fight in the lives of American Christians and we are fragmented as a result. If we don't pray, we rarely pray together. Do we share life together? Perhaps yes, perhaps 'not really.' Either way, maybe we need to confess, make some bold decisions about sacrifice, and look around to the practical command of loving God and loving one another entirely.
Jack
Jack, you raised a question in your comments that I have asked myself over and over again. "Do we share life together?" I think the answer to that question is unfortunately "no." It is uncomfortable, it is messy, and it is difficult. It does not fit into our preconceived notions of what life and relationship should look like. We like things nice, neat, and predictable. Authentic community is anything but this.
To "share life" together is to walk with someone through the ups and downs of life and not count the cost. I think it begins with a long, hard look at ourselves and our own need for grace and mercy. As soon as we recognize the sin in our own life, we are better able to walk with another in theirs.
All of this is easier said than done, I know. And it is not something we can just "convince" other people of either. I think it is something that begins with me (and you).
This was the best blog post I've read all day. It struck a deep chord of conviction in me and further sews the seed of unrest I have in my spirit about the condition of the American Church.
I agree with Julie. I think it starts HERE. It begins with you. It begins with Julie. It begins with me.
Dost my eyes deceive me? The phantom serious post from Jack has arrived! And was it a good one, worth waiting for. Thank you for the insights on the minority church. One question for you - do you think they do commnity well because of something specifically witnessed to them in the Gospel or is it more cultural differences? If it is the former, what are they passing on that doesn't seem to be getting to a lot of churches, particularly white churches?
Julie and Kelli- Great comments and good to always remember that change must start with us. Did Bonhoeffer say that? (sounds like something he'd say). Might I take this opportunity to say that I believe I have experienced this authentic community with both of you. Kelli, those times at Rosebud is exactly what I am talking about - no pretense, no fakeness, just the truth.
And Jackie (who is my dad) - thank you for witnessing that it is getting done in churches. And I have to agree that you have had a good run of community churches (I might say, especially First Congregational Church which we were at times critical of). I only wish that this were the norm instead of the exception.
Great comments everyone. Keep um coming!
Thanks Jackson for the post. This is a topic I have some passion for.
I'm with Jackie. I have had a good experience with my church, The Ridge. We are a pretty big body (around 1,000 and growing) but our entire church started with a small group and it is still the fundamental structure to this day. It makes the people who just come on Sundays to enjoy the show uncomfortable because we push getting involved outside the sunday morning service. Whether it be in a community group, study group, serving group, sports group, mothers group, fathers group, coffee group, movie group, music group ... whatever, I can go on and on.
I think good churches work at this they recognize the need for it. But it still doesn't make it any easier.
However as much as a church (like The Ridge) pushes you to get involved in some sort of community.. ulitmately.. it is up to you. Plus, I don't expect my church to hold my hand and pat my back and put me into cute little groups, with cute little people. Neither do I want that. It only supports passifism. To follow Jesus you need to be intentional. It's the same with community. You have to be intentional. You have to get off your butt and do it. Be an ambassador for community in the church and not seeker.
Good point with the small groups Derek. In big churches, this seems to be the only way to foster the kind of community generally associated with historic Christianity. I wonder, however, if there is any interaction between the different small groups?
My concern with the small group model, and maybe you or someone else can speak to this, is that it fosters a kind of homogeneity that might be detrimental to full Christian formation. Because while it is extremely important to be connected to others who are in the same life situation as you are, it is also important to be connected to others in different situations. I want to experience deep connections with eighty year olds who can pass on to me wisdom of having lived this faith much longer than I have. I want to experience deep connections with those of a different culture or race to learn and be nourished by their varied perspectives and reads of Scripture. Are these kind of connections possible in the small group model?
The beat in my heart grows and grows. It's fun to read what you all write here...to see the different viewpoints, thoughts, opinions, examples.
It stirs something in me. A need for the authentic community. A desire for greater connection among believers in the church. More diversity. Opportunity for depth of communion. Intimacy with the Lord through community. A place to belong and to be expended for the sake of others. I want to get my hands dirty.
