Effective Structures for Community-Building Use

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The Spiritual Relevance of Building a Community
Spiritual Community as Recovery Facilitator
Ugliness and Beauty of Life
Flesh and Spirit Dynamic
Hope of Christ Living in Individuals
Effective Structures
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Church has always played an important place in people’s lives. However, the extent of the impact is different for all people and communities. Whereas there are individuals who cannot imagine their existence without a religious component, there are also people who hardly even think about the role of religion in their lives (Rice 17). One of the aspects that can alter citizens’ opinions about church is the involvement of various services and programs promoted by religious organizations in the promotion of communities’ spirituality. The aim of the paper is to investigate the efforts of church services and programs in the advancement of a spiritual community.

The Spiritual Relevance of Building a Community

In the modern world with numerous problems and temptations, it is becoming harder and harder for churches to unite people around the notion of following Christ. However, it is their highest mission to overcome these difficulties and become places where communities can gather and unite rather than misunderstand and avoid. In his book, Crabb suggests the points that can be employed to evolve the structure of church as a relevant community-building resource:

to create a safe place where people can face both the ugliness and the beauty of this life;
to foresee what the Spirit can do and experience “the pains of childbirth” while people anticipate for Christ to be conceived in one another;
to differentiate Flesh Dynamics so that individuals could despise and discard them, and to detect Spirit Dynamics to cultivate and discharge them;
to pour “what is alive” in every person into others to reinforce hope about the vision’s possibility to be accomplished and to touch one another with the power of Christ living in individuals (Crabb).

Overall, spirituality has a prominent place in building a community and creating multiple ties across it, as well as establishing the appropriate ethical code and defining acceptable behaviors in it. Thus, the integration of spirituality in creating a community, as well as building the very foundation on which a community stands is imperative.

Spiritual Community as Recovery Facilitator

It is also noteworthy that the introduction of spirituality into a community is likely to result in the enhancement of the healing process. Namely, the recovery stage, which allows one to explore one’s spiritual side and address the trauma that one may have experienced in the past, becomes possible once the notion of spirituality becomes deeply engrained into the community. According to Borneman and Puchalski, the inclusion of spiritual ideas and principles into the community context allows broadening the perspective of its members and approaching the issues that may have had a profound impact on their mental and physical health. Namely, the authors emphasize the importance of community-based spirituality in managing the needs of people who receive palliative care (Borneman et al. 173). The authors state unambiguously that the inclusion of the standards for spirituality allows alleviating the negative experiences of patients with health issues that require palliative care. In the described context, the concept of recovery is viewed as spiritual one rather than physical since palliative care is typically applied at the stages of disease development at which any other intervention is pointless. Therefore, the use of community-based spirituality can be defined as that one allowing for ultimate salvation and reconciliation with oneself. By introducing community members to spiritual practices associated with self-reflection and self-exploration, community spirituality allows people requiring palliative care to meet their fate with dignity.

Another viewpoint suggested by Swanson and Rusaw allows considering spirituality and the focus on its development as an inherent characteristic and peculiarity of the human mind. The specified idea raises the question of whether the described issue can be viewed as requiring protection due to the dangers that the Christian community faces and the challenges that it has to overcome regularly (Swanson and Rusaw 21). Swanson and Rusaw also warn that, no matter how significant and required change might be, it will inevitably face at least some semblance of resistance. In the case in point, the resistance to change is less likely to be observed due to the beliefs and values of the community, which are closely linked to the Christian religion. Indeed, the existing standards for the Christian religion suggest that its proponents should remain docile and patient, following the prescribed course of actions and avoiding any disobedience (Swanson and Rusaw 21). Although the specified manner of thinking does pose certain issues in regard to the bodily and mental autonomy of the target population, it, nevertheless, represents a major obstacle that one will need to overcome.

