Sunny Days with Punk MonksScot Bower - 19 Apr 2010

I don’t know about you but I find life much easier when the sun shines; conversation flows and laughter seem to come more readily.

This past weekend it has felt (in my little corner of the Northern hemisphere at least) that perhaps the long harsh winter has finally retreated and a promise of summer has been made. As the sun shone I sat with a group of friends chatting and resisting the British urge to fire up the barbecue at the first sign of spring. We talked, as is our way, of mountain bikes, gardens (a topic that increases as we age!) children and the demise of Liverpool FC. Eventually though we got around to chatting about Jesus and the church. My friend has been reading Punk Monk (by Andy Freeman) and enthusiastically told me how it had brought a real challenge to how he saw and ‘did’ church. “We might be called a ‘community church’” he said “but I’ve realised that we've written ‘community’ with a very small C”.

That got me thinking of the number of churches I’ve been involved with that have been named ‘Such and Such Community Church’ or had a snappy strap line like: ‘in the community, for the community’. The desire to be known as a ‘community’ church is a commendable one, it takes the emphasis from ‘me’ and puts it on ‘us’. Community is of course at the very root of the gospel where we once were foreigners and strangers we have now been brought into relationship with Christ Jesus and with that the body of Christ that is His church. Unfortunately many of us struggle when we try to work out what being a community or a community church really means (although I should say I know there are many fantastic 'community churches'): How does a church foster community within and take her place amongst the wider local community? These aren’t easy questions to answer. Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously wrote

He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter...

He goes further, much further in his condemnation of those he labels ‘visionary dreamers’ (I often worry about being a visionary dreamer!), but essentially his warning can be summed up in another of his often used quotes:

Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this.

So how do we help one another in our quest to find community solely ‘in and through Jesus Christ’? My favourite way of course is to sit and chat (preferably in the sunshine) with friends who are walking the same path, encouraging each other and praying together. Secondly and most importantly we put one foot in front of the other and simply get on with it; we make disciples (Mat 28:19) and allow ourselves to be built together as living stones (1 Peter 2:5).

Thirdly, like my friend, I’m thankful for books like Punk Monk, which I unapologetically recommend to anyone interested in what authentic Christ centred communities might look like in today's world. I’d go so far as say I nearly always recommend Punk Monk alongside Bonhoeffers ‘Life Together’ and Jean Varniers ‘Community and Growth’ as 3 must read books for church planters and disciple makers – praise indeed! (There are plenty of others I may suggest depending on the person/situation). 

Maybe one day I'll get there and discover with others what being the body of Christ (1Cor 12:27) should look like and more importantly how it should live. Until then I'm thankful for conversations with Punk Monks on sunny days. 

Punk Monk is written by Andy Freeman, is a 24-7 Titles publication and tells the story (so far) of 24-7 Prayer communities which are sometimes known as Boiler Rooms, around the world. It is available to purchase in the 24-7 Prayer online shop.