In 2006, I was very blessed to have a three-month sabbatical break from my church duties. One of the wonderful opportunities that a sabbatical offers is being able to study a topic in depth and the area I decided to look at was early monasticism – I was particularly interested in what a local church could learn from the days when the monasteries and convents were the major centres for Christian learning and mission.
I came to the conclusion that there were some important lessons to be drawn, probably the most important of which was that, in the monastic life, the emphasis was upon serving the Lord together as a community, not upon individuals going off to do their own thing. Everything – pastoral work, evangelism, worship and teaching – was undertaken by teams of men and women, the gifts that God had given to them complementing one another. The monastery was a centre, a hub, from which these teams went out to minister to the people in a whole multitude of ways.
So, when I first came across the seven signs of a healthy church at the church awayday, I was fascinated to discover that the fifth sign of a healthy church is that it operates as … a community! As we consider this a little more closely this morning, I’d like us to keep in mind the monastery idea.
“Healthy churches are communities and operate as such rather than as a club, or religious organisation” – so says Robert Warren, author of ‘The Healthy Churches’ Handbook.’ The focus of a community should, first and foremost, be to build and develop good personal relationships; whereas, an organisation will undoubtedly have other priorities and, by its very nature, is usually more impersonal and controlling. A church that acts as a community is better at relating to people - and, for many, is a more attractive proposition - than a church that styles itself as an organisation. Whereas smaller churches are naturally suited to being communities, larger ones can often feel more like organisations. The larger churches that thrive tend to have a flourishing small group structure that encourages and promotes a sense of community.
But what sort of ‘community’ might the local church be? I think that the New Testament gives some good indications.
First of all, the healthy church is …
a community of fellowship
To some extent, the two words ‘community’ and ‘fellowship’ have similar meanings, but I think that there is a richness to the word ‘fellowship’ that needs to be explored further.
The meaning of ‘fellowship’ is – for me – summed up by some of the ‘one another’ sayings of the New Testament. So, for example, the Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Roman Christians:
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves.” (Rom. 12:10)
And, in 1 Thessalonians, he writes:
“Encourage one another and build each other up.” (1 Thess. 5:11)
And, of course, as we heard in our first reading, the Apostle John urges the recipients of his letter:
“Let us love one another, for love comes from God.” (1 John 4:7)
You see, ‘fellowship’ is all about nurturing relationships, all about encouraging one another, all about making people feel valued. It’s about being willing to serve one another and to use the gifts that God has given each of us for the well-being and building up of others.
If a church does not have this sense of fellowship, then it is not really a community at all, but merely a group of individuals that gather for for their own individual purposes, with their own individual agendas.
In that short reading from chapter 4 of the Book of Acts, we find the most wonderful sense of fellowship amongst the early believers. It says:
“All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. … There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.”
Those first believers in Jesus Christ put this notion of fellowship into practice in radical ways, with the result that they all felt valued and able to contribute – they truly were united in heart and mind. And, possibly most importantly, their faith was strengthened.
May we at Barnstaple Baptist Church enjoy this sense of fellowship here amongst us and love one another, as God has loved us.
The second feature of a healthy church is that it is …
a community of welcome
I have always been of the opinion that the people who meet and greet people at the front door of the church on Sunday mornings and evenings are most significant. They are the first point of contact that visitors have with the church and, often, first impressions count. When people receive a warm welcome on the door and from those inside the main part of the church, they feel more at ease and ready to worship. And it also makes it more likely they will come again the next week, as well!
But being a community of welcome means more than just the greeting one receives at the front door – it also means making people feel accepted, giving them a sense of belonging and trying to address their needs.
One of the most important ministries of the ancient Christian monasteries was the ministry of hospitality. Now, a ministry of hospitality was a costly business for the monastery, because if you have an open house, who knows how many will come in? The Celtic Christian named Columba founded a monastery in Ireland which is thought to have provided meals for up to one thousand hungry people each day! Just imagine the work involved in making food and drink for that many people! Monasteries would also have within their walls a guesthouse and the finest food and drink was always given to its residents.
Jesus’ words in Matthew’s Gospel go some way to explaining why the monks did it:
“The King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
The monks felt that, in looking after strangers, they might well be hosting angels, or even Jesus Christ Himself. They practised what you might call radical hospitality and that came with a cost, but also with an even greater blessing.
As a local church, we too need to exercise a ministry of hospitality, accepting and valuing every living soul who walks through our doors, making them feel that they belong amongst us, whatever their circumstances. A friendly word will put someone at their ease, a listening ear will help them feel valued, a servant heart will make them feel loved.
