Fellowship Rediscovered
by John Kimball, CCCC Director of Conference Care
Fellowship. It’s such a common word around the church, and yet it is often misunderstood. In many churches, fellowship is seen as enjoying each other’s company — usually around some kind of meal. And this is certainly part of fellowship, but it’s incomplete.
Fellowship is not just an “eatin’ meetin’,” but a way of kingdom living. Fellowship is not to be occasional, but consistent. Fellowship goes well beyond the confines of the “Fellowship Hall” into all of life. Fellowship may be best defined as relationship with purpose — and for the Christian, that purpose is always directly tied to disciple-making for Christ.
If you’ve ever participated in a short-term missions trip to another culture (the more different the better), you have likely experienced what I mean. Something happens relationally when we’re working elbow-to-elbow on a project that is tangibly linked to evangelism. And where there is a measure of discomfort or even hostility to the message of Christ, the ministry relationships will be that much deeper. People return home from these trips changed. And so do their relationships with each other. Like those who have served in battle together, co-laborers on mission together have a depth of love and understanding for each other that is near-impossible outside of such service.
In the CCCC, we have a Guiding Value to build “A community that lives out a shared life and shared mission.” In one word, that’s fellowship. This value goes beyond affinity with each other (or in some congregations, mere tolerance toward each other) to a genuine love and relationship with one another that draws us to actually live life together in community — as a family. This value also summons local churches and pastors to do the same with each other — so that no church in the CCCC family is functioning in isolation (no matter how many miles away the next church may be).
We are working hard to help our pastors, churches and members rediscover this shared life together. Our hope is not only to see it on the congregational level, but on the community and regional levels. And this is another primary outcome from our Church Development work as well. It’s virtually hopeless to try to motivate people toward participation in the church’s ministry without first helping them to understand the critical need for sharing their lives with each other.
Would you like to know more? Why not give the CCCC Office a call at (651) 739-1474 and ask about Church Development.
