Why community matters for professionals and businesspeople
After considering myself a loner for a long time, I came to understand the importance of community after connecting with Christian professionals all over the world.
When I started serving God through my businesses, I realized that my life until then had been very sheltered and limited. I have been a part of church communities my entire life. In one church I attended, I observed that if someone did not look, believe, sing, dance, or pray like we were used to, they were considered wrong. Our community only accepted and operated in one particular way, deemed the right way - or God's way.
Because of this limited mindset, I turned my back to that community for many years. In some ways, I replaced one extreme with another. Since I did not gossip, slander, argue, or judge anymore, I started seeing myself as a good Christian.
Being holy and alone
Then I realised that the only reason I did not do these nasty things was that I was all alone. I isolated myself completely. I studied the Bible, prayed a lot and received God's inspiration daily. I became perfect, blameless without fault - at least in my own eyes. I thought I was a true ambassador of Jesus, but I was not interacting with people who could challenge me and help me keep on track in being his disciple.
The international, professional community I later related to, pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and connect with people. I remember the first time I had to chat online with other "tentmakers". I was super afraid and self-conscious about what I looked like on screen, how my accent sounded, and my poor English grammar. Despite these fears, I committed and pushed through.
It's not about you but about what God knows you need
I overcame my fear for the wrong reasons, though. I thought I joined the community because the people there and the world needed what I had to offer. Boy, was I wrong! The opposite was true. I needed what the other professionals and businesspeople had. I needed to see that there was a whole world outside my little suburb. I had to experience people from different countries having the same issues as I do, and let their perspectives shed another light on my situation. I realised there are people who help, encourage and uplift one another with no ill will and nothing to gain. I learned that a different perspective may not be wrong but rather influenced by culture.
The Holy Spirit uses pros and cons of online communities
The online community I now became a part of began to shape my worldview and boosted my ego. Still, no one knew me. I could go online and be perfectly happy, inspired and insightful. I became more skilled in appearing online and overcame the issues I first had. In addition I learned to be more concise with what I wanted to say. These tools also helped my professional life and created a new career path without me knowing it.
Although embracing different cultures online, I was still only connecting with people within my chosen church locally. It is safe to say that hanging out with people with the same beliefs and the same way of thinking and doing things, is easier than connecting with people having different attitudes and worldviews.
As the weeks passed by, I started gaining a fresh perspective on the Bible's teachings. I began to see my arrogance and how, yet again, I had started isolating myself from the people who met me daily. I noticed how Jesus interacted with people in the Bible. He spent significant time with the different groups and then by Himself to pray and be with his Father. Additionally, He met with both Jews and Gentiles and visited the homes of those who were outcasts of society. Jesus did not only relate to people who believed in him as the Messiah, but with anyone he came in contact with - Jews, Gentiles, poor, rich, sick, scholars, and many others.
To follow Jesus' example, I started meeting a variety of people for coffee and connecting with members of different cultures. This again changed my perspective. I relentlessly started to have fellowship with people who do not agree with me. Many times, I invited or hang out with people who are not like me at all. Through this my life has become less about me and more about the people around me.
The benefit of having online and in-person communities
Today I have an inner circle, comprising of both online and in-person friends. They all know me well enough to challenge me when they see something that should be changed. One benefit of an online and International community is that the people you talk with are far away. This gives opportunities for open sharing, and the others can give wise, objective counsel because they know they have nothing to lose. On the other hand, my inner circle at home knows my weaknesses and sees my flaws. They guide me and call me out when I am not living truthfully just like the Word instructs us to do in Galatians 6:1–2: "Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ". Hebrews 10:24-25, says "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching".
These verses show how important relating with people and building better communities are in our walk with Christ.
How to build a community?
There are so many reasons why you should build communities. The causes for doing it is more important than the recipe on how to do it. Here are some some of the main reasons why I find it crucial to belong to caregiving, encouraging and lifeguiding communities:
Avoiding deception: We can easily be deceived by our own egos and believe that we are more or less flawless. However, if our goal is to grow and become more like Jesus, we must create a close-knit group of individuals who trust us and whom we can trust. This requires vulnerability, transparency, consistency, and grace. Having fellowship like this can be challenging since it requires effort from everyone. The response and guidance we get can also be hurtful.
Helping to stay on track: Many professionals and businesspeople working to reach unreached people groups, may experience loneliness. Having on-site fellowship with other Christians may not be doable. An online community can be of unprecedented help as you strive to serve Jesus through life and work.
Fellowship with new people while doing something you enjoy: Meeting new people takes effort, but joining a local sports club, book club, hobby group, or choir based on a common interest can help you build meaningful relationships quickly.
Having fun: Inviting people to have fun with us just for the sake of having fun, with no hidden agenda, is fully OK. As followers of Jesus we are called to use the full variety of feelings that he has given to us. He created us with fullness of life.
Making a positive impact on our societies: We often think just in spiritual terms when we consider how we can impact our societies. There are however many good causes we can engage in that are in line with God's heart. Even people who do not know him, often fulfil his will. What about joining groups on gardening, feeding the needy, teaching life skills to the homeless, or other voluntary services. These are great ways to connect with needs in your area and help where you can. Many of these organisations run on a volunteer basis and are very happy to welcome volunteers who are ready to serve.
Keeping a balance
As we engage in our communities, we must be careful to keep our lives in balance. The needs are many, but those caring may be too few. As professionals and business people we must focus on our work. Everything we do is for God. He wants us to work with excellence and right attitude (Col 3,23). At the same time, work should not be everything in our lives. Having fellowship and being part of both workplace and off-work communities can help us to keep our lives in balance.
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By Elizabeth Strauss