As emphasized above, the increase in the extent of resistance to change is another factor affecting the development of spirituality within a community that one may expect when integrating Christian values into it. Ross explains that the unwillingness to accept new ideas and standards is a rather common phenomenon, which is rooted in people’s fear of failing newly developed expectations, which often prove to be significantly high, thus justifying the described fear (Ross 73). However, in relation to spiritual growth, the specified fear prevents from maintaining the current relationships within the community, as well as building new ones. According to Ross, the focus on spiritual development in the context of a specific community is going to be quite difficult: “In a frenetic world where change is increasingly rapid it is comforting to be part of a community that seems to offer a safe haven from the disruption of life all around” (Ross 57). However, even with the specified obstacle in the way of promoting spiritual development, one can still achieve success in the specified mission once being armed with the right intentions and the correct strategies.

By studying different types of defenses, one can understand the reasons for people to avoid the acceptance of new spiritual standards and, thus, change the target audience’s perspective. Ross explains that the presence of deeply-seated trauma can be overcome once its source is located and addressed accordingly (Ross 71). Surprisingly enough, the specified approach appears to be viable even in the context of the community trauma, which implies a particularly vast spread of the damage produced.

Ugliness and Beauty of Life

In addition, the importance of effective structures based on the principles of spirituality for the development of the community can be explored once considering the effects that spirituality has on reducing distress. Collins and Bowland claim that spirituality plays a major role in assisting people with handling different types of distress, including both physical and mental ones. Therefore, spirituality can be integrated into the process of building the effective structures that will allow people to create personal coping mechanisms for managing the issues that typically cause distress, anxiety, and even physical pain. According to Collins and Bowland, the inclusion of spirituality into a community allows building the edifice of strength and moral support for community members to receive when processing negative events occurring to them (Collins and Bowland 241). As a result, the structures created within the community with the help of spirituality and the related values help to transform ugliness into beauty by shaping the perspective of community members ad allowing them to experience personal growth. The power of transformation becomes particularly obvious when embracing the opportunity to use spirituality in creating the structure for transforming ugliness of life and “assisting in the search for purpose and meaning, and encouraging directedness, forgiveness, thankfulness, and hope” (Collins and Bowland 237). Therefore, the inclusion of spirituality as one of the cornerstone factors in designing the effective structures for managing negative factors, experiences, and possible trauma serves as a huge boost in achieving the set goals.

Flesh and Spirit Dynamic

The described practice harkens back to the idea of distinguishing between the dynamics of flesh and that one of the spirit, while cultivating both. The necessity to maintain balance between the two define presence of effective structures within a Christian community as the resource needed to reconcile one’s spiritual duties with the limitations of one’s flesh (Al Dueck and Austin Johnson 303). However, without proper dynamics between spirit and flesh, the described practice is barely attainable since one will inevitably fixate on secular issues pertaining to one’s earthly body, according to Dueck and Johnson (303). In addition, Ross also explains that balance needs to be achieved between the focus on flesh and spirit: “There are some lovely biblical metaphors which talk of God replacing a heart of stone with a heart of flesh” (Ross 73). Overall, the existing evidence points to the presence of a peculiar dichotomy within the context of spiritual development of a community and its individual members, particularly, the dilemma of choosing between the cultivation of flesh and the development of spirit (Edgell and Robey 651). In turn, the existing research proves that, with a proper and effective structure of Christian beliefs established within a community, one does not have to choose between the two but, instead, ensure that both are taken proper care of as the means of achieving spiritual development.

Arguably, the described solution could be seen as problematic since it might be interpreted as an attempt to go against one of the foundational Christian provisions, namely, the concept of sacrifice and, particularly, the willingness to abandon the complementary needs of flesh as the ones that the spirit can tame (Roy 11). Nevertheless, the specified argument does not negate the role that spirituality plays in creating effective structures for helping community members to keep the balance between meeting the needs of their flesh and their spirit.

Hope of Christ Living in Individuals

The philosophy and ideas established by Jesus are traditionally viewed as the cornerstone of modern Christianity. Therefore, ensuring that people live by the specified ethical standards and values is instrumental in promoting spiritual growth of individuals and the community alike. In turn, by creating a spiritual edifice as an effective structure on which a community can rely, one will be able to introduce people to the notion of Christlikeness.

