Every page of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, Life Together, tested and equipped me. Dietrich’s core ministry philosophy caused me to be more introspective on what is truly important in Christian living. Ministry is more than a program, but a, “Christ-centered community…united in service to and for one another” (Bonhoeffer, 2015, p. 48). This entire book was a ‘wow’ for me and I appreciated the careful spiritual guidance Bonhoeffer provided to his seminary students and to us as readers. He emphasized how critical it is for the entire body of Christ to work together. Bonhoeffer stated how a, “Christian needs others for the sake of Jesus Christ. It means, second, that a Christian comes to others only through Jesus Christ” (Bonhoeffer, 2015, p. 272). Apostle Paul confirmed this truth of unity in 1 Corinthians 12:27 as it reads, “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it” (New Living Translation, 1996). This unity manifests the presence of Christ as he dwells in each person.
The Christian community is supposed to be a, “source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer” (Bonhoeffer, 2015, p. 244). This joy should permeate everything that we do as a Christian community. We don’t need each other for our own sake, but for the
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343). This claim from Bonhoeffer was a ‘wow’ claim. Emotions in themselves are not necessarily corrupt, but emotions can be misleading and detrimental if the foundation of truth is not established. Emotional communities tend to serve one another in order to fulfill themselves (Bonhoeffer, 2015, p. 398). Spiritual communities, on the other hand, naturally consist of, “service to one another” (Bonhoeffer, 2015, p. 409). In a spiritual community, Bonhoeffer concluded that it is the Holy Spirit that moves (2015, p. 409). Christian leaders should work to gauge the health of their ministries and notice if it is empowered by the Holy Spirit or of personal
Drawing a distinction between being for someone and being with someone, Father Boyle writes: “Jesus was not a man for others. He was one with others. Jesus didn’t seek the rights of lepers. He touched the leper even before he got around to curing him. He didn’t champion the cause of the outcast. He was the outcast.” Such a distinction has significant implications for understanding ourselves in relation to others. While being for someone implies a separateness, a distinction between “them” and “us”, being with someone requires the recognition of a oneness with another, a unity that eradicates differences and binds people together. “’Be compassionate as God is compassionate’, means the dismantling of barriers that exclude,” writes Father Boyle. Accordingly, true compassion is not only recognizing the pain and suffering of others – it is not just advocating for those in need. It is being with others in their pain and suffering – and “bringing them in toward yourself.” Indeed, scripture scholars connect the word compassion to the “deepest part of the person,” showing that when Jesus was “moved with pity”, he was moved “from the entirety of his
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, ed. Readings in Christian Ethics: A Historical Sourcebook. Edited by J. Philip Wogaman and Douglas M. Strong. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996.
As we have looked in to the Christian worldview of God, our humanity, the Son of God, and the restoration of our lives back into God’s purpose. Now we have a better understanding of what it means to be a member of the Christian community. God wants believers to dwell in union and in community having the same mind that is in Jesus Christ (Phil 2:1-11). This paper showed how God and Jesus Christ are at the fundamental core of all Christian beliefs regardless of the countless differences many Christians may
John begins with a statement I wholeheartedly agree with – expressing how greatly God must love us to call us H...
Bonhoeffer’s writing concerning community in Life Together sheds a great deal of light and marks boundaries for Christians on how to relate with each other. It is of utmost importance to remember that community is nothing but a gracious gift of God. When this understanding is grasped, love flows between brothers and sisters under the guidance of the Spirit and life is lived in the freedom of redemption and under the Word and “fruits that grow healthily in accord God’s good will in the rain and storm and sunshine of God’s outdoors” (37) will grow. Finally, it is always a good reminder, in the words of Bonhoeffer; “we are bound together by faith, not by experience” (39) so let us love and live through faith in the redeeming work of our Lord
...hat share my faith and together worship Jesus. I believe that by being in fellowship with other believers I will have a strong opportunity to pursue and fulfill God’s purpose in my life, whether it is a daily or lifetime calling.
Himes, B. (2011). Discipleship as theological praxis: Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a resource for educational ministry. Christian Education Journal, 8(2), 263-277.
