A popular Purpose-Driven church has a Bible study series of the same title; but I just finished reading an article in Christian Single magazine (May 2009) on the New Monasticism. People are not running off to secluded places to escape society, but rather are getting in touch with one another within community, living communally, but also making a practical impact on the world around them. One quote from the article captivated me, “A lot of people are saying that they have bought in to the American Dream, and are lonely.” People are perhaps disenfranchised with consumerism, CEO salaries 400 times the rate of the average worker in the same company, and the injustices of the America way of life.
It seems these groups seek radical rebirth, grounded in God’s love and desire to build on the rich tradition of Christian practices that have long formed disciples in the simple Way of Christ. This New Monasticism is producing a grassroots ecumenism and a prophetic witness within the North American church. It is characterized by the following marks:
- Relocation to the abandoned places of Empire (the margins of society).
- Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us.
- Hospitality to the stranger.
- Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation.
- Humble submission to Christ’s body, the church.
- Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the community.
- Nurturing common life among members of intentional community.
- Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children.
- Geographical proximity to community members who share a common rule of life.
- Care for the plot of God’s earth given to us along with support of our local economies.
- Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of Matthew 18.
- Commitment to a disciplined, contemplative life.
I was a part of a group in Virginia Beach called Partners which embodied much of this spirit. The ministry was conceived and run by a couple ahead of their time! We lived together in a lodge at the oceanfront; ate together, ministered together, studied together… accountability, purpose, mission, mentoring, encouragement, personal and spiritual growth, seeking and rejoicing with the movement of God, with outreach to the poor, the homeless and the tourist. It was probably life as it was in the early church, much more than we see in the structures we have erected for a gathering on Sunday mornings.
How can we at King’s Grant get involved in real community? I’m not talking about selling property and living in a commune, but how can we embrace these principles and make an impact on our society in the name of Christ?
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, just feed one.” –Mother Teresa
“A church that lives within it’s four walls is no church at all.” –Pastor Morgan Chilulu
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