The final chapter...

Once again, this is the final section of the Relevant article by Cameron Conant.

"My problem is that I want all the advantages of community and none of the obligations. Community is hard work. To enter into it, I must give up my time and resources. Jesus talked about this, about losing ourselves in order to find ourselves. Some of that happens when we enter into community and begin 'doing life' with those around us -- whether it's friends from church, people from other faiths, co-workers, or next-door neighbors. When we do this, we are often forced to check our independence at the door, yet the paradox is that we somehow find it as soon as we rid ourselves of it.

Community is also difficult because we have a tendency to compartmentalize our lives -- to think of our 'spiritual life' as different from our 'regular life,' to think of our 'church community' as different from our 'neighborhood community.' And when we begin compartmentalized, we miss the point entirely. We begin thinking that community has an on and off switch, something we choose rather than something to which we are inextricably connected.

'Community is not a 'value-additive' to faith,' says Doug Pagitt, pastor of Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis and the author of Reimagining Spiritual Formation. 'We are always in community; the question is what kind.' He notes that asking him about the theology of community (which I did) is like asking him about his theology of air. 'It is just what we breathe and what we need to live.'

Pagitt emphasizes the value in long-term engagement built on vulnerable relationships. That's foreign to those of us used to getting things instantly. Is there a book you want to read? Hop online and have it delivered tomorrow. Want to watch a movie? Try 'On Demand' video and watch it this minute. But community is a slow marinate of experiences and personalities that refuses to be cooked on high for two minutes. Relationships take time. My best friend is not someone I met yesterday.

But as Pagitt points out, relationships are not the same as community. Oftentimes, small groups have a tendency to create a sense of 'smallness' rather than a sense of 'communalness,' a sort of 'I know you, you know me, now we are both known,' Pagitt says. We have a tendency to confuse relationships with community, but while they are similar, they aren't the same. Relationships are certainly a part of community, but community is something much bigger than we are.

Maybe Hillary Clinton was right. Maybe it does take a village. I'm realizing that community is worth another try. Maybe I'll try to make it to the next Supper Club. It isn't the answer, but it might just be a step in the right direction."

Well, that's the article. Sorry it took so long for me to get it all out, but it was pretty long and I wanted you to digest each part of it individually. I think it's an excellent piece of writing and am curious to what you all have to say about it!
peace out