11.3 Building Shelter
© 2018 Christ Revealed Bible Institute
The vast majority of people who hear a word concerning gathering together into Christ and then move into some sort of Christian community experience find themselves in a worse place than they ever imagined. When they succeed in escaping, through confusion, pain, and recrimination, they view that time in “religious community” as one of the worst mistakes of their life.
I entered Christian community already believing, from my own heart, that Christ life, according to the New Testament, is life together in community. Thus I found Christ all the way through, and I committed myself to the community as to Jesus. Nonetheless, through all those years, I wept inside, in confusion and travail, because I knew something was not right.
Not a Safe Place. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not speaking of wrongful things. The brethren with whom I walked were sincere and loving, anointed and committed to the Lord as they knew Him. God manifested Himself in our midst all through those years. But our life together was NOT a safe place. And the thing that bothered me the most was how we treated people.
I visited with a reader of these letters recently who shared with me his own experience of Christian community, together with a friend of his in the Lord. That experience was short-lived, and he remembers it with sorrow. I do not need to know the specific details of his experience; I do know the essence of it, very, very well.
My Hope. Yet from the first of my community experience I made a covenant with God (I call it “covenant” now, though then I saw it as an almost impossible hope). I hoped that God would teach me through the difficulty and turn my pain and tears into a benefit for others. I hoped that, by my passing through all the nonsense, you might then be able to enter into the joy and abundance that is Christ inside of life together without the years of awfulness that has so blackened the testimony of Christ.
It is through the writing of this text, Symmorphy V: Life, that my own life finds its purpose. What I share with you is real, and will direct you in the way of life, to build a shelter of protection for you, to keep you safe.
Shelter Must Be Built. Shelter does not just happen. Shelter must be built. And the building of shelter is a complicated, time-consuming, and on-going task. It takes guts to build a home from start to finish.
A community may excel in sheltering its members from the excesses of the world, but fail to shelter its members from the quicksand of introverted group think. A community may excel in sheltering its members from the accusation of the evil one, but fail to shelter its children from a member who turns out to be a pedophile. A community may excel in sheltering its members from bullies, but fail in simple tractor safety and lose a young man to a needless accidental death.
Governance. The construction of shelter, the making of a safe place inside of Christ for all, family and visitors, to thrive in the nurture and protection of the Lord, happens inside the governance meetings of the community. This lesson is an initial discussion of community governance. The sheltering roof is the governance of the community; all of life together must be governed by deliberate agreement.
We know “government” as the violence of the sword; thus I use the term “governance” to speak of the guidance of a shepherd. And the thing that makes all the difference for us is our knowledge of God as He is, of our precious union with Christ, and of salvation as wholeness in every area of life.
Four Arenas. There are four arenas of governance in any community, each of them vital to the health and life of all.
1. The oversight of the spiritual life and health of each one and of the communion together. This is the role of ministry in the Church, something we will discuss later in the course.
2. The policies set for the ordering (I use that term carefully) of all interaction together in the natural. This is the primary governing body of the community, all the adult members.
3. The management of daily activities or areas of the community, that is, an individual such as the principal of the school or the oversight of the farmstead, etc.
4. The individual family, a topic that may well fit into the session on “Parts in Proportion.”
A Visible Roof. Consider again these seven points from Patterns of Home.
1. Center the social spaces under a visible roof. 2. Extend the roof even while keeping it simple or elemental. 3. Mark the entry with a roof. 4. Give some spaces the roof slope as their ceiling. 5. Let the roof be visible and experienced inside and out. 6. Create a variety of roof/ceiling heights. 7. Use roof extensions to enhance and protect outdoor spaces.
As I scan through these points now, I see my understanding of community governance woven all through them. Think about the first point – center the social spaces under a visible roof. Governance over our interaction together must be visible to all. – Then, the remaining points just naturally flow out from this first point.
All Adult Members. I like this distinction, because governance is not over individual people, but over the social spaces – the places where brethren interact with one another.
The ministry in the community is NOT the primary governance. Ministry has a very specific function in the life of the community, a function that has little to do with making decisions for others or for the community together. The primary governance of the community is all of the adult members of the community, men and women equally.
This lesson, then, will focus on the primary governance meetings that must take place regularly inside a community for life together to be in any way successful.
Full Reciprocity. A community cannot be successful or safe without regular formal communication and open decision-making.
Bring back into your picture the illustration in Lesson 5.2 Firstfruits of the gathering together of Christ with Christ. It is here, inside of formal decision-making that reciprocity is at its fullest expression. And remember, we are not “getting God to show up” by such a gathering. By our faith, our reciprocity inside this gathering IS God as He is.
With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:2-3). This is God as He is; this is what “heaven” is about.
Seven Considerations. There are a number of considerations for us regarding this governance; those considerations include (1) who, (2) when and where, (3) how it fits the overall, (4) how the deliberations are to be conducted, (5) what is to be discussed, (6) how decisions are to be made, and (7) how those decisions are to be applied.
This lesson will serve as a first-look at some of these things.
And please remember that the specifics inside of what I share do not come out from my own mental whims, but out from years of experience and thoughtfulness, as well as out from the present word of Christ which I teach. I draw from much experience in differing contexts; though, in this lesson, I will not refer directly to anything specific from my experience.
Who. In my thinking, when a young man or woman growing up in the community turns 25, they should become part of the governance meetings. The decision of what is the best age should be made by the community, but then be the same for all individuals. All who join in the governance meeting should have expressed an agreement similar to that found in Lesson 7.3 Together in Liberty; that is, they are committed to the success of the community as their own home. There should be no distinction between men and women, for we are all one new man in Christ. This is not a place for visitors or for observation, however. Indeed, this gathering is holy to the Lord.
