Trying To Build: Community

Have you heard people talk about community? The fact that people don’t experience it? Have you heard discussions about our techno culture and how it is impacting community? Have you been told that the church needs to emphasize community for these people?

Something has happened over the past several years. Christians have noticed problems and have seen how the church fills those voids. I understand such thinking. What seems to be missing is the fact that just because people need community and are even looking for community doesn’t mean they will look to church.

Does that make sense? In my experience and reading the idea seems to be presented that since people need community the church needs to be that place. While I agree the built in assumption is those people who don’t have community will somehow look for it in church. As if they sit around one day and say I have no community, maybe I will go to church this weekend.

I mean people do have community. Maybe it is unhealthy but it is still community. People aren’t necessarily missing community.

My brother is a great example of this. His community is trail bikers. He is very involved with the group. He volunteers countless hours to improving the trails. He volunteers at events that they sponsor and he goes with them on many different outings. For the most part all of the activities he is involved with are the same as someone who has a church home. Volunteers, contributes financially to the cause, and hangs out with fellow members.

The thing is he considers himself agnostic at best.

I mean community is important, church should be that place, but just because you have community won’t mean anything if you don’t connect people to their God and He won’t mean much if you don’t help them see why they need Him.

To be honest after all of the attempts to be relevant and out there understanding a generation it seems that the answer hasn’t changed, we are sinners in need of a Savior. Should we have community? You bet but I think we are naïve if we think THAT is the answer.