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When I pulled into the parking lot at church this morning with my two small boys, I was met with helping hands and asked how my husband is doing as he recovers from back surgery. The familiar faces multiplied as the morning continued and I found myself repeating much of what I'd shared moments earlier. This is one way I would define Christian Community: a family of believers who spend time with, pray for and, as the need arises, physically help each other. It is not Marketable or slogan-able. When leadership attempts to define a church body that is not already an active part of each other's lives, it only becomes more obvious that this is where their weaknesses lie.

Christian Community cannot be manufactured in or outside of church. Small fellowship groups and events can certainly foster the growth of a Christian community, but it is the individual who makes the decision to get to know another individual or individuals better. There was no power sermon that inspired anyone to move out of their comfort zone to greet me this morning. Those power sermons, as I like to call them, typically motivate people just long enough to make plans for lunch. If, however, someone takes the NEXT step to build a relationship with the person whose name they just learned, then the power sermon was probably worth its ink on paper. But, that's a rarity.

Relationships take time. The strong sense of community in my church was the result of our getting to know people over only 3 years. One Sunday after the next, my husband and I learned more names and signed up for more activities in order to spend time with them. I'll admit that takes some effort. But after the initial effort is made, spending time with people at church is like spending time with family. My boys stay with a friend from church every day while I work part-time. She provides educational activity for them as she home-schools her 4 children and gives countless hugs and kisses. My friend and I got to know each other well before my first pregnancy and I would have no idea what I'd missed out on had they not invited us to their home for lunch one afternoon. In contrast, I had been attending a church for over 30 years and hadn't built a sense of community on quite that same level. I'd see probably 3 close friends, a handful of acquaintances and a multitude of strangers each Sunday. That is not what I call true Christian community. Christian church "corporations", on the other hand, can be found all across America.

Learn more about this author, Marcy Yarbrough.
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