Creating Communityনমুনা

Connecting community – Gemeinschaft

‘Join a club; everyone’s part of a club.’ This advice was given to a friend who was preparing to move to Germany. 

It’s a wise piece of advice; every week more than 600,000 clubs take place in Germany, covering everything from baking to beard growing and the numbers continue to grow. Clubs are firmly embedded in the social fabric of Germany.

But what is it that brings people back week after week? 

If we transport ourselves to the nineteenth century and introduce ourselves to the German sociologist Ferdinand Tonnies, we might be able to understand more. Tonnies divided up the world into two social realities – Gemeinschaft (community) and Gesellschaft (society). At the heart of Gemeinschaft, people feel part of a collective which allows relationships to grow organically and a shared dependency on one another emerges. In a Gesellschaft, relationships are set by rigid legal structures and actions are driven by our own individual needs.

Gemeinschaft is something that we are all drawn to and something that those 600,000 clubs provide for so many people. We know too that, right from the very beginning, God called us not to be alone, but to work together (Genesis 2:18).

In our last session, we explored the idea that as Christians we are bound by something much stronger than a shared passion for bowling or beard growing – Christ. What’s more, in Christ there are no outsiders, no one not quite good enough at that sport or not quite the right status; everyone is welcome (1 Corinthians 12:12 - 14).

All of us are made in the glorious image of God, so our communities need to be places where we recognise that everyone has their own unique role to play and where everyone is welcome. 

Think back to the first time you were in a club. How did it make you feel? 

How can we make people feel welcome in our churches? 

Challenge: Invite that new person in your church or office for a coffee (perhaps via video call), or write them an encouraging card with your favourite Bible verse.

Pray: Lord we thank you that there is nothing that can separate us from your love. We are sorry for the times when we push people out of our communities. Today, grant us the wisdom to recognise the unique roles everyone has to play and how we can use these to glorify you.