I recently participated in a two-year cohort with the Transforming Center, a leadership journey attending to the health of our souls as we work to transform communities. The first quarter of our program focused on identifying and redeeming our God-given desires.
In my times of prayer, one desire that surfaced was for community. It wasn’t simply a desire to be part of a pickleball team or a fantasy football league. I wanted more than simply coming together for a common cause or shared interest. I yearned for connection based on a shared desire to seek God, being transformed and available to God on behalf of others. I desired to be “real” with “real people” who would keep me accountable and challenge me to grow. To my surprise, when my cohort returned three months later, most people shared the same desire for connection and authenticity.
This desire for community and deep connection is not limited to Christians. It’s one that all humanity shares, transcending generations, genders and ethnicities.
Being part of a community focused on Jesus and infused with the Spirit is an antidote for our hurting and troubled world.
An Anabaptist community
As those who arrange our lives and ministries to reflect the Anabaptist value that “community is the center of our lives,” we acknowledge that we are defined and refined within the context of community.
God himself exists within a community and is at work creating a people to share in that with him. God’s purpose, starting with Adam and Eve and continuing through the church today, is to create a people who participate with the Godhead—Father, Son and Spirit—in community.
This community we seek already exists in Christ (Col. 1:15-20). Being people in relationship with God and one another for the sake of others is the very heartbeat of God.
What does an Anabaptist community look like?
Community is the place where we are challenged, inspired, encouraged and changed. The gospel of Mark contains a brief story that paints a beautiful picture of this type of community.
Community exists for the sake of others
Mark 2:3—“Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.”
The story begins with a group of five friends, one of whom has something happening in his body that is inhibiting him from getting to Jesus. The Bible does not elaborate on the relationship among these friends, but we can surmise that they knew each other’s needs and wanted to see the best for each person.
As Anabaptists, we know that our greatest transformation happens as we walk alongside others. A characteristic of an Anabaptist community is one that gathers frequently for the purpose of sharing life, experiencing fellowship, participating in forgiveness and encouraging one another to stay-the-course and follow Jesus.
The friends in this story may not have been in an official small group, but they knew the others’ needs, loved one another and made sacrifices for each other.
Consider: Life is hard. We get hit by sickness, disease and disappointment. So often we become weary from life and too exhausted to hope. How are you held and supported by companions? Do you have people who bring you to Jesus?
Community discerns God’s will together
Mark 2:4—“Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.”
Repeatedly in the gospel of Mark, “the crowd” is an antagonist to the kingdom of God. After carrying their friend to see Jesus, they discover the house is so full they cannot enter; they are blocked by the crowd. Tending to the needs and crises of our brothers and sisters is not always an easy task and often requires additional effort. Through persistence and creative thinking, the friends crafted a Plan B, which required collaboration and manual labor.
What do you think their conversation sounded like when they realized, after hauling their friend this far, they could not get in? I wonder what leadership and personality styles presented themselves. I wonder how they arrived at their ultimate decision to climb onto the roof, dig a hole and create a pulley system to carefully lower their friend before Jesus. I imagine it was a lot of discussing, listening and working together. One man alone could not have done this task. It took wisdom and teamwork.
Anabaptist communities know that giving and receiving counsel from one another through hermeneutical (i.e., the interpretive) reading of Scripture under the inspiration of the Spirit in the context of community are keys to discerning the will of God. Fulfilling our mission as individual and corporate communities requires cooperation and hard work. Discerning the will of God is a delicate process of listening and preferring one another, knowing our primary calling is to love God and love others.
Consider: We all know it’s easier to make decisions alone. While being the boss of our lives may keep things simple, it blocks us from the wisdom, experience and love of others. Have you ever made a decision independently and later wished you had asked for advice or counsel? How different do decisions feel when you’ve spent time seeking insight and guidance from faith companions compared to deciding on your own?
Community is centered on Jesus
Mark 2:5—“When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”
The friends successfully brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus. Notice it is not the faith of the paralyzed man that catches Jesus’ eye, but the faith of his friends. These men had heard about Jesus’ healings and risked their time, energy and even their reputations. They demonstrated their belief that Jesus could and would heal their friend.
In his book, “Life Together,” Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ.” Jesus is central to our communities and our lives. Whether we’re gathering to read scripture or simply enjoy a meal, Anabaptists are keenly aware that we are ambassadors of Christ and, as such, are the incarnate presence of Christ himself wherever we go.
In all our decisions and in all our lives, we are always coming back to Jesus. As Anabaptists, we truly believe that all roads lead to the feet of Jesus, our Savior and our Lord.
Consider: How is your life arranged toward Jesus? Do all roads lead to him, or do parts of your life bypass him altogether?
In our age of asynchronous learning and online worship, “…let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:24-25).
In our gathering and our living, may we continue to discern God’s will together, listen to the story of others and join together at the feet of Jesus.
Connie Nicholson is the congregational pastor of Faith Community, a congregation of Butler Church in Fresno, California.
