| Communities of Performance | Communities of Grace |
| the leaders appear sorted | the leaders are vulnerable |
| the community appears respectable | the community is messy |
| meetings must be a polished performance | meetings are just one part of community life |
| identity is found in ministry | identity is found in Christ |
| failure is devastating | failure is disappointing, but not devastating |
| actions are driven by duty | actions are driven by joy |
| conflict is suppressed or ignored | conflict is addressed in the open |
| the focus is on orthodoxy and behaviour (allowing people to think they’re sorted) | the focus is on the affections of the heart (with a strong view of sin and grace) |
My comment:
How would you rate your church? Yes we could add qualifiers to all of these, but I think this list is just supposed to get us thinking about the church communities that we operate within.
2 comments:
I won't give DSC a numerical rating, because those sorts of things can so easily be misinterpreted, outside of the context of a longer, face-to-face conversation. However, I do think that the elders are preaching, praying, trusting God, and working in different ways to encourage the church in the "grace" direction in each of these areas.
Among the congregation, we are, of course, probably at different places, personally, in each one of these areas. I certainly have much growing to do (and to have done in me by the Holy Spirit). I do want to increasingly grow in the "community of grace" direction though, as a member of the DSC community. I have seen the "community of grace" in action (arising from orthodoxy toward orthopraxy) very well. I know it can be a reality. I love what I see of it thus far at DSC, and I look forward, prayerfully, to seeing even more, in my life and in the lives of the whole DSC body!
One concern-- should "orthodoxy" really be listed under "communities of performance," when right doctrine (such as grace!), rightly understood (meaning, head and heart) actually *leads* to communities of grace?
My church is a community of grace, and for that I am most grateful. Thanks for sharing this, Zach.
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