Wholeness: community vs individualism

The church was always meant to be a community. A fellowship of people that support and help one another. However, there are many well-meaning people who have rejected this idea. All because of the emotional hurts they have suffered in said communities. In life, there are healthy relationships, just as there are unhealthy ones. Unfortunately, church communities are no different, although we should know better. Yet so much of this unloving behavior in church communities comes down to a misunderstanding of the intended church dynamic. This all became rather obvious in an online discussion I engaged in this last week when someone tried to convince me that something I saw as a problem was actually a positive. Yet, through the discussions, I did better understand where the confusion lies. Yet again it comes back to opposite extremes.

Yes, the church is supposed to be about community, I'm not denying that, but it needs to function properly to be healthy. Despite that, some people still think anything and everything that keeps the fellowship together is good. This has led many people to draw the conclusion that individualism is the enemy of community. Granted, if we just follow human nature, as opposed to the spirit, individualism will likely end up being very shallow, superficial, and about self, not others. Such people don't help anybody but themselves and turn communities parasitic. So by quenching all individualism, and making no distinction between the self-centered and the community-centered individual, we end up making a very uniform church. 

A church that is too uniform is not a healthy community, nor is it scriptural. When everyone has the same, strengths, talents, and gifts; we really have little to offer one another. Since nobody will need what you have to offer since they already have what you have. So when a problem arises, that everyone has a weakness too, but nobody has a strength against it. Said communities will fall apart, and hurt a lot of people over the course of their slow fall. I dare say that is happening at an alarming rate.

By now, you probably see where I am going with this. The church was not meant to go to either extreme. We are meant to be a community of individuals. Our unique and special talents, strengths, and gifts are meant to benefit and build up the church; not-self. If a community is truly being symbiotic, then there is no reason to serve self alone.

As I have said before, no one person can be all that Christ was, but as a community, we can; provided we are diverse enough to build a well-balanced body. A well-balanced body can lead to a healthy environment that can produce widespread wholeness and a strong fellowship. Where an unbalanced body that centers around the comfort, and convenience of a specific type of person more than God, will only create more brokenness, and a very weak church. What does your church community resemble?

One final thought to ponder. If wholeness is seen as a vital step at becoming righteous, a healthy symbiotic environment can emerge within a church. This is how the Kingdom of God was meant to grow. However, if righteousness is viewed as a choice only, their idea of help will likely only take the form of bullying and criticizing people into submission. Since we are only trying to change behavior, not hearts. This alienates and hurts people; hence, the rejection of the notion of a church community that this post opened with. Do you see how this simple misconception about holiness can ruin a church community?

The Visual PARABLEist

1st Corinthians 12:12-31