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Why Life-Affirming Communities

Why Life-Affirming Communities.

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Why Life-Affirming Communities

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  1. Why Life-Affirming Communities In Acts 1:8 we read that Jesus tells his disciples that ‘you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’. As followers of Jesus we are called to be his witnesses, beginning in our local places and then spreading out from there. So, how are you and the other people in your local church witnessing to Jesus’ promise of fullness of life in your community? Would people in your local community know and recognise this in what you do and how you relate to them? Mission is all about demonstrating and living out the reality of Jesus’ promise of fullness of life as we grow and develop as life-affirming communities in our contexts: In the relationships and inter-reactions we have with our neighbours in the local community and in our places of work. The local church should be at the centre of this, developing, nurturing and supporting such opportunities.

  2. Why Life-Affirming Communities Our relevance as a faith community comes from how we are seen by people outside the church and the extent to which we are seen to be willing to journey alongside them, sharing in their hopes and fears and aligning ourselves with their struggles. Mission is all about this – as Archbishop William Temple stated: “The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members.” Mission, going beyond ourselves, is the very lifeblood of the church. If we are not in the business of growth and transformation then we are dying. Life itself is about change and transformation; we can see how this works in nature. Trees and plants are changing all the time, adjusting to their conditions and the seasons. Similarly the local church, as the carrier of Jesus’ promise of fullness of life for all creation, it needs to be a community of transformation, open to change and responsive to its environment.

  3. Why Life-Affirming Communities This resource aims to help local churches/congregations discover and develop their missional callingas life-affirming communities. Click here to learn what we mean by life-affirming communities

  4. What is a Life-Affirming Community? CWM understands a life-affirming community (missional congregation) to be a local church that: • Lives a spirituality of engagement, that is reflected in its worship, and in the nurture and support of its members • Is attuned to the communities in which it is set and alert to the needs of the world, so that it is willing to stand alongside and speak out with those who are suffering or are marginalised • Does not work alone, being in active partnership with other groups who share similar concerns • Is a learning community, with its members taking seriously their reading of the Bible and their reflection on their experience, both as individuals and as a community. All of which leads the congregation to be a community of transformation, manifesting the reign of God in its midst as lives are made new and justice is realised for those who have been denied fullness of life.

  5. What is a Life-Affirming Community? It may be easier understood in the form of this diagram which conveys the dynamic relationship between the different elements. CWM arrived at this through workshops and consultations with our members, exploring the implications of ourtheologystatement, Mission in the Context of Empire, and our strategy with its central focus on enabling members to develop missional congregations and supporting objectives of reflection and research, solidarity and prophetic witness and deepening partnership. This understanding is also reflected in the World Council of Churches (WCC) statement on Mission and Evangelism, Together Towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes.

  6. What is a Life-Affirming Community? What this looks like in different places will depend upon the context. This resource aims to help you explore what being a life-affirming community might look like in your context and how you might go about developing your local church as a community of transformation, witnessing to Jesus’ promise of fullness of life for all creation.

  7. Life-Affirming Community • Back to Mission Toolkit Main Page

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