Random Questions About Faith Communties

Today, rather than compose an entry of well-reasoned thoughts (that would be a first, right?), I just thought I would toss out a few questions for us all to think about when we consider our Christian faith communities.

• How do we go about combining the human elements (friendship) with the spiritual element (faith) in our communities?  Do we tend to emphasize one or the other at specific times, or have specific gatherings for each one?
• How much do the expectations of each individual present in our faith communities impact what we do together?  Do we tend to focus on specific individuals, or upon what is best for the overall community?
• What is the importance of regular connection and communication between the people of the community?  Is just touching base with each other on Sunday enough, or do we need to be conscientious of our needs more frequently?
• What happens when someone is absent from our community for a time?  Do we tend to show care and concern for them, or does it come across as more of a "Where have you been?" kind of attitude?
• While no community of faith will be perfect this side of God's eternal kingdom, how can we strive to have our whole community grow in connection with one another?

I realize that there are no set answers to these questions.  It is quite possible that every faith community will "look" different in how they answer these questions, simply because the people present there, and the ways of demonstrating care and love, will always be different from place to place and person to person.  But perhaps these will give all of us a little bit to think about when it comes to our communities of faith.