The role of hope and the promotion of Christlikeness in individuals has been emphasized extensively as the foundational purpose of spiritual leaders. Allowing to resolve individual issues, it guides one through one’s personal journey, allowing an individual to repent and reconcile with the mistakes that they have made on the way. For example, Dennis-Brinson points to the importance of Christlikeness and compliance with the principles set by Jesus as the means of addressing the needs of vulnerable community members. Specifically, Dennis-Brinson provides a situation with an unplanned pregnancy as an example of using the values promoted by Jesus to support women in difficult situations:

The community at Akron Pregnancy Services has been able to be an example of the love of Christ for women like this for many years and it has had a positive impact on those that need support when they have experienced an unplanned pregnancy. (Dennis-Brinson 2)

Therefore, adherence to the ideas, values, and philosophy that Jesus established as the foundation for Christianity is central to building the edifice of spirituality within a community. The specified observation indicates the presence of reciprocity in the relationships between spirituality and effective structures in Christian communities, namely, the impact that the specified structures have on shaping people’s willingness to accept spiritual guidance and development. Moreover, the opportunity for spiritual transformation as a community-based process needs to be addressed s one of the multiple possibilities created by introducing spirituality to the target audience.

Effective Structures

Examining some of the key structures that are believed to have a direct effect on the reinforcement of community ties by using spirituality a s guiding force, one may need to consider the values that a Christian community needs to uphold (“Section 1. Overview: Some Spiritual Assets for Community Building”). As a rule, the importance of the compassion and forgiveness is typically defined as the cornerstone for a true Christian philosophy (“Section 2. Being Compassionate”; “Section 4. Forgiveness and Reconciliation”).

The promotion of peace is another critical value that should be reinforced by utilizing spirituality as the guiding force. Remarkably, the concept of peace can be seen as the direct effect of the rest of the values being put in place within the context of a Christian community (“Section 5. Promoting Peace”).

Similarly to spreading peace, the promotion of hope can be considered a critical step in reinforcing the idea of unity among Christians and, thus, enhancing the structures within their community, with the help of spiritual growth (“Section 6. Spreading Hope”). Representing one of the foundational values of Christian religion, the promotion of peace and the refusal to adopt bellicose attitudes and relationships allows building a structure the hierarchy of which is shaped based not on military principles but on social ones, which is crucial for the enhancement of social justice ideas and values associated with tolerance, acceptance, and support (“Section 3. Being Charitable Towards Others.”).

In addition, the inclusion of spirituality into a community of Christians is expected to reinforce the notion of hospitality as an important value according to which Christians are expected to act. The role of hospitality in Christianity has been fairly high for the need to maintain good nature and kindness toward every single human being and not only the members of a particular community. In fact, the focus on hospitality suggests that the community is likely to grow since new members will be eager to accept the proposed values faster and, thus, integrate into the Christian community soon (“Section 7. Promoting Hospitality as a Way of Life”).

The value of mindfulness as a crucial concept in building the pillars of a Christian community and align the concept of spirituality with it is also huge. Being similar to the idea of responsibility, mindfulness allows one to approach complex dilemmas and make an appropriate decision with full regard of the relevant Christian values and principles. Therefore, the inclusion of mindfulness into the set of Christian values to be fostered is essential. In turn, spirituality will allow reinforcing the specified principle as a part of the effective community structure. One could argue that the presence of mindfulness is not necessary for abiding the law of God (“Section 8. Mindfulness and Community Building”). However, addressing the specified issue implies disentangling the problem of the autonomy of the will in Christianity and the actual ability of an individual to make a conscious choice. Nonetheless, the focus on mindfulness will help to reinforce the development of spirituality since it will allow people to be aware of the inherent connection between their choices and their spiritual growth.

Finally, gratitude and mercy need to be addressed as two essential structures that can be introduced into a community by focusing on spirituality. The specified qualities also represent the core of Christian values and beliefs, which is why centering them will be critical for the development of viable structures within a Christian community (“Section 9. Gratitude and Appreciation”). In turn, the promotion of spiritual practices that will unite the target audience is expected to help foster mercy and gratitude in them accordingly (“Section 10. Mercy”).

In fact, the introduction of spirituality as the key notion that represents a shared value among the members across the entire community leads to the reinforcement of the ties within the said community. The significance of unity has been especially high for Christian citizens lately (). However, with the rise in the number of obstacles toward promoting unity among Christians, the value of the sense of togetherness in Christians has risen exponentially. Therefore, it is critical to locate the tools that encourage the development of ties within community members and use them accordingly.