But, for us, a ministry of hospitality might also mean opening our doors even wider to let community groups helping the most vulnerable people use our building. It might mean us opening up during the week to provide refreshment and friendly conversation to shoppers in need of a quiet space and moment.
Generous hospitality will be demanding in terms of time, effort, money, and, of course, emotion, but it is what we are called to by Jesus Himself.
A healthy church is a community of welcome and it is also …
a community of disciples
Last Sunday morning, we had a reading from earlier in the Book of Acts, where it said:
“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching …”
The church community always has been, and always should be, a centre for learning. Whether it be at a service on a Sunday morning or evening, or at house group on a Thursday evening, we should as a church be devoted to the written word of God – eager to hear what God wants to say to us through it.
But so much Christian learning also goes on outside of more formal church situations – Paul tells the Christians at Rome:
“I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them.”
The point I’m trying to make is that Christians can learn from one another whenever, and wherever, they meet – in each others’ homes, out socially, at work.
The word ‘disciple’ literally means ‘a learner’, ‘a pupil’, and the most important thing is that we need to be open to learning. We all know that, just because someone is in a particular lesson at school or college, it doesn’t mean that they are learning – I can remember plenty of occasions when I have been physically present at a college lecture, or conference presentation, but haven’t learned anything, because instead of listening I was concentrating on what I had to do in the following week, or daydreaming about scoring the winning goal in the cup final!
You see, being a disciple is an attitude of mind – it’s about being eager to learn; it’s about being open to teaching. Unless we have that eagerness, unless we have that openness, we will stay exactly where we are and will not become the people, the community, that God wants us to be.
A healthy church is a community of disciples.
It is also …
a community of prayer
Christian monasteries have always been communities of prayer, with monks or nuns gathering for prayer numerous times during the day, and sometimes the night, too!
During my sabbatical break, I went on retreat for four days at Glasshampton, an Anglican monastery, and I joined the monks in most of their five daily prayer times. The life of the monastery revolves around prayer and so prayer brings a helpful rhythm to the lives of the monks. I found it incredibly comforting to know that monks and nuns around the world are in prayer around the clock and it inspired me to try to pray three times a day using a book of daily offices.
As I shared with you last week, the Jews of Jesus’ time also gathered for prayer five times each day and we know that, at least initially, the early Christians followed that same pattern. So, the early Church was also very much a community of prayer and their prayer times also gave them a rhythm to life.
Prayer must be the heartbeat of the local church – regular and persistent. Just as the heart is the powerhouse of the human body, so prayer is the powerhouse of the church. The famous Baptist pastor, Charles Haddon Spurgeon knew that to be true – before each service at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, he would have hundreds of people in a downstairs hall praying for God’s blessing on the service.
Prayer must be the heartbeat of this church, too. We have a prayer meeting here every Wednesday morning at 11.30 a.m., a monthly evening prayer meeting on the first Thursday, and everyone is welcome to join me in the prayer room ten minutes before each Sunday service to pray for God’s blessing.
Let us be a committed community of prayer – it’s a key to church health.
Finally, the healthy church is …
a community of mission
The truth is that the Celtic monks of about 1400 years ago wouldn’t think in terms of engaging in mission and evangelism. Instead, they practised what has been called a ‘ministry of presence’ – they saw their role “as simply being there in the midst of the people.” So they would go out from the monastery in teams of two or three to listen and advise people, to preach the gospel, and to offer pastoral care where needed. The monks saw themselves primarily as ‘witnesses’, rather than ‘evangelists’ or ‘missionaries’ in the modern sense, and I think that this can be a helpful way of looking at it.
I imagine that few of us would think of ourselves as evangelists, or missionaries, but maybe we feel happier being called ‘a witness’, someone who is simply there in the midst of the people – whether it be at work, school, or in a social setting – bringing light and salt into that situation and being a channel for the love of God. We are told that, these days, ‘friendship evangelism’ is the most effective way of bringing people into the Kingdom of God – is this not what being a ‘witness’ is all about? And doesn’t the concept of ‘Street Pastors’ resonate with the monastic idea of a ‘ministry of presence’?
But ultimately, as a local church, we are called to be a community of mission – “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” Jesus commanded. And so, we must work together as a team to reach our neighbourhood for Jesus Christ, by whatever means that may entail. The church building then becomes a centre, a hub, from which we go out and to which we return.
We’re told by Robert Warren that a healthy church is one that operates as a community, and that is completely borne out by what we read in the New Testament writings and in church history. May we here at Barnstaple Baptist grow to become a community of fellowship, of welcome, of disciples, of prayer and of mission – for our own health and for the glory of God.
Amen.
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