Communities of Grace v. Communities of Performance

As I mentioned yesterday, I have been thinking quite a bit about creating and cultivating a community of grace in our church.  Tim Chester has provided a helpful comparison between communities of performance and communities of grace:

Communities of Performance

• The leaders appear to have it all figured out
• The community appears respectable
• Meetings must be a polished performance
• Failure is devastating, because identity is found in ministry
• Actions are driven by duty
• Conflict is suppressed or ignored
• The focus is on orthodox behavior (letting people think they have it all figured out)

Communities of Grace

• The leaders are vulnerable
• The community is messy
• Meetings are just one part of community life
• Failure is disappointing but not devastating, because identity is found in Christ
• Actions are driven by joy
• Conflict is addressed in the open
• The focus is on the affections of the heart (with a strong view of sin and grace)

You would benefit from reading the entire article.  If you find yourself benefiting from this material I would suggest buying Chester’s (along with Steve Timmis) book: Total Church.