In turn, the focus on spirituality evidently offers filling the specified gap. According to the research carried out by Gallaher and Newton, the promotion of spiritual growth across a community can become the glue that will hold its members together. Therefore, the introduction of spirituality into the target setting to reinforce the efficacy of Cristian structures built in it to support corresponding values is critical. Namely, Gallaher and Newton explain that “emphasis on evangelism, rooted in the church’s theology on the need to be born again, provides a thread that ties together the church’s ministries and identity” (Gallagher and Newton 237). Therefore, by introducing the events in which the entire community can take place, one will contribute to shaping the spirituality of its members through the development of shared vision, values, and philosophy.

Conclusion

The structures for community building use have a direct and positive effect on the promotion of spiritual development in its members due to the presence of rigid criteria for building the specified structures and high flexibility in their application. The introduction of spirituality into communities is expected to produce an inevitable effect on them by exposing them to the set of ideas that will contribute to further growth.

The focus on spirituality as community-based practice allows one to reinforce the effective structures within the target environment, thus fostering the development of Christian values and qualities in people. As a result, an effective structure represented by a support system can blossom in the Christian community. Incorporating the principles of Christlikeness, redemption, and the opportunity to reconcile the needs of flesh with those of the spirit, one will be able to build a safe space for all community members and allow them to celebrate their Christian values in unity.

Works Cited

Crabb, Larry. Becoming a True Spiritual Community: A Profound Vision of What the Church Can Be. Thomas Nelson, 1999. Web.

Borneman, Tami, et al. “Evaluation of the FICA Tool for Spiritual Assessment.” Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, vol. 40, no. 2, 2010, pp. 163-173.

Collins, Wanda Lott, and Sharon Bowland. “Spiritual Practices for Caregivers and Care Receivers.” Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging, vol. 24, 2012, pp. 235-248.

Dennis-Brinson, Alisha. A Discovery of How Women with Unplanned Pregnancy Experience Spiritual Community at Akron Pregnancy Services. 2019. Ashland Theological Seminary, Doctor of Ministry Dissertation.

Dueck, Al, and Austin Johnson. “Cultural Psychology of Religion: Spiritual Transformation.” Pastoral Psychology, vol. 65, 2016, pp. 299-328.

Edgell, Penny, and Derek Robey. “Loose Connections and Liberal Theology: Blurring the Boundaries in Two Church-Based Communities of Spiritual Practice.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, vol. 54, no. 4, 2015, pp. 649-667.

Foster, Kirk A., et al. “All the Pain Along with All the Joy: Spiritual Resilience in Lesbian and Gay Christians.” American Journal of Community Psychology, vol. 55, 2015, pp. 191-201.

Gallagher, Sally K., and Chelsea Newton. “Defining Spiritual Growth: Congregations, Community, and Connectedness.” Sociology of Religion, vol. 70, no. 3, 2009, pp. 232-261.

Kearsley, Roy. Church, Community and Power. Ashgate, 2008.

Ross, Alistar. Counselling Skills for Church and Faith Community Workers. Open University Press, 2003.

Swanson, Eric, and Rish Rusaw. The Externally Focused Quest: Becoming the Best Church for the Community. Jossey-Bass, 2010.

Rice, Jesse. The Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community. David C Cook, 2009.

“Section 1. Overview: Some Spiritual Assets for Community Building.” Community Tool Box, n.d., Web.

“Section 2. Being Compassionate.” Community Tool Box, n.d., Web.

“Section 3. Being Charitable Towards Others.” Community Tool Box, n.d., Web.

“Section 4. Forgiveness and Reconciliation.” Community Tool Box, n.d., Web.

“Section 5. Promoting Peace.” Community Tool Box, n.d., Web.

“Section 6. Spreading Hope.” Community Tool Box, n.d., Web.

“Section 7. Promoting Hospitality as a Way of Life.” Community Tool Box, n.d., Web.

“Section 8. Mindfulness and Community Building.” Community Tool Box, n.d., Web.

“Section 9. Gratitude and Appreciation.” Community Tool Box, n.d., Web.

“Section 10. Mercy.” Community Tool Box, n.d., Web.

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