Photo by Bundo Kim on Unsplash
The general idea of the benefit of community formation is not limited to the church and to Christian thinking. There has been a decline in community in the UK, and this has affected the whole of life.
So, for example, a report by Onward states,
The UK has suffered a long-term and broad-based decline in the networks and institutions that make up the social fabric of communities People are less likely to be a member of a local group or volunteer, to attend church or community activities, or go on trips with their families than they were even ten years ago.The State of our Social Fabric
Is there an answer to this, and does the church have anything to contribute.
When we think about 'church', what kind of thing comes to mind? Do we think of somewhere we want to be? Do we think of people we want to be with? Perhaps there's a sense of obligation—the requirement to be in a particlar place at a particular time—or that it is just what you have always done.
Should there be something more?
Photo by Laurin Steffens on Unsplash
What is church for? Is there a point to what we call 'church'? Can we say what purpose of the church is? What is the church for? Is there something that only the church can do?
For me, Sunday mornings mean attending church. The past couple of Sunday have felt quite odd, as I wasn’t at ‘my’ church with ‘my’ church family. It didn’t mean that where I attended was bad, just different. As I think about community, what is it that makes a church a church? Is there something distinct about this group of people, meeting week by week, that makes it different to any other group that meets week by week?
Photo by Potters Bar Games Club.
Tuesday night is Board Games Club: we meet in the Harvester in Potters Bar, we eat, talk, and play games. Why was this the prompt for my sabbatical study? What could it possibly have to do with church?