Kelly's Corner: Building Community
- Kelly Rader
- Mar 14, 2016
- 2 min read
You’ve most likely heard the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” I’d like to propose that within a church context, it could be said, “It takes a Christian community, to raise a mature Christian.”
Community doesn’t magically happen when people with common interests and beliefs meet together. Rather, community happens when individuals look beyond themselves to the needs and concerns of others, when individuals bring their “whole self” to the table, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. We see biblical examples of teaching community living for example Paul’s writing to the Romans and teaching about community and building up one another. Community happens when I come as I am, and you come as you are, and we each bring our individual spiritual gifts and giftings to the table, and use these gifts to build one another up and do life together.
All the spiritual gifts are vital, and play a significant role in our spiritual formation. The following spiritual gifts listed are taken from our Gifted & Called seminar. You can find spiritual gifts addressed in the Bible in 1 Cor. 12: 7-11, Romans 12: 6-8 and Ephesians 4: 11. For example, doing life together will require the gift of mercy, so we can empathize with one another, and bear one another’s burdens; the gift of hospitality, to help others feel welcome and included; the gift of encouragement, to spur one another on, not to give up.
Life together, community, is going to involve service, which we are called to be both giver and receiver. Community will involve teaching, as we are called to better understand and live out the truths of our faith. It will involve trust, as we need others to believe in faith, that the big mountains in our lives can be moved.
Community requires intercession, prayer warriors praying on behalf of the church. Givers are needed, to support ministries and church staff so community can happen. Those with gifts of evangelism are needed to invite others into our Christian community, to do life with us. The gift of discernment brings us wisdom, for our life choices and decisions. Administration brings structure so ministries can function effectively within our community. The gift of creativity, as those with artistic bent, touch our hearts through artistic expression as only that gift can, and prophecy, which challenges us to live God’s truth no matter how difficult life may be. Each gift plays an important role in our spiritual growth.
God made no mistake in equipping the Church with spiritual gifts. He knew exactly what the Church needed. God knew we needed each specific gift, and that these gifts functioning together, form a healthy body. God knew that we are better together, created for relationship, and that no one was made to do life alone.
The next time you are tempted to skip church, avoid fellowship, or downplay your significance or your spiritual gifts, please remember that God created us to live alongside one another. We are so much stronger together than apart. You need the church community, and the church community needs you.
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