Church is a Community

Church is a community and millions of people from all walks of life and from diverse backgrounds congregate to worship their God and express their religious beliefs. There are people from different social classes and economic backgrounds, different cultures and countries of origin. They come together to show their individual and group beliefs and to support and encourage each other in their success of following those beliefs. These beliefs that the members of the church share binds them together as a strong community. They want to embrace and love those who love them and they want to be accepted into the community that they identify with.

The church community is unique in that the members are usually very passionate in their beliefs and want to defend their views to the world. They share something that is very significant to the meaning of life and there is a moral compass that directs their life. It is not like some communities where the members may only have a couple of ideas that they share and relate too. Within a church community the needs of individual members are taken care of by the group and it is a give and take relationship. Service is rendered and received and helps to build the bonds of the members. There are prayers that unite the people and spiritual experiences that connect them and bond them together.

There are members who are not in the church or community for the same reasons as the majority of the people. This can be a division in the people if there are members who go against the values and beliefs that they are suppose to share. If there are people who are not in the group for the benefit of the community but are there for selfish reasons they can also cause a rift in the group. If there are members of the church that are there for the social standing instead of a sense of belonging they can also cause a breakdown in the strength of the church community. If there is a difference in the view of doctrines there can be a division of the community when some people identify with one set of values over another.

I personally belong to a church that has a strong sense of community and the infinite worth of every member. I share the same values of the church community such as the importance of the family unit, the need for modest dress for high self esteem and the importance of loving your neighbor. I feel that we are connected in a spiritual and eternal way and that bond is strong. I want to belong to this community as it is one that I identify with and feel comfortable with in sharing values and doctrines. I also want to belong to this community to give my children a community of their own to belong to and to grow in. There is a sense of tradition as well and a link to our ancestors who made our lives possible by the sacrifices they made for this same community.