The Community of Christ believes that a large part of spiritual growth happens in the context of community. They practice a number of spiritual nurture activities including the laying on of hands for confirmation, blessing of children, marriage, ministration to the sick and ordination.
It takes a village to make a disciple. The way we work together has a powerful impact on discipleship.
Nurture Yourself
Getting our spiritual life in balance is as important as taking care of our physical body or our mental and emotional well-being. The body needs regular exercise and healthy food, the mind needs stimulation and challenges and the spirit needs nourishment, too, although it is an area that is often neglected.
One way to nurture your own spiritual growth is to make time for quiet reflection and meditation. This can be done alone or with a group. Another option is to spend a few hours each week reading Scripture with an eye toward finding and understanding the deeper meaning of the text. Lastly, consider participating in an intentional prayer retreat. There are many resources available on the Internet that can be used for this purpose. community for jesus
Nurturing your own spiritual growth is a process that continues throughout your entire life. As you gain wisdom and experience, new opportunities for spiritual growth present themselves. It is a process that is as natural as the aging of your body, and it is a natural part of our journey with Jesus.
In addition to the personal efforts you can make to nurture your own spiritual growth, the community at large has a variety of ways that it can support spiritual formation. For example, our local meeting may have a group dedicated to spiritual nurture, or you might choose to participate in a national spiritual retreat. The Northern Yearly Meeting also has a subcommittee that provides opportunities for spiritual nurture by going to local Meetings to facilitate all-day retreats and by offering workshops at Annual Sessions.
The Book of Order includes a section on “Ministering to the Spirit.” Arthur gives a clear definition of this work and walks through a few examples. He explains how to engage a person’s spirit and invite them into a relationship. He then demonstrates how to minister legitimacy, helping a spirit overcome a sense of falseness. This is a powerful work that we all need to be doing in our communities. It is an essential component in creating the thriving community we desire for ourselves, our families and our churches.
Nurture Your Relationships
A healthy relationship is nurtured by time together, but it also requires nourishing the spirit in each individual. In addition to the many activities that can be done to feed one's spirit, spiritual traditions often emphasize two in particular. The first is to be a lifelong learner; to read and contemplate sacred texts and other sources of inspiration that take us deep into ourselves and out into the world. The second is to keep the Sabbath; to set aside time for leisure and rest to let your soul nourish itself and rebalance yourself.
Nurturing your relationships with others can be challenging, especially during times of great stress and uncertainty. It's easy for romantic relationships to get put on the back burner as we give all of our attention and energy to work, children, relatives, housekeeping, grocery shopping and bills. When that happens, frayed nerves can lead to snapping and saying things you regret. But there are ways to nurture your relationship even during the most stressful times.
Getting involved in a church community is a way to build healthy bonds and lasting friendships. The benefits of doing life with other believers include support & accountability, fun & fellowship, engaging in service & missions work and encouragement & growth through diversity.
The value of Christian community goes even further than that. When we show love and compassion for people from all walks of life, it serves as a witness to the power and presence of God.
If your relationships with members of your church community have become strained, work to restore those relationships. Doing this can be difficult, but it's important to the health of your spirit. If you need help navigating a difficult situation, consult with elders, pastors or trusted friends who can provide guidance.
It's also important to nurture your relationships with friends and family outside of the church. This can be done through regular dates, a day trip or a week-long vacation. When you're spending time with your loved ones, be fully present. Try to eliminate distractions like TV, phones and your own thoughts to make the most of your time together.
Nurture Your Community
Getting together in community is a key way to nurture our spirit. Whether it is in person or in the virtual world, our spirits need to feel connected to others. These connections can be on several levels: the immediate, superficial ones that make us look around and say “Who is like me?” and the deeper ones that help us know we belong to something bigger than ourselves.
The body, mind and spirit are connected and optimum health can be achieved only when they are balanced. While the body needs healthy food and exercise, the mind needs stimulation and challenge and the spirit needs time for meditation and spiritual connection. Unfortunately, the spirit is often the area that is neglected.
A Christian community is a place where people can connect with each other on all of these levels. The church is a place where we can gather with believers to worship God and learn from scripture together, as well as share our gifts and talents in service to one another and the world. These relationships can help us grow in our faith and our love for Christ.
Many communities have a holistic view of spirituality, which involves a healthy mind, body and spirit. They value integrity, compassion and kindness. They are a witness to the world that there is a better way to live.
The community that a Christian nurtures should include people who support the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of its members. A nurturing community should be a safe place where members can find acceptance and healing for any difficulties they are facing. It should also be a place where people can find encouragement to keep moving forward on their spiritual journey.
There are many ways to nurture a community, but the most important things are dedication and time. If you are able to give both of these to your community, you will find that it thrives. In this way, you can nurture the spirit of your church and prepare it for its future.
Nurture Your Church
People need spiritual nurture just as newborn babies require physical nourishment. If they are left to fend for themselves, new church members will die spiritually just as surely as a newborn baby would without immediate care. Nurture takes many forms, and each person will find their best way to receive and give it. However, most spiritual traditions emphasize two things in particular: study — becoming a lifelong learner; and keeping the Sabbath – dedicating time to leisure and reflection.
Many people try to live out their faith in isolation, but it’s hard for anyone to thrive on that alone. When you’re a part of a community for Jesus, you’ll gain support and accountability, grow spiritually through fellowship, engage in serving and missions work, and receive encouragement through diversity.
The Great Commission – to go out into the world and make disciples – is a central mission for any church. But how a congregation fulfills that mission will be different from one church to another. To meet the needs of their own community, some churches might focus on evangelism while others may focus more on social outreach. Whatever their approach, it’s important for a church to consider the cultural soil and what kinds of seeds will be most fruitful in that environment.
Nurturing spiritually is a core value for any Christian, but it’s even more vital to the success of a church. If a church wants to grow, it’s important for its leaders to understand the three components of nurture: priority, program, and process.
Churches should also be mindful of misconceptions about achieving these goals, which can sometimes cause problems when trying to focus and achieve nurturing in the church. For example, some pastors might mistakenly think that “growing the church” is a priority, but this goal can be counterproductive if it’s implemented in ways that are inconsistent with or contrary to the church’s central theology and mission. The Church Purpose Ministry Manual provides some helpful questions to help your church focus on achieving nurturing in the congregation.