Above and before almost everything else, the church is a community. It is a community of Jesus followers called out for the purpose of advancing His message and mission in the world. As we wrap up our series, Authentic Church, we are going to be taking a look at this idea of the church’s being a community and why it matters so very much. If you want to know that a church is really a church, this is something you won’t want to miss.
Real Community Matters
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks, you are probably aware that there have been some protests on college campuses as the school year has wound down. Relative to the total number of college students in the country, these protests have been attended by a tiny minority of students (as well as a handful of non-students of varying sorts). They have ostensibly been pro-Palestine, but they’ve seemed to cross the line into being anti-Israel or even pro-Hamas on some occasions. In spite of their measly size, though, these protests have been covered endlessly in the media, making their messages and actions entirely more widely known than their actual numbers should have allowed. Yet while they are being cheered in some corridors, the reaction from most of the rest of the country has seemed to range between a massive eye roll at the sheer ignorance and ingratitude of these students and a hearty call for them all to be arrested and expelled. Schools that have tolerated or even placated the mobs have seen their reputations in the broader culture take a significant hit.
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The Nexus 