Thanks for starting this blog! I'm glad to be "allowed in" to your musings, that of your wife and father, and of other bloggers out there.
To answer a question you posed a few posts back, Jackson ('is it something cultural, etc. that creates community?)....
My first thought is this...it has to do with experiences, which are incipent to the cultural identity. African-Americans share the experience of living in a land riddled with a history of slavery. You hear the clinging together in the spirituals which are sung even to this day. Their ancestors sang those spirituals because the God of Moses and Jesus (both Exodus figures) are the only hope for them in the antebellum South. In the midst of oppression, community must happen, because the only other option is isolation, which invariably would lead to death.
And doesn't this sound like Israel? Think about it...oppression, foreign land, clinging to a promise that God is faithful in the midst of slavery. If Pentecost is truly reconstituting a fragmented Israel (which it does), is it any coincidence that Luke packs a punch in Acts 2.42-47 about authentic community in the early church? Nothing in scripture is more explicit about what Christian community looks like. He wants us to see that God's people have a bridge from the Exodus to Pentecost.
Yet, as I say that, the thought occurs to me...'that's still theology.' And Julie, Jackie, and others are right on....if it stays there as 'just theology,' then it isn't Christian--Christianity is incarnation.
At the same time, if I have the right cues from scripture, I'll wilt; hence, the need for conversations, online or otherwise. Perhaps the hard work is meditating on the scriptures, being honest, and confessing 'life doesn't look like this yet--but we don't want to be fragmented and separated for ever.'
It's so refreshing to hear that communities like megachurches are making their way into authentic community. Maybe it's a testimony that the Holy Spirit is at work even more in these communities than minority churches. So much more work, more intentionally has to be done, in my opinion (maybe I'm wrong here). Most megachurches I know don't have the history of oppression which often creates community out of a need for survival. In other words, community is for ALL of God's churches--some just fall into it with greater ease, while others have to stand strong and say, 'regardless of your packed lives and crazy schedules, this is the Gospel and we won't compromise that truth.'
If you've made it to the end of this post...two things...first of all, forgiveness for excess. Secondly, thanks for your endurance.
Can't wait to see the thoughts of others who will help me on the way...I know I need it.
Jack
Of course, I don't reread my posts before pressing 'publish.' Now I see a huge ommission. Check above and reread, 'if I DON'T take my cues from scripture, I'll wilt....
Likewise... reread, 'maybe the Holy Spirit has more work to do to establish authentic community in megachurches than he does in minority churches, where it is born out of adversity...'
I'm an idiot.
Jack
I think that what is happening here is fostering authentic community. I have been encouraged and challenged by all the comments.
Thanks for starting this blog/community, Jackson!
that was my thought this morning Julie! so fun...
it is good to discuss. healthy for my soul to interact with you all.
well I think the closest I've experienced to authentic community in church were both associated with our years at Grace Community Church, Boone, Iowa. One was with our small group and the other was with my Thursday morning prayer partners.....3 ladies in our sweats and pillow hair curling up on the couches in the Livery and really devoting our spirits and our minds to a good 90 minutes of communion with God.....well I guess the first 30 minutes was chit chat, sharing things in our lives, or sometimes, just putting on MWS Freedom CD and laying on our backs on the hard floor in the dark, letting God's presence in the room wash over us. Awesome and, as hard as it was to get up at the crack of dawn or before, I DO miss those mornings. Small group....the way I saw God work there was how 6 couples, most of whom would never have gone out with each other on a Saturday night, grew together with our most common bond being God. Oh yea, we weren't too diverse ethnically either. But to see over the months how we came to trust, love, be vulnerable (even the men!) share, teach, and LAUGH alot too.
This was better for me than a small group that is formed because they are all just alike, or have the same hobby or circumstance. We all brought a little something different to the party, (besides food) and it worked. Hated to leave when we moved and have not yet found a church small group replacement. OK, more later, but have to move on at the moment.....
