The Need for Practicing Communities: Growing in Spiritual Practices Together

In my last blog post, I said that I would more fully describe what spiritual disciplines are, and I still plan to do so, but before I write that post, I want to briefly write about something that has been on my heart a lot lately and that is the need for practicing communities. So check this out, and be on the look out for the next article.

So over the past few years, I have come to grow in my appreciation for the spiritual disciplines, what one might also call spiritual practices or soul-training exercises.  I need them.  I long for intimacy with God but have found that my normal go-to practices of theological inquiry and serving him out of my own reserves is no longer enough. I need Jesus, and I have been encouraged by the testimonies of those who have found deeper intimacy with the Lord and a growing spiritual maturity through various practices.  So, I have had a desire to engage these practices too so I also could find deeper intimacy with the Lord and greater spiritual maturity. 

Yet, unfortunately, I have so often found that my desire to engage a particular practice has often not translated into actual practice. It is much easier to read about a practice than to do it myself.  I just can’t find the time or I try it once and it doesn’t seem to “work” or I just don’t really know how to get started.  So then the practice remains an ideal in my mind rather than a practice to shape my life and draw me closer to God.  So then, what am to do?

 Well, over the past couple of years, I have discovered an important truth. We need practicing communities Through my involvement in Fuller Formation and Apprentice groups, I have learned that some of the best ways to learn about and grow in various practices is to do them in community, whether that involves engaging silence and solitude or praying or caring for God’s creation or whatever practice it might be.

Through both Fuller and Apprentice, I have had an opportunity to engage new practices in community, to fail and try again, to reflect on these practices with others, and to gain new insights from others’ engagement with these practices. This has been absolutely invaluable, and I have grown in ways I never would have done if I just tried these practices on my own.

So I have become convinced that we need practicing communities in our churches. It is not that we can never learn these practices on our own. We certainly can, but why struggle along to learn new practices alone when we can do so with a loving, committed community?

Now, at this point, I do want to provide some clarification. When I talk about “practicing communities” I don’t necessarily mean groups of people that personally get together to engage with all these practices (although that can certainly happen and be enriching), but what I mean is communities of people who commit to journey with one other as they learn and grow in various practices. Most often, the members of these communities engage the practices on their own and then after a few weeks gathers to share their questions and experiences with one another. These groups provides encouragement and support for each other, and through their time together, growth happens - both in terms of depth of relationship with God and with each other. It’s truly beautiful.

If you want to have a great image of what happens in practicing communities, then take the example of a redwood forest. This is what Rich Villodas says in “The Deeply Formed Life,

” . . . redwood trees are centered and strong because their roots are robustly intertwined with each other. The roots often go only five or six feet deep, but they extend outward up to a hundred feet from the trunk. Each tree is deeply sustained by the larger, wider system of roots that provides stability, enabling them to grow high into the sky, [as much as 400 feet]”, Rich tells us.

So, now a take moment and consider who you are spiritually intertwined with. And who do know who already has deep roots who could form an intertwining relationship with you?

Take some time to pray and consider how you could cultivate practicing communities with your churches, families, and friend networks. Also, consider working through the Apprentice series books together (see Apprentice Institute for more), joining a Fuller Formation Group, or joining in with the community over at The Presence Project.

Friends, I am absolutely convinced that if you step into a practicing community, you will be enriched. You will find yourself engaging various spiritual practices more deeply, building dear friendships that can last for a lifetime, and growing in both depth of relationship with God and spiritual maturity. May it be so!