When and Where. A governance meeting should take place regularly at least once a week in a community sharing the same property. In a local church living on separate properties, the governance meeting should be at least once a month.
This governance meeting of all the adult members of the church is where all major issues regarding interaction together are discussed and where the decisions regarding those issues are made. In order to work successfully inside our regard for one another as Christ with Christ, these governance meetings must be conducted in a specific way. The nuances of that specific way will vary from one assembly to the next, but the essence remains the same.
A Spirit of Sobriety. Let’s say the governance meeting is each Monday evening, starting at seven. All the adults of the community will gather in a room designated for that purpose. This gathering must be in a spirit of sobriety; this is not a time for joking or for casual conversation. In other words, we position ourselves into a spirit of respect for one another.
There might be 30-35 adults in this gathering. One person should be designated as note-taker; it should be a different person each time. The note-taker will be the one directing the sharing together. By the note-taker’s direction, each one will take turns briefly stating an issue or issues they feel should be discussed.
Sharing the Issues. There might be too many issues to discuss in any given evening. The note-taker is given the discretion of choosing which issue should be discussed first and which, if any, should be postponed for a later time.
Then, the person who brought up the issue will share what the issue is, what their concerns are, and what solution they propose, all three. The sharing of the issue should be without wordiness or excess; there is not enough time for idle conversation. Then, anyone else is free to respond with their thoughts concerning the issue or its solution.
How We Converse. The most important consideration is how we converse. It is here, in the governance meetings, that respect for one another is MOST important.
Respect requires three rules. First, when someone else is speaking, do not interrupt, but give your full attention to the one speaking, deliberately valuing their perspective and contribution. Second, when you are the one speaking, keep your words concise and to the point. Say only as much as needs to be said and no more.
Third is the most important. Couch all disagreement inside of words of respect. There is no blame or accusation. If you feel uncomfortable with something, word it as your own problem.
Differing Perspectives. Wisdom will always gather several different perspectives without any need to say that one perspective is “right” and another is “wrong.” In contrast, one perspective is always “wrong.” Seeing the same thing from several different angles is essential for wisdom.
So, one might say in response, “I sure can understand your perspective. I would add this point of view, however —.” Or even, “It might certainly be just me, but I feel uncomfortable about that idea —” There is even a time when one might say, “You know, brethren, I love and respect all of you, but I’ve been praying about this for days, and, even though you are all in agreement, I cannot escape the fact that I just do not witness to this decision.”
Making Decisions. Then, we consider how the decisions of the governance meeting are to be made. All important decisions should be made by full consensus agreement. If some are not settled regarding a decision, then put it on hold. You are part of one another. Lesser decisions could be a majority “vote.”
Now, typically, such a governance requires a “leader.” Make the note-taker the “leader” each time. Since this task circulates and is held by each one, then there is no danger of superiority. I like that title, “note-taker” instead of “bishop,” and temporary. But let the note-taker make most of the decisions regarding the flow of discussion and the manner of decision-making.
Implementing the Decisions. The second most important element, however, is how the decisions are implemented. Rules are necessary for the smooth functioning of walking together. Enforcing the rules destroys people more than anything else.
It is love that makes the connection, those who are mature laying down their lives for the sake of the others. What do you do when a bunch of kids run through the dining room with mud on their shoes? What do you do when the offender is fifty years old?
Love cannot be dictated. No one can require another to lay down their life. You see, we are members of one another, and that is the topic of the next session.
Policy Governance. Regarding the overall as well as what is to be discussed, I recommend the policy method of governance. Policy governance divides decision-making into two fields, “management” and “board.” I have a copy of the policy manual from Northern Lights College in British Columbia. I would draw from it (or something similar) in establishing a community governance.
The governance meeting in the community acts as the “board,” setting the policy by which those individuals who “manage” the separate daily activities or projects will make their decisions. A large “group” cannot micromanage working decisions. The oversight of any project must be free and supported in making on-the-spot decisions. Those decisions will be made, however, inside the policies set by the governance meeting.
Jesus Sent. In a sense, we are speaking of the apostles in the early church as those setting policy and the “deacons” as those directing the activities by those policies. The reciprocal relating inside the governance meeting is the fullness of Jesus Sent, that is, the Apostle. Communication is Jesus Sent – and each of the ten most important verses gives us a further understanding of governance.
I hope to come back to a number of these things raised in this lesson as we go further through the course.
Most marriages break down because of poor communication; community is the same. Divorce is one of the worst experiences people can endure, especially for the children; breaking away from a dysfunctional community is the same.
The Sheltering Roof. There are so many ways in which safety and protection must be built into life together in community. In fact, I would recommend that the members of the community governance spend much time in deliberate thought and discussion over how the community can function as a sheltering roof for all finding their place there.
Now, the action verb inside of this entire topic is “being built together.” For us, this verb takes on very tangible qualities. Reciprocal love does not “just happen.” Reciprocal love takes place in the ongoing context of making decisions together.
It is a costly thing to love one another; that’s why it is so valuable when it occurs.
Heaven on Earth. You see, everyone thinks that “in heaven” everything is perfect. Jesus is in charge and everyone will do what they are told. The kingdom of heaven is not a dictatorship. Jesus is Head inside of and out from every individual member.
Our shattered and separated lives in this broken world are not the norm. Walking together, part of one another is the norm. One way of describing what you have read in this lesson would be “heaven on earth.” Or we could call it the revelation of Jesus Christ, Father made visible.
Christ is as each other. As we know one another, so we know the Lord. We are members of one another, drinking of the same Spirit.