“What is community?” This question keeps coming up as we discuss God’s calling for
his church. It makes sense that people are asking this question. When we talk about “church” we tend to use words related to buildings and programs rather than people and relationships. But if we are going to speak rightly about the church, we must begin by talking about people and about relationships—with God and with one another. The best way to understand the church is to view it in terms of community.

We interact with a number of different communities every day. Our kids go to an educational community called school. Many people are involved in commerce communities called work. We live in communities we call neighborhoods. These pockets of individuals are marked with characteristics and interests as diverse as the people that form them, but what makes each of these communities important are the people and the purpose for which they gather. Remove the purpose or the people and suddenly the community has no point or no substance. The community at Bethel Christian Life Center is no different, and if those essential elements are removed, we might as well disband. Therefore, it is important to begin by stating that our goal as a church—as a distinct community of people—is to be about one thing: the gospel of Jesus Christ
(1 Cor. 15:1-11).