Biblical community is more about choice than affinity.

What do I mean?

Most of our relationships are based around affinity. We share common interests, similar personality, background, economic level or personality. Not so with true biblical community.

Biblical community is more like family - we are unable to choose our brothers and sisters. As a result our Christian community may look rather different in terms of affinity, background or personality than that which we would naturally choose.

Where most community breaks down in churches is that we maintain a 'small group' superficiality with those who differ, whilst functionally pursuing relational depth with those like us.

Hence my point: biblical community is more choice than affinity.

We have to choose to 'hang out with', 'share life together with' and 'engage in mission with'. Our mindset must be: yes there are many people out there with whom I enjoy relationship or connect with, but I choose to commit myself to this local group of believers. Sometimes even at the expense of my natural affinity group. There must be an intentionality about our choice of community that overrides our personal preference.

This 'choice over affinity' community is counter-cultural and challenging to the average unbeliever. Why should you choose to hang out with and share life with people with whom you do not share a natural affinity? Why would you choose to share life with a group of people with whom it is more difficult or even awkward to get on with?

The answer must be the gospel. It is in the gospel that we see Jesus spending time with, loving, serving and ultimately dying for those who are 'other' than himself. Not only are we given the example of Jesus to follow, but in believing the gospel we are set free to lay down our rights, preferences and affinities in order to serve others.

Through the gospel, God is busy creating a new community where love of God and neighbour win out over personal comfort and preferences - a community where diversity is not merely conceptually embraced but actually experienced in the daily life of the gospel community. It is a community where black and white, rich and poor, male and female, educated and uneducated are called to walk together in the common life of the gospel. This will not happen simply through natural affinity; the gospel frees us to make the kinds of choices which both run counter to our culture and which ultimately begin to change our natural affections.

Anything less than this simply fails to be biblical community.

John Scheepers is one of the leaders of VOX City Church, a new expression of church in the city centre of Cape Town.

If you would like to comment on this blog entry, go to 'Comments' at this bottom of this page.

If you have something burning to say and want to contribute to the Share weekly guest blog, please contact Karen Carter. The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and are not necessarily shared by the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church, Church Army, Fresh Expressions or any of its partners.

A year ago we rented and moved into a big, old house near downtown Tucson. We share food and cars. We take turns cooking. We offer hospitality and do spiritual practices together. Since the beginning we have offered a weekly meal for anyone who wants to come. Mostly because of this, I think, the community now includes members who do not live in the house. Over the last year, hundreds of people have come to eat, work in the garden and participate in the writing groups, films, workshops and parties. To some, the Restoration Project is becoming their spiritual community, a place where people are known and their gifts are recognised and valued. In this context, we can wrestle with questions of faith, all as we walk alongside one another. 

Moments of spiritual ritual have emerged organically. We created a communal piece of public art to remember the 206 migrants who died crossing the Arizona desert last year. We blessed a couple expecting their first child. We created a ritual to stand in solidarity with some of our members who had experienced a traumatic event. For All Saints/All Souls we hosted a potluck where we shared the stories of people we have loved and lost and the food that reminded us of them.

This pioneering stuff hasn't been easy. I don't get paid to do this. When I first stepped out of a traditional church job to cultivate something new, primarily for people who had no spiritual community to call home, some of my colleagues thought I had left the Episcopal Church. Sometimes the Spirit calls us beyond the places institutions are ready to go. 

When I look around at our weekly open meal, I get a glimpse at what the Spirit is stirring. Last night, for instance, we were Latinos, Native peoples, Gringos, students, wanderers, farm workers, lawyers, community organisers, grandparents, writers, nurses, engineers and teachers. We were all hungry. We sat and ate together and shared wine and stories. Everyone belonged and no one went away feeling empty. For a moment the beloved community of God was so real we could taste it.

Rev Kate Bradsen is an Episcopal priest in Tucson, Arizona, USA. She teaches at Imago Dei middle school, a private, tuition free Episcopal school for low income students. She and her partner Carol are among the founders of The Restoration Project community.

If you have something burning to say and want to contribute to the Share weekly guest blog, please contact Karen Carter. The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and are not necessarily shared by the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church, Church Army, Fresh Expressions or any of its partners.

At the heart of the matter is how we have sought to be community and how this journey has led us into a new romance with the God who is by nature community. We have had a new encounter with God as Trinity, not a hierarchical Trinity with God the Father as the CEO, Jesus as middle management and the Spirit on the factory floor, but with the Trinity as the root of radically mutual community ... of the meal table, not the boardroom table!

This is changing how we see and do leadership within communities, where we put the emphasis on the flow of gifting rather than the authority of a title or position. Each of us surrenders our gifts to the community and so each of our gifts, rather than being lost becomes animated from use and spreads through the community. When a prophet is willing to give their insight then all our eyes are opened in new ways; when the artist creates, we all find new ways to express ourselves.

So, how deep are we willing to let this change affect us? How much of our systems and structures are we able to challenge? Can we let a 'ground up' shift impact how we think about every part? Can it change the way we think about leadership, about ordination, about our structures? 

A colleague of mine from Lichfield Diocese, Revd Richard Moy, challenged Synod why it 'locked its trainee clergy away for three years in a place full of other Christians'. I agree. We need to reflect on how we train our leaders, but have we got to go deeper? In this changing world, which will force our church to change, is it time to release leadership, to give it back to communities, to create a new way for sustainability which does not rely on a professional body but on equipping and resourcing communities to lead themselves? 

