Adult Education: The Meaning of Community

We’re starting a new series for the Fall on the meaning of community. It’s easy to want community, to praise it, to assume we have it. It’s not always to easy to know what exactly we mean by it. When we call ourselves a “community of faith,” what does that mean? We’ll start this five-session topic with a discussion of church words and church spaces, looking at recent articles by Pastor Peter Marty and Pastor Katherine Willis Pershey. Some questions for discussion for Pr. Pershey’s article:

1. Have you ever learned or thought about church architecture? What effect do you think the physical features of a space have on the church gatherings that take place there?
2. Specifically, what might a Gothic cathedral building communicate about church, God, and faith? What about a horizontal, Prairie-style building?
3. Some writers argue that “secularity” is not primarily about people choosing not to attend to church, but rather the way our culture “curbs our capacity to believe in God at all.” Do you agree? Why or why not?
4. In Pershey’s church, the consultant found that the congregation excelled in hospitality, morale, and conflict management, but scored very low in “spiritual vitality.” How would you describe the spiritual vitality of your faith community? Of your own journey?
5. Pershey celebrates her own transformation as a gift from God and points to several factors in her growth in addition to learning about modernity: Eugene Peterson’s work, friendships, mental health care, and more. What have been the most significant causes of God’s transformation in your life in the last few years?​

Coming up:  

• October 8: Mission trip report
• October 15: The Meaning of Community – Accessibility and Inclusion
• October 22: End of Life Care with Pastor Kristen Klade
• October 29: What’s Going on in American Christianity? with New York Times national correspondent Ruth Graham
• November 5: The Meaning of Community – Constitution Updates
• November 12: The Meaning of Community – Building Safety
• November 19: The Meaning of Community – Who is Welcome?