Outside of community we don’t feel fully validated. If we are honest with ourselves, what we experience on our own is really made authentic when we share in it with others.
Life just doesn’t seem to work when we feel alone.
The Church understands this, and for years, especially if your church was founded before 1985, they have used this funny word for it: fellowship.
Fellowship is a word to describe time spent in community, but it beckons us a little deeper. It’s community that acknowledges it is a part of the larger story.
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Through fellowship we join in the cosmic, mysterious and historical sort of relationship with each other that the Church has been known to foster and provide space for.
Unfortunately, the term fellowship also brings to mind images of dusty old fellowship halls, potlucks and casseroles. Spaces and social situations where we were meant to dress up and be the very best version of ourselves.
For some of us who have been hurt by the church, the word fellowship is a cringeworthy reminder of a painful season of our lives. If you have no previous experience in the Church, it likely sounds like a dated way to describe time together.
One thing we can all agree on, fellowship sounds Christian. That’s because it is.
