Building COMMUNITY

Are the bikers competing against each other, or helping one another? They are helping each other cover more ground at a higher rate of speed with the least amount of energy by using a cycling technique called "drafting."  

Drafting is used to reduce wind resistance.  Any time a biker is riding very close behind another, that biker conserves energy, especially at higher speeds.  As these bikers continually take turns in the lead position, they are able to help each other to go further while individually using less energy.

Building Community vs. Gathering a Crowd

We need to practice the principle of "drafting" within the community of faith. Jesus didn't come to gather a crowd of admirers or to create an elite association of spiritual giants.  He came to build a community of believers.  Even though large crowds often gathered when Jesus came to town, he devoted the greater portion of his time and energy to pouring his life into a handful of curious people who were willing to be formed into a community of faithful followers.

So how are we doing at this "Community" thing?  The truth is, Church looks more like a Sunday spectator sport than a community of faithful followers.  Last Sunday about 53,400,000 Americans "went to church" (17.4% of the population).  Of that number, most sat and watched as a comparatively small number of preachers, musicians, and worship leaders performed for them.

Church as we know it functions more like an NFL Sunday event than a New Testament gathering of believers... except that the NFL is attracting more and more people and the church is losing more and more people.

Building a Community of Faith

Good ideas are almost always God ideas.  Successful designers, innovators, educators and entrepreneurs often succeed because, usually without knowing it, they make use of ideas and principles that are rooted in the scriptures. For instance, one of the hottest topics in the business community right now is the priority given to "building community."


I recently came across a business blog that offers these suggestions about how to effectively build community:

1. Every member must contribute fully, 100%, in order to be part of the community.

2. Know the difference between the community and the crowd.  A community of people committed to a common purpose can change the world.  A crowd of people usually only buys a ticket so they can sit and watch.

3. Every member of the community needs to look out for every other member of the community. 

Jeff Power, who works in Africa through Global Hope Network International has this to say about community:

If every member of the village doesn’t look out for the others in the village, the village will become no more. Taking care of your village (community) is not a matter of maximizing your return, it’s a matter of survival. 

When the community of faith becomes fully devoted to fulfilling the mission of Jesus, we long to do more than get together for an hour or two on Sunday.  We want to bring help and hope to those who are hidden and hurting... across the street and all around the world.