Community
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WHY DO WE NEED COMMUNITY?
Practicing the Way Archives | John Mark Comer
The following set of teachings and practices are from John Mark Comer’s original version of Practicing the Way developed during his time at Bridgetown Church.
As we practice the way of Jesus, we need partners for the journey, a community to help us along the way. Jesus invites all who follow him to be a part of a new family. This family of God is not a social club or a group of friends who look, think, and talk similarly, but a community of apprentices following Jesus’ way of life. And despite the work it takes, the fights we will endure, and the learning we will do along the way, together we’re figuring out how to be with Jesus, become like him, and do what he did.
Click on the link below to watch the introduction video, listen to the teachings, and access the practices.
Note: John Mark Comer and his team are creating a simple and beautiful way to integrate spiritual formation into your church or group through the new version of Practicing the Way. The Practice of Community is coming soon!
Podcasts
CHOOSING TO WALK TOGETHER
Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast | Season 2: Episode 1 | Ruth Haley Barton
Many of us are carrying a lot of baggage regarding Christian community. Ruth has often commented that it is one of the most over-promised, under-delivered aspects of the Christian life—which means that Christians who have been deeply involved in church are often the most cynical and disillusioned. In Season 2 of the Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast, Ruth and Steve will discuss how to cultivate communities where people regularly and routinely experience spiritual transformation. In episode 1, Ruth shares how God led her to the story of the Emmaus Road as a biblical model for transforming community. She unpacks the three nuanced ways of talking about community: Christian community, spiritual community, and transforming community, and also describes what Christian community is not—with a rich discussion of the role community plays in navigating liminal space.
In this podcast:
Episode 6 | Transformation Through Self-Knowledge and Self-Examination
Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton
Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation (Chapter 6) by Ruth Haley Barton