This Christian Life

The New Kind of Community

Whether you call this era “modern” or “postmodern” you have to admit there is a tension exists between individuality and community. Individualism is at an all time high. Everyone has their own… everthing. I have a T.V., computer, iPod, car (two of them), house—and so do you. We all think we need our own ____________ for whatever reason. I even heard an amish farmer say that his village acts the same way. Everyone thinks they need their own “tractor” whereas before they all got along perfectly using the common town tractor. I belive the modern era taught us all to act this way. We forgot how to share.

However, the postmodern era brings in a new kind of community. Because we all have our own computer (let say), we all have the ability to create community in a way we couldn’t before. I think we not only have the means to do so, but we miss community so much, that we long for it desparately. So, we create it by linking our individual computers together in a new kind of community.

Think about it. What is a discussion board, IM, or email? Just new ways of communication? No! They’re attempts (albeit limited) at reforming the community we have worked so hard to do without in the modern era.

I have dreams of a church where members can bring their own laptop, iPod, or other personal device and “plug in” to the worship service. They could wirelessly download the sermon notes, or presentation, or audio, or video files onto their own device and share in a new community experience that everyone can participate in. Then they could take it home and re-experience it later in the week on their own, or plug into a discussion board with other members of the same community based on what they learned at the gathering.

It’s not all that unimaginable.