I understand the Christian faith as best expressed within the community context of believers in fellowship with God and one another. Humans have always existed in community i.e. families and the wider setting of society. “It is not good for man to be alone,” (Gen 2:18) declared the creator Himself. Our Personhood is very much embedded in community, none of us exist solely as individuals.
The Great commission also charges us to go into, not withdraw from society and although “We are not of this world,” according to St. Paul we are still called live in this world. I'm very privileged to belong to an evangelical church tradition which is committed to planting growing churches within a short distance of every community in every nation. In this Protestant perspective more emphasis is placed on the Christian community. The Church’s views its means of grace such as Teaching, Prayer, Baptism, Eucharist, Spiritual gifts, Giving etc. as best revealed and well- nourished within a supportive community of believers.
"By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
(John 13:35)
A normal, literal, and contextual reading of both the Old Testament & New Testament point to “God’s People” as one of the major themes of bible theology. In the OT Israel is called out of all the nations of the world to be God’s covenant community on earth and in the NT, the church is the community of the new covenant. The church is thus a caring and sharing community, a “life-sustaining fellowship” (Hanson 1986: 501), in which also according to Charles Scobie’s approach to Biblical Theology (2003: 502) the members of the body of Christ receive their life of God, and comfort, encourage, and support one another.
However, some may argue that on numerous occasions in scripture as well as in church history God called certain individuals to a life of separation for the purposes of consecration and prayer e.g. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, the Prophets, John the Baptist and Jesus therefore emphasis on “individuals” not “community” is more consistent with scripture. My response to this objection will point out that in each of these rare occasions, for example in the case of John whom Matthew 3:4 suggests that he lived most of his life as hermit or essene, God only them called out for a brief stage in their lives with the intension of returning to the community as agents of transformation. In the same way the Church, “ekklesia” understood to mean “the called- out ones”, is the light and the salt of the earth!
Therefore, Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:25)
By Pastor Touch Malefo