Community – Finding A Tribe

One of the first questions we had to figure out while we were getting to know one another was what our beliefs were, our core values and of course, where our home base would be in terms of community and fellowship.

We both felt like we’d done enough church-hopping to where it wasn’t about finding the latest in a line of churches to go to once a week. I feel like in this season, believers are finding the importance of community, and breaking down the barrier between pulpit and congregation, and we wanted to be involved with people that really went after community and made it happen, not just using it as a tagline.

So our eyes quickly shifted from finding a “church” to finding a tribe. We wanted to find a group of people we could invest in not just once or twice a week, but have real friendships we could pull on, exercise leadership, be known and seen and know and see others. A place where our future kids would find history and be set up for life, and where we could potentially see ourselves changing the world from. We envisioned studying the Bible sitting around a fire, with kids around us making s’mores, or road trips to the beach after reading the Scriptures. We pictured sitting around a living room floor sharing testimonies and prayer requests and singing worship songs together. We saw meals around dinner tables celebrating feasts and holidays and birthdays and graduations.

Most importantly, we saw a family of believers gathered around what’s most important – truth of the Word in it’s entirety. Meaning loving and believing everything that God says to be true. Bible-study was one of our hugest priorities, and us being in a culture that emphasized studying the Bible and being priests in our own home, rather than waiting for someone on a stage or pulpit to feed us.

Equally important, if this was going to be a place we’d commit to, we’d have to feel peace about it. Sabbath days are supposed to be days of rest and community, it should recharge us for the rest of the week. So we wouldn’t say yes to a place that left us more exhausted than we were before we got there.

We’re still in the process of finding “it”, and we’ll keep you guys updated, but for now here’s a summary of what to look for while finding a tribe, that we’ve been applying in our lives:

1. A place that makes community family happen through the week: this could be as simple as an email thread/Facebook group, or shared hobbies or interests, or ways of helping each other out.
2. Make sure that what is being taught gives an accurate depiction of God (Old and New testament), Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the rest of the Bible.
3. Worship that glorifies God and not self.
4. Room to grow – in leadership, service, gifts, callings, knowledge etc.
5. No gossip, manipulativeness, passive aggression or other “meanness”. Definitely not looking to put ourselves in a position to be taken advantage of, or used. Definitely not looking for any negativity at all in this phase of our lives. We have a lot more to protect.
6. Peace

How did you find your tribe? Do you have any tips? Share below!