why christian community matters

I wrote this piece for a Christian non-profit’s blog back in 2019, and I’m re-publishing it here today because 1) the piece seems to have been moved or taken down 2) I’ve been thinking a lot about how finding, and having, a Christian community has been so integral to deepening my faith in God.

If you’ve been burnt out or hurt by a Christian community in the past: I know how that feels. I’ve experienced it as well. And if you’re still yearning to find a Christian community despite this, or if you’ve never considered what it means to be a part of a community until now: This is something that requires a whole lot of courage and hope, and I am so glad you’re here. I hope you take all the time you need to grieve, heal, explore, and find people you can be vulnerable with again. (And if you’d like to chat about this, I’m only an email or Instagram DM away.)

xx,
iz

In the fall of 2017, I exchanged the familiarity and comfort of my life in Singapore for life in Vancouver, a city with snow-capped mountains on the horizon that teemed with lakes, waterfalls, and the potential to meet a bear while hiking (!).

Living overseas for the first time in my life was something I mostly experienced with wide-eyed wonder. But beneath the excitement, anxiety and fear kept bubbling up as I searched for a church and a Christian community I could call “home”.

Community was something that my spirit ached for as the months passed. It was such a big part of my life in Singapore that to be bereft of deep, soul-giving friendships felt rather unsettling. I went to Sunday services, fiddling uncomfortably with my arms as people around me greeted one another while I felt completely unknown and unseen. Disappointment and frustration rose as week after week passed and I had not made a single new acquaintance in church. I even entertained thoughts of buying a one-way plane ticket back to Singapore, because that was where my community was, and it just seemed like there was none to be found here.

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Why can’t we live without community? Why is it so important to the believer?

The very word brings to life a sense of warmth and joy. It conjures up images of people breaking bread together and praying over one another.

To have a vital and vibrant Christian community is to pattern after the way of life that Jesus and His disciples modelled. The Apostles, too, celebrated community in every aspect of their lives. As is recorded in Acts 2: 46-47, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Here are three reasons why community is something you and I cannot live without:

Community grows our faith.

Some of my largest growth spurts in my faith journey have occurred in times that I met fellow believers to pray and worship together regularly. That growth could have certainly occurred in my own personal quiet time with God, but it was all the more dynamic and wonderful and precious to spend it in communion with fellow believers who were all hungry for God’s presence and spirit in their lives.

I dare say that our faith is stretched and challenged most when we are in community. And the best posture to have, when we want our faith to grow, is one of vulnerability and openness. Allowing ourselves to be authentic and honest about our struggles, fears, hopes, and desires with fellow believers is when real breakthrough happens.

Community enables us to serve others.

We have not been created to exist in isolation. Rather, the Bible constantly exhorts us to serve one another—and community is where this takes place. Galatians 5:13 says, “Serve one another humbly in love”, and 1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Being in community has enabled me to put the needs of others before mine. It has also allowed me to become more perceptive and aware of what fellow believers are going through and how I can help, encourage, or serve them in some way.

Community edifies the Church.

Where we invest our time and energy in is crucial. And when we are intentional in building and investing in Christian community, we are able to live out God’s greatest commandment—to love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and to love our neighbours as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31)—in simple, practical, and God-honouring ways.

Whether it is opening up your home every week for life group, preparing for a weekly bible study, whipping up a meal for a friend who is struggling, texting a word of encouragement to someone, or taking up a particular voluntary role in your church, every little action counts toward encouraging one another to become more and more Christ-like.

***

Community is life-giving. It is humbling. It is faith-enlarging. And it is such a precious reminder of His love for each and every one of us, no matter how different or how broken we are.

Community has been my lifeline in times when my faith has been shaken or weakened. It has spurred me to walk closer with Jesus. And often, it is only when I am amongst others that my faith in God can be put into action.

For the past few months, I have been blessed to journey with a community in Vancouver. We are a group of people who couldn’t be more different in age, ethnicity, and cultural background, but we gather week after week because of a shared desire to know God more. We have laughed, prayed, worshipped, and played loads of fun games together. Because of them, my Tuesday nights have become so very special.

Finding and becoming part of a community here has taken lots of time and effort, and it has entailed being very intentional and prayerful about building community in the city God has called me to be at this point in time (instead of, say, buying a plane ticket out!).

My prayer is that you, too, will enjoy being with a community of like-minded believers who will grow, challenge, and edify you as you seek and live out God’s purposes for your life.