The web opens up whole new opportunities for expressions of community, but how much of it, if any, is real community?
Recently, Online Journalism Blog put out a series of posts about online communities entitled ‘Lessons in community from community editors.’
The lessons were for the most part about running online communities, rather than about building communities in general, and there was often (unsurprisingly) a financial/market-place tilt to the advice offered.
However, a few things jumped out at me as more broadly insightful and relevant. In particular, Andrew Rogers’ first of his three top tips was:
A community is only really a community if it builds (or builds on) genuine relationships between the members. Otherwise it is merely interactivity…
And I thought, how many of the ‘communities’ that we suppose ourselves to be a part of are actually only just places of interactivity? This goes especially for the web, where it seems easier to avoid genuine relationships, but also for more fleshy activities. What about the book club, church, synagogue, gym, office or football match (or mosque or parents association or halls of residence or…whatever)?
Now, there’s a danger of getting preachy, which is not what I intend. But rather I wanted to just flag up that thought. I think real community is something that we (nearly) all want and need. Better then not to be deceiving ourselves into thinking it’s there when it’s not.
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November 11, 2008 at 10:59 am
david
Comm-unity and discipleship are two concepts we are wrestling with when we gather as the church
‘Churches’ masquerade as communities when they dont afford opportunities to forge relationships.
The audience ‘harkening’ to the preacher serves a purpose, but is community achieved? Does THAT constitute discipleship?
Do we have real faith, if it is never tested? Will we actually follow the axioms we herald and profess to rely on?
I am reminded of a t-shirt that sported a phrase from a nursery report-card: “Plays well with others”
Real-time exchanges betray a more true picture of the state of my heart. This can offend as often as encourage others about my sincerety.
If we just all blog and shop on amazon and order tesco groceries delivered as we earn money through the online service community, will that qualify as living?
If the church gathers, sits still for an hour and vacates to brunch appointments across the land does the Christian grow more christlike as a result? If we follow Christ, shouldnt that mean that, like him, we are immersed in the cummunity and in ongoing fellowship with one another?
Its all theory unless we see practical application.
November 11, 2008 at 11:38 am
Geoff
hi David, thanks for the comments.
It makes me think of the ShipOfFools online virtual church project that I had a look at a few years back. You could talk to people and stuff, and move your little guy or girl around the virtual building- all very interactive -but there was certainly no relationships, not even much potential for relationships.
The worry is that apart from an interesting experiment, that project stands as an all to familiar charicature of high-interactivity / low-community church.