The idea of community denotes a “common unity” of purpose and interests. By engaging in this united relationship a new level of consciousness and conscience emerges that spurs the group to higher order thinking and action, thus empowering and encouraging its members to exist in a mutually beneficial relationship. Thus community and family become closely intertwined, because aiming at a common unity strives to overcome brokenness, divisiveness, and, ultimately gaining wholeness with each of the members, with their environment, and with their God. By giving mutual support, friendship and family merge. Both fellowship and community imply an inner and outer unity. No where in the framework of community is their implied a hierarchy of command and control. While there is leadership, the leader’s task is to focus energy, and align interests, not impose control.
Koinonia (fellowship) creates a brethren bond which builds trust and, especially when combined with the values of Wisdom, Virtue and Honor, overcomes two of humanity’s deepest fears and insecurities: being betrayed and being demeaned."
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Small groups [especially for large churches] were most likely intended to accomplish this. The majority of evenglical church goers searching don't ever find it. The entire nation, as a whole, is constantly checking the minute hand on the clock. Life is stressfully fast paced especially for families looking to get ahead, much less stay ahead, of the economy. Everytime a new church comes into town with good teaching, the love and fellowship seakers flock to it.
Take a look at the Italians. Families and friends get together....and they know how to get together. Time almost stands still for them. They banter, they laugh....but looking from the outside, they seem so close. The food is prepared with [literally] love. Half of the gathering is spent on food prep. Very little emphasis is put on how much time they have to squeeze all that in, guards are let down, it's shoulder to shoulder being real with each other. There is no masking and there is no fluff. Maybe as parts of Italy become more time conscience this is becoming less and less. But there's still a majority of Italians that really know how to do a gathering....and they do so quite regularly.
Many still feel forced by the shortcutting methods of fellowship because basically everyone else runs on the same method...without having first thought for themselves and asked themselves of just how beneficial it is. It was God-instilled in all of us to have the tight community and family merge. That's what church goers are looking for. Maybe not all have been able to define that for themselves. But ultimately, they continue to search because they have yet to find it. As churches grow, so do the politics within. The more politics, the harder it is for all sheep to stay close together as issues come and go because that's just how fallible man is.
The American church has yet to fully grasp what that Koinonia fellowship truly is and how to truly experience it. And for the very few scattered who have, they are a growing community. But until they find each other, they live in desparate frustration and hunger that very few understand.
