In my new life working as a consultant with churches, one of the areas where I’m noticing churches are focusing a lot of their time and attention is on their name.
Names matter.
Many more traditional churches are losing the name of their denomination in their name, choosing to move away from preconceived notions of particular denominations or faith movements. Others are adopting more hip or trendy names to stir up a sense of intrigue or mystery.
One of the most common words churches use in their names is the word “community.”
For so long in the evangelical tradition we’ve read the story of Acts and the community experienced by the believers of the early church and long for that same sense of awe and wonder to be experienced in our faith communities. Saying you are a “community” doesn’t make you one. Becoming a true community is tough work and it takes far more than adding it to your name.
Community isn’t a noun, it’s a verb. It’s an act of being together. Of sharing. Of giving. Of living life and committing yourself to one another and to the teachings of Christ.
For many churches, small groups are the route to experiencing community and life together. While I know and have been a part of some amazing small groups, I would say that small groups [or community groups, cell groups, whatever you want to call them] aren’t community. I’m not bashing small groups ministries or anything like that… I know they are important. But to me and in many of the churches I interact with, they seem like they are forced “community” that’s based on proximity, common interests or what night of the week is best for your schedule.
Community can’t be scheduled. It can’t be assigned. It doesn’t happen by sitting in a circle for 60 minutes with people you wouldn’t normally associate with and share how work is going or how your struggle is with your “secret sin.”
Community happens organically. It happens when people come together with the common bond of Christ and connect on a level that’s deeper than the surface. It’s not made up of people like you or who share the same viewpoints, hobbies, or zipcode. It’s made up of people of all backgrounds who share the common desire to live for Christ. It takes time, effort, and energy to make community happen.
The beauty of community as Christ intended it is diversity. Different ideas. Different opinions. Different experiences. Different ethnicities. Different ways of living life. That’s just part of being a part of the body of Christ. Each member looks different and has its own function but collectively becomes a living and breathing organism that works together.
We need one another and we need people who are different than us. We don’t need to be all be the same or fit into the same box or stereotypes… we need to live and be who we are as God created us and learn from one another’s uniqueness. Inside each one of us is embedded something beautiful and something wonderful that God wants to bring to bear in the context of community and our relationships with one another.
Community shouldn’t be a noun used to describe your church it should be a verb that embodies the very essence who your church is.
A big buzz phrase today is, “don’t just do church, be church…” I’d like to add, “don’t say you’re a community, just be one.”
Many churches are far from being communities, they are like country clubs or cliques where you have to act, think, and look the same. That’s not inclusive; that’s exclusive. I believe that the true mark of community is a place where everyone is radically loved and radically accepted. Where differences are celebrated and embraced and where we all strive to learn and grow through the uniqueness of one another’s experiences and our love for Christ.
What would people who attended your church for the first time say about their experience? How would they define your church? How are you at including them, not just welcoming them? Would they say they experienced community being at your church? Is community something that truly defines the essence of your church?
So what’s in a name? A lot.
Don’t say you are a community just be one.