With this in mind, the following will focus on the spiritual formation process within the Christian community. The concept of Christian community stems from the Bible with the perspective of the body of Christ. The body of Christ is compared to the humane body, a whole comprised of numerous parts; each individual part is required and created by God to form a cohesive whole, no matter believer or non-believer or social status (1 Corinthians 12). Similarly, the spiritual community is also comprised of bountiful parts and can be customized to the individual as the formation. Ashbrook appraises the significance of individuals and community, “Our spiritual formation is designed by God to happen in the context of Christian community, the chu...
“First, there is the call to be a Christian. Second, for each individual there is a specific call—a defining purpose or mission, a reason for being. Every individual is called of God to respond through service in the world. Third, there is the call that we face each day in response to the multiple demands on our lives—our immediate duties and responsibilities” (Smith, ...
“The call is something that is an indescribable joy and an indefinable burden at the same time.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 32). There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a congregation of the redeemed moving forward in their faith. However exciting this may be, it is usually not the thrill that propels the pastor in his service. It is the burden placed on the pastor by God that compels him in his work. The pastor understands that he is largely responsible for the work of God being accomplished by his faithfulness to his calling. “All through the Word of God and down through the annals of history, when God has moved it has almost always been attended by the preaching of the Word.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 31)
In ministry it is important to note that the different people involved in your ministry will be at different stages of their spiritual growth. Having an awareness of your own personal theology will be important for how you go about teaching the students who are involved in your youth ministry. One part of personal theology is spiritual formation. Duffy Robbins states that spiritual formation is, “the growing into the likeness of Jesus” (448). Another main part of personal theology is community. Understanding and having an idea of both spiritual formation and community helps with the formation of personal theology of ministry. This paper will share five areas of theology and how they relate to practical theology in youth ministry. The five areas of theology include view of God, view of people, view of sin, view of redemption, and view of scripture.
The shepherd and sheep relationship is the best illustration for the relationship between pastor and parishioners. When Jesus asked Simon Peter does he love him three times and said to him “Feed my sheep”, the shepherd and flock relationship has been set. Since Jesus is our good shepherd (Jn. 10:11a), he laid out a good example for us to follow - to lay down his life for the sheep. (Jn. 10:11b) Thus, the wellness of both in and out of the parishioners should always be the concern in the pastors’ hearts. Soul care for the people is essential. Christian friendship is the foundation of Christian soul care. Pastoral ministry including preaching, teaching, and worship forms the broad context of pastoral counseling. Pastoral care is within pastoral ministry but broader than pastoral counseling. God’s love is the source and motivation. Within the pastoral care, there are spiritual direction and pastoral
“Our work for Christ is to begin with the family, in the home ... There is no missionary field more important than this.”
In Ronelle Sonnenberg’s article (Being together in youth worship: An empirical study in Protestant Dutch contexts) she address the community aspect of “youth worship”. The main question asked in her article is “What aspects can be distinguished in the quality of ‘being together’ in youth worship and how can they be understood sociologically and theologically?” while trying to answer this question Sonnenberg and her fellow researchers focused on the social interactions, community experiences and relations within different youth worship gatherings (Sonnenberg, Nel, Kock, & Barnard, 2015). This begs the question “why are community and this sense of being together such an important subject?”; “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”(Romans 12:4-5), here Paul speaks about the importance of this sense of togetherness in Christ, to be as one body. “For there where two or three are gathered together as my followers, I am there among them.” (Matt 18:20), in this verse Jesus highlights the
...have begun the process of becoming a better person. Those who practice Christianity boast of having higher levels of joy and happiness in life no matter what circumstances they may be facing. “A person that is truly Christian, one who studies, practices and teaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ on a regular basis, has a fullness of joy regardless the difficult adversities that they may face in their life”(Smith). To help guide many people of the world in finding joy and happiness associated with becoming a christian, churches have worked hard to make it their top priority to “Strive to be an "open-door" church, actively reaching out and welcoming all persons”(NBUMC).