After a recent visit from our new bishop, one member of safespace said how great it was to share with him as he was not at all 'bishopy'! Is it time to reflect the shift from hierarchy to community, not only on the ground but can we as a church become a community of communities, where we rely on each other, where we support each other and allow the quietest voices to be as significant as the most powerful ones?

Mark Berry, Pioneer Leader, safespace, Telford.

If you have something burning to say and want to contribute to the Share weekly guest blog, please contact Karen Carter. The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and are not necessarily shared by the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church, Church Army, Fresh Expressions or any of its partners.

First, it was clear that fresh expressions' leaders are networkers. They are the nodes in the networks that pass through and make up fresh expressions; reaching out and connecting through local churches, church organisations, schools, friends, families, social networking sites, blogs, websites, leaflets and parish magazines. Publicity is important, but word of mouth seems to be the most powerful tool. The networking is frequently multi-directional, as people connected to other church or social activities are brought into the fresh expression, and those who attend fresh expressions may be encouraged to attend other church or social activities.

Secondly, it became clear that networks were strengthened and embedded by people's desire for community. When asked what they liked about their fresh expression, questionnaire respondents repeatedly commented on the social nature of the expression and the friendships they had formed. As community developed, the members appreciated the way they journeyed together in faith.

Thirdly, it was clear that many respondents appreciated the informality and fluidity of the expression they attended. A relatively unconstrained ecclesiology helped expressions respond to both the call of the Spirit and the spiritual and social needs of those attending. As one leader told me, "Our strategy was just to share values and worship together and teach and see what naturally evolved."

Whilst I only studied six fresh expressions, I would be interested to hear other people's stories. Do these themes ring true? Could and should these ideas be embraced by more traditional forms of church too? Are they fresh models for church growth?

Matt Stone is training for United Reformed Church ministry in the Cambridge Theological Federation, and has recently completed an MA dissertation on whether fresh expressions are 'fishing nets or safety nets?' Matt is a columnist for Reform magazine and blogs here.

If you have something burning to say and want to contribute to the Share weekly guest blog, please contact Beth Keith.

The aim of the site was listed as follows: 'We believe that making the world a better place starts with our own homes and our own streets. These days we are all so busy we know less and less about each other. This site aims to foster a stronger sense of community on our street.'

As God-incidence would have it, I was able to pick up on the big lunch initiative which has been promoted via TV adverts recently and suggest a street party on July 19th. The feedback has been really good, with 11 households responding within two days. Comments received have included: 'A great initiative. I have often thought we were all a bit isolated and incommunicative. So, well.done' and 'Fantastic idea'.  I have found out which householder has been resident  in my road the longest time (50 years) and the names of five families I hadn't even met. I know it is early days but the signs are very encouraging.

On a related issue I set up a private Facebook group for a small faith enquirers' group a local church was running. This has led to some very interesting conversations. One person who didn't say anything much within the group opened up in a big way on the site and we were able to pray specifically for some very serious 'baggage issues' with which they had been struggling for years. The whole experience was liberating and mutually supportive.

Isn't it ironic that the virtual community has led to improved understanding and a stronger desire to be better neighbours in the real community?

David Coleman is Church Army's Communications Manager and is doing his best at the moment to resist a calling to ministry.

But just as God said, 'It is not good for man to be alone', it might also be true to say that 'It is not good for evangelists to be alone'. Indeed, there is a page on Share about this very subject: God works through communities, which urges that 'Communities should be at the heart of mission'.

I am a trained evangelist and I confess that I have done my share of lone evangelism. Talks at school assemblies. Parachuting into mission situations to 'do my thing' then parachuting out again. Hospital or door-to-door visiting. That sort of thing.

So I am attracted to this idea that the life of a community shows God to the world, rather than any individual. As the hymn goes: 'They shall know we are Christians by our love'. In a society where there is so much distrust for words, our relationships could speak volumes.

But how does this work in practice? How exactly can a community be evangelistic? Does this mean you now have lots of people on that street corner handing out tracts? Does your Christian community try and stand on that soapbox at Speakers' Corner – bit of a tight fit. And do you appear together on that stage at the evangelistic rally, all talking at once?

I'm exaggerating, but the gist of my question is: if our community is to be evangelistic, how can it be lived out in public in full sight of people outside the community? How can we stop our community becoming closed and cliquey, happening behind locked doors purely for our own benefit?

I know of a group of Christians in Sheffield who meet each week in a pub for Bible study and prayer. They could have booked a function room, but instead they meet round a table in the main drinking area in full view of everyone. Over the months and years, this has led to trust and respect from the regulars, and lots of conversations.

Also, what implication does this way of thinking have on our churches? Traditionally, they have equipped individuals to do evangelism. If they sent out communities to do evangelism, would these communities form the core of new congregations? As it says in God works through communities: 'Instead of "Sunday" church being about sending individuals into the world from Monday to Saturday, fresh expressions can be understood as the sending of tiny communities into the world.'

Maybe you disagree, or have some practical advice from your own experience that you would like to Share with myself and others. If so, a comment left at the end of this blog, or on the page God works through communities, would be much appreciated!