Jackson,,,,so glad you;ve started this.....loving it....Love, MomK
Cory-
I'm going to do my best to get back for graduation. Would like nothing better actually. We'll have to see as the time approaches.
Favorite books is a great question and I guess it would depend on the genre. As far as fiction goes, I've always loved "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald and "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. (I also just read her biography by Charles J. Shields and it was fantastic. "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote is fabulous, although that is probably more in the category of non fiction, embelished though it may be. You can't go wrong with anything Umberto Eco writes, particularly "The Name of the Rose." Steinbeck is also a must read. In the short story vein, Truman Capote, F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Updike top my list.
If we're talking about devotional or spiritual material, A.W. Tozer's "The Pursuit of God" is still hard to beat. "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis, "Why Revival Tarries" by Leonard Ravenhill, and "No Man is An Island" by Thomas Merton are also in the incredible category. Other spiritual authors who are must reads in my opinion are Henri Nouwen, Dennis Kinlaw, Brennon Manning and Brother Lawrence.
Theologians I love, in case you are interested are Robert Jenson, Stanley Hauerwas, Vladimir Lossky, Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) and Hans Ur Von Balthasaar.
And of course all of the Fathers . . . but that may just be me.
Thanks for all the incredible comments. Lots to think about and ponder. I agree with you all that a nice, diverse community is forming. Thanks for being a part of it. Tell your friends! (A Seinfeld reference for those who are interested.)
markj-
Fabulous post. Along those lines Ben Witherington has an excellent blog against the health and wealth gospel. www.benwitherington.blogspot.com.
What is interesting is that it is a lot of these mega churches with millions of members who are preaching this kind of Gospel. Your insights would suggest that though the membership is big, the community is lacking.
Thank you, Jackson
PS - Is this Mark Jackson from New Covenant? Sure sounds like you. :)
Great posts!! First of all, I think it will always be difficult to find the perfect community since a community's members are human. We're not perfect and neither are our communities. Small churches bash the large churches for their size much like private colleges instill in high school seniors that you will be lost at a large university. I found an AWESOME community among 28,000 students!!
In the last five years I've resided in seven states and every church I've been involved with has their strengths and weaknesses. I would love to find a church with an equal number of races, ages and incomes, but again, as humans, we look for comfort. The most comfortable situations are those we are familiar with. What do we look for? A church with plenty of peers, similar races and familiar skin.
Phillip Yancey talks about the church being the last place the lost look for help. Why? They (or I should use 'we') suspect they will be judged rather than loved. Would they? If a young man from southeast DC (the bad side), addicted to drugs, uneducated and unemployed came to a church for help, what would happen? Most of us, myself included, would avoid the scary guy and talk to my buddy about his difficulties with his SUV and ingrown toenail.
So how do we step out of our comfort zone and do the dirty work?
Man, good stuff. I never got back because I've been so stinkin busy. But you did address me a question so I want to answer it.
As far as diversity amongst groups go... I didn't mean to give the impression that specifically our church only does life stage specific group. It's not the case. Because I completely agree with you. I don't want to be so self culturally absorbed to think that only people who share my similarities are able to connect with me. For us we have mens groups and womens groups of all ages. Plus we place intentionality of building neighborhood groups. i.e. building relationships with the neighbors in your own neighborhood. For me that's a whole spectrum of age. Plus it fulfills are mission given to us by Christ...To go and make believers of all nations. Not to wait for them to come to your church.
Lastly serving groups/communities. Reality is our church is in Ankeny, IA. Not much for diversity in color and thoughts. It's suburban. However we are a suburb to a city of good diversity. And there are hundreds of opportunities to serve and learn from the hurting, the poor, as well as helping in what seems silly ways. For insance helping a college build a gazebo. Its a way of connecting the church community with the cities community. The only way for it to be authentic is to be intentional. Think about it with your friends. You love them.. its authentic. But you still have to be intentional about taking the time to call them or connect with them.
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