What would transformational community look like for you? To put it in a text message version: What would TC4u look like? This is the question we seek to answer in working out the second global priority: Each worker/leader will relate in a community where he/she experiences teaching, repentance, and new patterns of biblical living.
Dick Scoggins, who spoke at Mission11 Europe last summer, has written extensively on this subject in the context of establishing new communities of believers (www.dickscoggins.com). There are many others who have written about transformational or apostolic communities as well.
However, we need to describe anew what we (World Team) mean by community. In the next few weeks, I will be launching a working group to look into this topic and come back to me with recommendations and applications for us as a WT community.
Our desire is to train one another to live out in tangible ways the truth that: “The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.”
Next post: Are you joining in the discussion?
Filed under: Church planting, Community |
Thoughts Along The Journey 
Scoggin’s missive, GERMINATING TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES can be found at http://www.dickscoggins.com/page383.html Some might more appreciate Dick’s short video teaching clips; http://www.kingdompioneers.com/videodnr?category=6
David, I am pleased to hear about the working group, because I do agree that community is the context in which we give and receive strength and joy. However, I think the group should wrestle with two issues. One, what about those workers who are in contexts where living in community is challenging due to a limited number of believers in the area? For example, if there are only 3-5 workers and they already spend a significant amount of time together, then where will each of these 3-5 go for aspects of communal life they need but may not get from the others in this small group?
Two, how do we help workers who may agree with you in principle, or based on the Word, or give mental assent to “the physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer,” but who have experienced the opposite? I think many of us emerge from backgrounds in which Christian community was anything but a joy! It was painful, ripe with conflict, hurtful. How do we help one another heal and deal with the roots of bitterness or anger that leads to rage, or sadness and hopelessness that wonders if such a thing as authentic Christian community even exists?
Grace & Peace,
Mark
Once again Mark, you have hit the proverbial ‘nail on the head’ as we might say. These are excellent questions and the kind of stuff I want this group to wrestle with. I do think that we will wrestle with this for some time, even when we start these communities. Your input is invaluable!