Missional communities’ look differently all across the globe, but each has core values (whether they realize it or not!) that fuel and drive their life and practice. My community – NieuCommunities – is a covenant community.
What does that mean?
In a similar way that the community of Israel consciously entered into covenant relationship with Yahweh, each year we covenant to commune with God, be intentional with our faith community and deeply engage our neighborhood. This past Sunday night we reflected on the past year – sharing joys, confessions and learnings – and prayerfully invited God and each other into another year of shared life on mission together.
It is a sacred time. It is a high commitment, but it has been living life in this commitment that I have experienced the depth and value of Christ’s Bride, the Church. We can’t run from each other when things get tough or uncomfortable or awkward or when we don’t see eye to eye. We are submitted to each other as we all submit to follow in the way of Jesus. It has high costs, but it is well worth it and it can change everything.
Here are our thoughts on “covenant” and our Common Covenant:
A covenant is a commitment made within the context of relationship. It’s a commitment to act in certain ways, and in our case, to be a certain kind of people. It’s a commitment that deeply connects us to one another and unites us around a shared calling.
Our covenant is a collective covenant, which means we are together declaring our intentions. The covenant expresses what we are committed to do and be, collectively. We recognize that people are at different stages in life and will participate in the community at varying depths. We also know that none of us will ever do this perfectly. But all of us who covenant to be part of this community are doing our best to align our lives with these commitments.
Our covenant is rooted in our three Core Commitments. It describes how we, in our various locations, will pursue our calling to be a mentoring and sending community that develops people to live missional lives wherever God calls them.
THE NIEUCOMMUNITIES COMMON COVENANT
Communion
We believe that we were created to be worshippers and lovers of God.
As such, we will make the Triune God the center of our lives by collectively and individually committing to live as disciples of Christ.
This includes cultivating an attitude of thankfulness, a lifestyle of prayer and worship, a deep and responsive engagement with scripture, a reliance on the provision and guidance of the Holy Spirit, exploring and practicing a diversity of spiritual disciplines, discovering God’s goodness and beauty in his created world, and the intentional participation in the gift of Sabbath.
Community
We believe that the Gospel is best experienced and expressed within a community of Christ-followers.
Because of this, we will open our lives to be shaped by the community in which God has placed us.
Our journey together will include living in the same neighborhood, opening our lives and homes as places of invitation and hospitality, gathering at least once a week over a common meal, caring for and submitting to one another, speaking well of one another and defending each other’s name, sharing stories and reflecting on God’s work of love in our midst, living more simply and sharing our resources with those in need, and gathering together weekly to grow and to be formed as apprentices of Jesus.
Context
We believe that God calls all followers of Christ to live a life of mission.
In obedience to this, we will incarnate the good news of the kingdom and become a reconciling and redemptive presence in the places we inhabit.
This life of mission will include “submerging” in our own unique neighborhood, living as the light of God’s grace in places of darkness, inviting neighbors and friends to experience a different kind of faith community, becoming true caretakers of God’s creation, creating spaces and moments for our neighbors to experience both community and communion with God, discipling our neighbors into deeper relationship with Jesus, partnering with other leaders in our city to advance the kingdom, helping to birth new faith communities, and apprenticing young leaders to live out all of these things with us and wherever God sends them.
Sounds awesome! Here are some nuts and bolts kinda questions or points:
1. Would love to hear an example of conflict/awkwardness resolution. Seems to me if we don’t actually live together then we can indeed run from one another.
2. Are community members part of Sunday morning churches? If so, does everyone go to the same building to worship?
3. What’s the difference in being a super nice neighbor and a missional minded Jesus follower?
Thanks for all you do!
Brilliant questions, my friend! Here is my best shot at ’em:
1. without disclosing too much, you can imagine the reality of living in intentional community with other families that have different parenting philosophies, or the realities of trying to create a dynamic of shared leadership (yet some personalities are inevitably stronger than others!) or having different values when it comes to simplicity, ecology, etc…the list goes on and on. BUT if we get hung up on any of these they can burry us and compromise the very mission we have collectively covenanted to. This is when the good ‘ol tough conversations and change in practice has to happen.
2. That varies depending on the NieuCommunities site DNA. Here in Golden Hill, we support (often lead musical worship, teach, etc…) other local expressions of church, but we don’t regularly attend any of their services. Every Sunday night we have a worship gathering that includes a shared meal, worship (in some form), teaching, Eucharist, etc…We are one expression of the Church of Golden Hill and we invite our neighbors into this. We just happen to meet in our homes.
3. GREAT question! In short, we view the neighborhood as our Parish. In other words, our neighbors aren’t just people we are to be nice to, we actually feel called to care, love and support them. They are our “congregation.” As participants in the Missio Dei, we are to reflect the redemption and restoration that God has for them. And we desire to invite them to shared life in the way of Jesus. For example, Janny just last week spent 48 straight hours as our neighbors’ doula in her labor…or the couple that lives a few blocks away who has accepted our invitation to covenant community and just covenanted with us this past Sunday.
Hope that makes an ounce of sense! Thanks for keeping us on our toes!