Thoughts about community in the Post-Modern Congregationalist church

While discussing how to solve all the problems of the world with Jason Shaver, a discussion arose as to the development of individuality in our modern churches. We discussed several "rights" to which Christians feel they are entitled in our current environment.

The first was the right to have one's opinion be heard. In our democratically run churches, we focus on everyone having the right to speak their mind on decisions at hand. However, is this really reflective of New Testament teachings of younger people looking to the elders (the pastors, thus shepherds) of the local body for direction? I feel like I myself have a sense of individualism that at time I should "boldly go where no Baptist tradition has gone before." While young people are told not be looked down on for their age, there is a sense of dependence on the wisdom and guidance of others that may be missing from our churches.

The second was the right to live for the good of one's self rather than the good of the local community or church. Today we base our decisions so much on how we can do the best for ourselves with what we are given. We may look out for the best of those dependent upon us by blood or close friendship ties, but do we really sacrifice our goals and aspirations for the good of the person who sits at the other end of the pew whose name we do not even know. What ever happened to "Love your neighbor as yourself....?"

The third was the right to be dependent only on our self-dependence rather than upon God and others. This ties closely into the right to live for the good of one's self. In the US, we are dictated from a young age that we must prove that we can do things on our own. God never asks us to do things on own but rather asks us to be willing instruments of His peace. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," not through my sheer will power or brash determination. We are all part of one body. The eye can't tell the hand, "I don't need you." We do need every part of the body to do our best for the good of the church and the community.

The fourth was the right to privacy. This right is held dearly by Christians. Many Christians know they are hypocrites, in that their integrity is not pure. They hold out on a personal sin life for which they are not held accountable. When Christians allow themselves to be humble (or humbled), strongholds can be broken, not on their own strength but through God's strength working through fellow Christians around them.

These four concepts are very hard to swallow in light of the ego-centrism that permeates even our churches today. We often come to church saying, "What will I get out of being here today?" How often do we come to church saying, "God, how can you use me to work for the good of those around me today who love You and are called according to Your purpose?" Even worse, how often do we come to church saying, "God, how can I be humble enough to let those around me into my personal life enough that you can use them to make me a better person for Your glory, not mine?"

We talked about the fad of book studies in Baptist and Christian churches right now and our fear of a focus on programs, especially commercialized ones. We were in a Bible study in college that went through Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. We felt that it was a good study, but again it was a program, not an end unto itself. I mentioned the idea that, given the fact that we accept that there must be a crisis of belief before change happens, we must go the step further in these Bible studies. We must ask, "OK, what is your crisis of belief right now?" and then be able to answer that question honestly. If the answer is "My crisis of belief is not understanding how to act around and interact with other Christians to develop positive relationships," we must be humble enough to be able to say that to the Christian around us, so that God can use them to help us with this problem. Given the fact that we need to meet God where He is working and join Him rather than doing our own thing and hoping He blesses it, we need to ask, "Where is God working around you? What evidence do you see of His interaction of your current situations?" If the answer is "I need to change my leisure activities so that I can maintain the integrity God asks of me," we need to be able to voice that in the Bible study setting. We have to have enough trust in Christians around us to let them be part of what we depend on.

All of these issues revolve around one central theme: choosing to sacrifice "me, myself, and I" for the betterment of myself in the community and the church. This must be a voluntary, heart-driven choice rather than a forced, programmatic response. Soviet communism did not work because there was not heart in the work. People were paid equally regardless of the amount they worked, so eventually they quit trying to be better. Christian community is focussed on choosing to give up one's own perceived rights, so that each part of the body can work to their best ability for the good of the whole.