(Communitas is a Latin noun commonly referring either to an unstructured community in which people are equal, or to the very spirit of community)
With the summer months behind us, it’s been some time since we’ve connected via written communication or in person. Lena and I had a wonderful summer, leading two camps, attending a spirit-filled conference and enjoying vacation time. I trust that you are rested and ready for the ministry that is calling your name – its harvest time!
During times of rest and seeking God, I have been experiencing a deep hunger for ’the more’ that God has for us as a fellowship. Moving forward to the place of unconditional love and building Christ-centered communities is a compelling force and passion I can’t escape. When Jesus washed the disciple’s feet, the Bible says, “He showed them the full extent of His love.” What does the full extent of our love look like for us today?
The spirit of community helps take people from their inadequacies and through the life transformation of Christ’s Holy Spirit, enables imperfect souls to seek the best for one another. I came across an article by Dan Rockwell where he lists mistakes we can make and noticed things I see in my life – see what you think as you move down the list.
Top 25 Dumb Mistakes Leaders Make
- Creating complexity.
- Losing sight of vision while focusing on details.
- Using the same relational-methods with all employees.
- Assuming people know what they’re thinking.
- Giving conclusions without explaining thought processes.
- Interrupting.
- Relying too heavily on email for communication.
- Blaming.
- Lying.
- Listening to critics that don’t share organizational values.
- Talking while in the heat of emotion.
- Creating urgency and then not following through.
- Focusing on problems rather than solutions.
- Hiding in the office.
- Wasting time in unfocused meetings.
- Intimidating.
- Not managing others emotional energy.
- Neglecting their energy.
- Postponing tough conversations.
- Paranoia.
- Partiality.
- Not providing timely feedback.
- Preaching teamwork while rewarding individual performance.
- Focusing on low performers while neglecting high performers.
- Tolerating behaviors that create office drama.
Most mistakes we make are done in private or isolation; this is why we are called to community and have joined forces as a fellowship of churches and ministers. The verses in Eccl 4:9-12 (MSG) speak succinctly on this matter of living life together. “It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps, but if there’s no one to help, tough! 11 Two in a bed warm each other. Alone, you shiver all night. 12 By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.”
Two are better than one:
- If you fall…there’s someone there to pick you up. Not just falling physically, but emotionally, spiritually or morally. Does anyone even know what you are going through? If you’re alone, no one will know and that is the plan of Satan, to keep you isolated and in fear. As your brother in Christ, I want to see your treasures and know your pains in order to walk with you in an honest and real way.
- To warm you up…it’s cold out there. It may be 31 above as I write this but winter’s coming and in Alberta & the NWT we know what it means to put a “–“in front of the 31. It’s cold inside some of our churches too and that’s unacceptable. How do you, the pastor, the leader, gauge accurately whether your church is a loving, friendly, healthy, Christ-centered community? If we really knew each other the way God knows us and we know ourselves, would people inside the church still accept us and love us the way Christ does? The scriptures say, “They will know us by our love.” We have got to be different than the status quo.
- Protecting your back…when the military goes into combat, they prepare for hand-to-hand fighting…they train to protect the other’s back. When you have someone with you, they can watch out for you. I thank God for our District team – they’ve got my back!
- A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped…if you have someone in your life that walks with you like David did with Jonathan, like Elijah did with Elisha, like Paul did with Timothy, and then you have GOD in the center of that relationship, you have a threefold cord that is not easily broken. In Isaiah 40:31, it says, “But those who wait upon God get fresh strength, they spread their wings and soar like eagles, they run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.” Very interesting is the meaning of the word, wait. The primitive root means to bind together (perhaps by twisting). Isn’t that fantastic – those that wait or are twisted together with God get fresh strength! Fellowship with God and being in Communitas is what guarantees that you and I won’t have to walk life’s journey alone. We were born to be in relationship with God and man and to be released into the destiny that has been given to us by our heavenly Father.