Community - Redemption North Mountain

What is community?

Simply Said

Our current landscape

Dr. Robert Bellah says the defining trait of America is “radical individualism”. This mixed with the reality that “self-imposed solitude might just be the most important social fact of the 21st century”* has resulted in America’s “epidemic of loneliness and isolation”**. The current of culture is not and will not naturally push us toward deep connectedness with our neighbors around us. Whether we notice it through the glowing screens of those standing next to us, through the disappearing of the front lawn, or the emphasis on at-home entertainment, we have this feeling sense that we are more disconnected as people than we once were. This has directly impacted the church.

* The Anti-Social Century, Derek Thompson,
** Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, U.S. General Surgeon

A different option

In God’s perfect wisdom, he has set up a way for followers of Jesus and others to fight the isolation of the world: the local church. The local church is the place we are invited to enter a countercultural community of people that have the mutual desire to shape all of life all for Jesus. The local church is the place that our faith gets worked out. The local church is the place that we receive and give love for God and our neighbor.

The key to community

The importance of community

Reflecting God | “Humans are fundamentally relational, reflecting the relational nature of our triune God.”*

Our Purpose | “We are designed for and defined by our relationships.”** Our purpose, our pursuit of Jesus, and our life is lived out in relationship with others.

Becoming | We become who we are around. If we want to shape our life in the way of Jesus, we must surround ourselves with others who pursue the same.

*Relational Spirituality, Todd Hall
** The Relational soul, James Cofield and Richard Plass

How do we embrace this practice?

initial reflection

Take time to look back, reflect, and pray about those who have crossed paths with you in your life. Reflect on the good and the poor relationships that have shaped us. Pray through this list of people.

People who have blessed you because of their presence in your life.

People you have blessed through your presence in their lives.

People who have hurt you because of their presence in your life.

People you have hurt because of your presence in their lives.

relational inventory

Spend time in prayer and reflection to sense your current ties to money.

Relational Tiers

British anthropologist Robin Dunbar’s theory on the number of relationships we have the capacity for resonates with reality. We have a small capacity for ‘loved ones’, or ‘those who know our secrets’: 5 people. We have a larger capacity for those we have good friendships with, or ‘those I spend the most time with’: 15 people. Then we have a number of those in our larger community, or ‘those I know the name of’: 150 people. Then we have big communities or organizations we are part of: 150+ people.

Relational Roles

relational PRACTICES

Rhythyms

Find creative rhythms to connect with people around you. Here are some ideas:

One Meal with Others | Everyone has to eat, so find others to join you. This might be time with family, a coworker, a friend, or a fellow church member.

Daily Time with Phone Off | Set a specific time each day to have the phone completely off or away. Create space to be completely present with others or in silence with yourself.

Time in Conversation | Call someone. Grab a cup of coffee. Or invite someone over. Spend as little as a couple minutes or as much as an hour in good conversation.

10 Min of Encouragement | Set a timer: 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, etc. Choose a time and spend that time texting encouragement to those who have blessed you in life.

Letter Writing | Writing slows us down. Also, rarely do we get a handwritten letter from anyone these days. Bless someone’s day by connecting through writing to them.

Prayer List | Our prayers come to life when we focus on others. Start small, but begin a list of names and prayer requests to pray for the good of others. Allow others to do the same for you.

Confession | We all need someone to know our secrets, to remind us of our freedom in Jesus, and to encourage us toward a future of freedom. Choose someone you trust and share as vulnerably as you can the sins you need to release from the dark.

Disciplines In Relationship

Look through our 7 other practices: Sabbath, Vocation, Scripture, Simplicity, Fasting, Generosity, and Hospitality. Find others and create ways to practice these together. Go through the resources to find ways to sabbath or read scripture with each other. Maybe try simplicity and have a communal yard sale. Maybe practice generosity and raise money with a group of people for a project at the church. Whatever you do, the hope is to see that these practices come to life in community.

Make a commitment

Sunday Mornings

Baptism

Becoming a church member

Serving

Serving in church provides a way to connect with people and to make the church environment not just a place that you receive and connect, but a place that you also contribute to.

Redemption Communities

Ministry Spaces + Events

Join one of our ministry spaces to connect with others from our church (Men’s, Women’s, Local, etc).

community worksheet

The goal of this worksheet is to give reflection and direction for your relational commitments. For community to impact us, we must make a commitment to receive from and give to others. This packet will give you reflection and some creative ideas on how to live in community.

additional resources

If you want to know more about the practice of community, here is a compiled list of helpful resources. Because this list has many options, it can feel intimidating on where to start. Our encouragement is to just start somewhere. Pick one that seems appealing and start there.

Books

Movies

Teaching + Articles