How to Entertain Thousands (?)
Authentic Community. Those are the latest buzz words circling around my church as we try to develop, what we hope, to be the first successful "singles" ministry in the history of the Christian church. We all know there are plenty of sources of community out there available to single folk, like the bars and e-harmony, but truly how many of those sources are authentic? It really is a challenge to sit through long meetings with people of all ages with all kinds of opinions and baggage and try to figure out in which way we can satiate the need for the hundreds, possibly a couple of thousand single people who call that church home. People who are seeking out, not just a community, but one that is authentic and exceptional to what they may find at a bar or on-line. (Yes I go, at times regretfully and at other times thankfully, to what could be coined officially now a "mega-church").
These extensive meetings have got me digesting what is considered to be authentic community in my life and what is just plain ole' community. So far I have come to the determination that everything is to some degree my community. The levels of authenticity, however, varies in many ways. For instance, there's my community at work. I can always count on the fact that at some point during my shift, I will laugh. My community there is hysterical and I never ceased to be entertained by the daily interactions with the people who, at the end of the day, I probably spend the most consecutive hours with on a consistent basis. I also have my on-line community according to myspace that is currently 197,678,629, of which only 138 might even come close to any degree of authenticity, and one of my closest to authentic communities that is the two people in my life who I would consider to be my "best friends." Even though I have little or no direct interaction with these two girls regularly because of geography, they certainly are among the people who know me best. But then again I don't know that "knowing me" well is what would determine the authenticity of my community anymore than "making me laugh" would. Part of knowing me well is knowing all aspects of me and there is always community of my family, both immediate and extended which is certainly one that I would consider authentic because of how much we care and love, but not necessarily people who I would rank all of the guys I've made out with in the same way I would with, say the community of my roommates who know that context of my life the best. I'm not really sure which to be more authentic, but I have a feeling that how well a person "knows me" isn't necessarily the best indicator of authenticity of the relationship.
So I realize that I don't have the answers to what would make a successful community at my home church because inevitably, someones needs will not be met no matter what we decide. Someones (maybe 50 someones) feelings will get hurt or they wont agree with the way things are being run. I would say that it would be easier if I went to a smaller church, but I'm someone who has be burned by a smaller church in the past so I know that numbers really has little to do with the success of a community. Knowing each other, making each other laugh, and loving each other all really don't provide clear cut solutions either, so what is it that makes a group of people feel like the community that they are in is worthwhile and truly authentic?
These extensive meetings have got me digesting what is considered to be authentic community in my life and what is just plain ole' community. So far I have come to the determination that everything is to some degree my community. The levels of authenticity, however, varies in many ways. For instance, there's my community at work. I can always count on the fact that at some point during my shift, I will laugh. My community there is hysterical and I never ceased to be entertained by the daily interactions with the people who, at the end of the day, I probably spend the most consecutive hours with on a consistent basis. I also have my on-line community according to myspace that is currently 197,678,629, of which only 138 might even come close to any degree of authenticity, and one of my closest to authentic communities that is the two people in my life who I would consider to be my "best friends." Even though I have little or no direct interaction with these two girls regularly because of geography, they certainly are among the people who know me best. But then again I don't know that "knowing me" well is what would determine the authenticity of my community anymore than "making me laugh" would. Part of knowing me well is knowing all aspects of me and there is always community of my family, both immediate and extended which is certainly one that I would consider authentic because of how much we care and love, but not necessarily people who I would rank all of the guys I've made out with in the same way I would with, say the community of my roommates who know that context of my life the best. I'm not really sure which to be more authentic, but I have a feeling that how well a person "knows me" isn't necessarily the best indicator of authenticity of the relationship.
So I realize that I don't have the answers to what would make a successful community at my home church because inevitably, someones needs will not be met no matter what we decide. Someones (maybe 50 someones) feelings will get hurt or they wont agree with the way things are being run. I would say that it would be easier if I went to a smaller church, but I'm someone who has be burned by a smaller church in the past so I know that numbers really has little to do with the success of a community. Knowing each other, making each other laugh, and loving each other all really don't provide clear cut solutions either, so what is it that makes a group of people feel like the community that they are in is worthwhile and truly authentic?
posted by carlymarie | 3:53 PM
1 Comments:
Knowing each other, making each other laugh, and loving each other all really don't provide clear cut solutions either, so what is it that makes a group of people feel like the community that they are in is worthwhile and truly authentic?
Have you considered a community that believes in the innate superiority of its own belief systems, administrative design, and philosophies on community?
Maybe that's too negative but the tightest way to bind people together is to make them believe that they're better than everyone else and even that they're under siege from everyone else.
Let me know if you find a more effective method. ;)
Post a Comment
<< Home