How to build community

One thing that was very important to us while we were starting our church was building the right community. We knew we wanted not just an attractive and vibrant community, but more importantly, we wanted a Godly community. Of course, no community is perfect, but our community should be Godly. A Godly community is the most effective community. 

"A Community founded & based on Jesus, His love, His salvation, His truth, and His power will not be a perfect one but will make great impact in the lives in it and around it."

What are some things we should look for when establishing a community or even looking to be a part of a community? To find this answer, I began to look to the early church. Without question, the early church was EFFECTIVE. Again, not perfect, but effective. We find four things in the book of Acts that were committed to and focused on by the early church. 

Acts 2:40-472(MSG)

40 He went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, "Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!" 41-42 That day, about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. 

They were committed to "teaching, life together. the common meal, and the prayers". How can we break this down to follow practically? 

1. Teaching - Spiritual growth. Commitment to the WORD of God. 

2. Life Together - Openness, forgiveness, vulnerability. They became...family. 

3. Common Meal - This was another term for communion. They consistently reminded themselves what Jesus had done for them. They did this by often taking communion together. 

4. Prayer - They committed to being people of Prayer. We know that when we pray, it changes things! They were most effective because they were committed to Prayer. 

I believe that these four attributes are vital to starting or building any Godly community. Even in our time as lead pastors, we are still learning this and growing this kind of community. ITs not always easy, and you will make mistakes on the way. However, these are common things that should be focused on while establishing community. 

I know that it's easy to want to start with flashy and expensive things. We often want to jump ten steps ahead into the vision God gave us. But if we will take the time to build the proper foundation, then when we do grow into our vision, our foundation will support the growth. A friend of mine says it this way, "I would rather build strong than build fast." So take the time to establish these foundational traits in your Godly community. 

Teaching. Life-Together. The Common Meal. Prayer.