I've been pondering the word and concept "community" this morning. It's definitely one of the buzz-words in the church these days. Not to say that buzz-words are wrong - they often flow out of what God is teaching us as His church.

But I sometimes wonder if we don't take the concept of community too far - or perhaps not far enough.

Not long ago I blogged about the Vancouver War College students going on summer placements, and just as a tag line to that blog, I wrote the words, "Community is not bound by the borders of our corps." (In the Salvation Army, local congregations are called corps.) I really believe that this is true. Or rather, I really believe that this should be true.

I'm not sure that it is.

As a follow-up to the call to be counter-culture, I want to throw it out there that we are ONE church. ONE body. Does it get even messier to try and execute community in this way? Yup. (Of course!) Is it worth it? A better question is: Isn't it what we are supposed to be?

What holds us back? Fear of losing numbers in our congregations? No problem - counter-culture tells us that numbers don't matter - obedience to the call of God matters. Fear that all our leaders will go elsewhere? No problem - we believe in the priesthood of all believers and our High King is our ultimate leader. Fear that we won't be able to tell "who's from where" anymore? AMEN - SO BE IT.

Here's the common factor - FEAR. But we have not been given a spirit of fear, but of adoption as sons (and daughters). With ONE Father - ONE Lord, over all and in all and through all. This does not negate the different parts we are all to play, but even in those parts, we are still called to be ONE BODY.

May we not be able to be defined as coming from this congregation or that one, from this denomination or that one. May we simply be "those crazy Christians" who call everywhere home and everyone community.


'For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"' (Romans 8:15)

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

"There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:4-6)