the church as community

In the long years of ramp-up towards actually finding an excuse to join a church, my most conscious motivator was the desire to belong to a community: a defined community, with a tangible sense of inclusion. I wanted a church "where everybody knows your name," and where a shared set of values could be found. Having made a place for myself in such a community over the past two years, I realize that this notion of what church does for me is working just fine. Moreover, the church seems to do this for me in the way it should: it equips me to turn around and go "be the church out there," acting out my faith publicly in a variety of ways. I've learned in just the last few months how many of my fellow members also find this to be true; and it's been a pleasure to discover all the less visible and more quiet, but no less profound, ways in which they too are "the church out there." And what I wonder now is this: Should the church be a constant operating platform for each member, a continuity in their lives outside its walls, or should some people "graduate" from one church to the next?

By this I mean that maybe our church, NECL, could and should be a launching point for certain members to branch off, or just leave the nest entirely. Maybe that's what makes the most sense in the spiritual growth cycle of some members. If so, what should we graduate to? Is there already a common destination (sort of a "grad school" church) or is it determined individually? Is "graduating" part of the normal church-seeking process, as one's needs and interests change and other churches start to look like a better fit; or is the process less lateral and more intentional?

What's the goal of going to church and being a member of the church community? How is that goal tied to who we are in our public lives? That might seem like a funny question from the point of view of a life-long member, but I do wonder.

a quick update

It's been some time since a new topic was posted, and I invite users and visitors to get involved! This is a new project, with a slow start, but we think a fair number of readers stop off here on their way to other sites. Let's think about ways we can up our participation. Thanks!