Convince me that church is part of the package?

This video clip lasts 10 minutes but is well worth watching because it covers a lot of ground. The themes are listed under the following headings:

The community of those who follow Jesus and support each other on the way
The community of challenge
The community of action
The community of the future

God has created us to be in relationships and church is part of that. One speaker on the video comments that actually true humanity is only found in community. The fact that we express the desire to live a solitary life of faith shows the way in which Western individualism has impacted our lives – and actually impoverished them.

Christianity emerged from the Middle East and became established in a variety of cultures around the Mediterranean. In each of these cultures it remained resolutely communal. Yes, we need to have a personal faith but we also need meaningful connection to others who share that faith. In the Gospels, Jesus gathered a group of disciples and empowered them as a group. As the story developed in the rest of the New Testament it was always focused on communities of God’s people. Even those called to wander between communities, such as Paul the apostle, deeply valued the mutual support of those communities whenever possible.

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Six Big Questions Rev John Hibberd sixbigquestions@throughfaithmissions.org