MAKING AN IMPACT: Community

For a summary of what I’m hoping to accomplish in this blog series (in the third week of every month of 2018), I recommend reviewing my explanation here.

Let’s talk about the value of community.

Like last month’s post on character, this is another one of those buzzwords I don’t think too many people are going to disagree with. We might call it relationships or fellowship or community, but we all value people, don’t we?

We might know that it’s important, but I think truly valuing community in our world is incredibly tricky business. Relationships are difficult and messy. There are a lot of things that must get done. In order to truly value community, it’s going to take more than just lip service. It’s going to take a hefty reorganization of our priorities. It means relationships are going to have to take precedent over productivity, consumerism, and busyness.

On one hand, I am deeply committed to the value of community. I have long treatises about the theological and ecclesiological importance of community. Anybody who has participated in my BEMA study or been able to participate in one of our trips to Israel and Turkey will know that “community” is one of my “four pillars” and a major tenet of what I want every participant to take home. I run around the desert and throw my hat as I critique our commitments to true community and caring for each other.

And yet, I think this may be the ICM value I am challenged by the most. To be honest, I like community when it’s on my terms. I like relationships when I get to call the shots. I like the idea when it is convenient and not messy.

Don’t we all?

This value at Impact Campus Ministries does not speak of the buzzword or shallow commitment to relationships. This value is not on our vision posters for the times it is convenient, tidy, and on our own terms. The value of community is stated for all of those times when it is none of these things.

This value says that we will be there for one another when we need help — any kind of help.

This value says that we will prioritize relationship over rightness.

This value says that we will try to work together whenever possible.

This value says that we will avoid working apart because it is easier or more expedient.

This value says that we will care not about what you can do, but who you are.

This value says that we are not human doings, but human beings.

This value says that we will care about the whole self.

This value says that we are going to fight for your place in the family.

This value says a lot. I have not always lived up to this value well or modeled it to our staff the way that I ought.

Ironically, I have found that the healthiest way for me to hold myself accountable and grow in this area is to make sure I’m surrounded by other members of the family. Ironic, but not counter-intuitive.

I want to become better at community. I have places where I have planted my flag and grown in the last decade of my life. I can say with confidence that I am much, much better at community today than I have been in the past. I could not say with confidence that my life is a beacon for the value of community.

And for this reason, I want to continue to grow and value this more. Will you grow with me?