Rich Soil...

Many students, after leaving communities like Bible college (or, for some, summer camp), feel an emptiness that leaves them confused and disillusioned. Suddenly their reality is that their local church, or whatever community they find themselves a part of next, is vastly different from the community they just came from. They struggle with what seems like such dry spiritual soil after the rich, nourishing soil of a Bible school community.

I remember being warned about this change before I left Bible college. I remember thinking, “Yeah, sure it’ll be different,” but being completely blown away by how different it actually was. I always thought that community (a spiritual community) was something that was just a given, especially after such a positive high school experience of spiritual community.

So what changed?

This is where I get stuck. What did change? Why is the typical church community not the same as a Bible school community? And how can we, who are fresh off the boat, so to speak, share our excitement about what we just experienced? Is it possible to create a similar environment, rich soil for growth, in our churches? What would that take?

It would be interesting to observe a Bible school community intentionally, from the outside looking in. Given the opportunity, I would try to notice the different relationships that happen (because I suspect relationships play a large role in the creating of community). I would notice the levels of relationship (intimate, personal, social, distant). I would take note of interactions on these different levels and see what works and what doesn’t. What are the pros of this type of community and what are the cons? What makes this community a safe place to be vulnerable? Who are the people there and what is their focus? What are their goals? What is the goal of the community as a whole?

I would then go on observe a number of churches. Large churches, small churches, mega-churches, churches in small towns, and churches in cities. I would talk to people and ask them about their church. What works for them and what doesn’t? Why do they attend? What keeps them coming back week after week? And what is the mission statement of their church? I would hang around for a while and watch that church’s dynamics. I would learn what type of relationships and components make up these churches.

And then, after all this observation, I would compare what works in these different communities with what doesn’t work. Is something that works in a Bible college setting able to work in a church setting? What are the aspects of community that make it a spiritually rich and nourishing one, and can these aspects be implemented at will, or do they just happen naturally?

Obviously, I don’t have the time or the resources (or perhaps even the objectivity) to travel around and observe different spiritual communities. That is probably not a realistic short term goal. But I do hope to be able to observe a few different spiritual communities when we make our move down south. I want to take note of the spiritual communities that I will be a part of: the churches we visit before we decide on one; the church that we decide on as we become involved in it; the seminary community as a whole; the on campus apartment community.

Will our seminary experience be different from our Bible school experience? Probably. Will the soil be rich for growth? I hope so. As I get older, I’m realizing more and more that each experience is what you make of it. And I don’t want to waste this opportunity to live intentionally and learn what it takes to create a close spiritual community.

I’ll share my findings…