Christian Community Our name is who we are and what we want to be: A group of people in intentional fellowship with one another who follow God in the way of Jesus. An intentional community-building gathering who learn and grow in love the way Jesus modeled.
Not Accidental…Intentional You’ll notice some things that are different about Christian Community: Not “Church”… We have intentionally not included the word “church” in our name. Often people have ideas about what “churches” are and do, and we seek to do and be something different. Some of us have been burned by churches, but seek community. Some of us have been financially obligated by churches, and seek to be free. Some of us have participated in churches, but found ourselves wanting something more. …Community We seek to be and build community between us as people and between us and God. The Hebrew scriptures point to God as a community of love, and we seek to join God in that. The Christian scriptures point to followers of Jesus as a community of love, and we seek to be that today.
No Building… We have existed as a community for more than 20 years and have never owned a building. Buildings tend to demand investments in money, upkeep, and ownership that we would rather not be tied down with. …Homeless and Flexible We have met in community buildings, conference centers, office buildings, homes, parks, online, and in buildings owned by churches, with the conviction that what makes us a community is not the building, but the life we choose to share. This intentional homelessness has given us flexibility with our money to support good works locally and around the world that are outsized for our numbers. This flexibility has given us the freedom to follow God where and when God leads with little concern for asking for money to cover our expenses.
Not One Minister or Preacher… Many congregations are blessed with a particularly vibrant and charismatic preacher who teaches each Sunday. In addition, congregations often have a team of people called “ministers” who do the work needed to provide services to members of the congregation. …A Plurality of Voices & Ministers We choose to include a wide variety of voices at each gathering. This includes folks who provide our Focus for our Sunday gatherings, sing with the worship team, and even provide the teaching on some Sundays. We believe in the ministry of all the people who follow Jesus, and we choose to live that belief out in all our gatherings.
Diversity… We welcome anyone to be a part of our community who follows or want to follow Jesus. Regardless of gender, marital status, or any other demographic; regardless of political affiliation, income level, or any other social status; regardless of denominational tradition, questions about faith, or any other religious past or present; we welcome folks who want to explore life with God through Jesus Christ. …And Unity We choose to let the love of Christ unite us amidst our astounding diversity. God’s law is love and Jesus’ commandment is love, and we put love above all other potential divisions or disagreements. We seek to live in the creative tension of unity amidst diversity.