Everyday Church is a great-read, both on what it looks like to live as a community feeding one another with the gospel and building “mission” into the normal day-to-day experiences in life, rather than it being an extra add-on we do. Here are a couple helpful quotes on what it means to be an intentional community.
“It is hard for us to grasp the significance of this community identity, because we live in a radically individualistic culture. We bring this worldview with us into the church so that it shapes our understanding of the gospel. So we have a loose connection with Christians on Sunday, but then largely we go back to living our everyday lives on our own. No wonder we struggle to thrive. Our faith is animated on Sunday mornings as we sing God’s praise and hear his Word. But it limps along during the week when we live apart from the body of Christ.”
“What forms and sustains Christian community is, perhaps paradoxically, not a commitment to community per se but a commitment to the gospel Word. Sometimes people place a big emphasis on the importance of community and neglect the gospel Word. Community then becomes a goal toward which we work…It is only the Word of that creates an enduring community life and love.”
5 principles of community-based, gospel-centered, mutual care.
1. We pastor one another in everyday life.
2. We pastor one another in community.
3. We pastor one another over a lifetime.
4. We pastor one another with grace.
5. We pastor one another with the good news.
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