Ridge Church Value #3: Community

As I said recently, Ridge Church has six core values. These are the core beliefs that guide our new church, both now and in the future. They are the concepts we stand behind and the hills that we will fight on, the things that make The Ridge unique!

Our third value is "Community." Here's what our Launch Proposal says about Community:

"We believe that all people need healthy, growing relationships based on biblical ideals. These relationships are best found in the Christ-centered family and in a small groups of Christians meeting regularly to encourage and support each other as part of a larger local church community."

It's pretty simple, really! We believe that everyone was created by God to live in community with other humans. We also believe that every Christ-follower needs relationships with other Christians in order to grow to be more like Christ. We believe that God created us that way, and that community is a deep emotional need of all humans. Regardless of how modern and post-modern Western philosophy and culture tend to individualize life, we need each other to be all God wants us to be.

Not only do we believe in community, we believe that community starts in the home. For too long, churches have been willing to take on the responsibilities of the parents in spiritually educating our children. Churches have said, "Here, drop your kid off on Sunday for an hour, and we'll handle all the teaching about God that they need." This is both insufficient in providing a quality spiritual education for children and also unbiblical.

Check out Deuteronomy chapter 6. The Bible clearly teaches here and in multiple other passages that the spiritual guidance of our children should start in the home. We believe that at Ridge Church and are committed to it. Because we are committed to the concept of parents teaching their kids about God, we are also committed to helping parents learn how to spiritually educate their kids.

The bonus prize is that when parents answer their kids' questions about God, it motivates them to learn and apply spiritual concepts in their own lives... Isn't God smart in planning things that way?! (The answer is "YES!")

Ridge Church is committed to providing small group environments for parents (and all those who call The Ridge home) to grow to be more like Christ. We look forward to a not-too-distant future in which Ridge Church has small groups for all age groups. We see groups where mature believers in Christ help both new believers and non-believers to interact with the Bible and life experience in ways that draw them toward faith and surround them with grace.

Finally, we believe that folks at The Ridge should look out for each other. This means that small groups will serve their group members. During tough times like illnesses in the family, small group leaders will provide "triage" care. When new babies come home, small group members will bring food to new parents. When small group members' kids make poor life choices, other members will rally around the family in crisis and provide support and encouragement. When a bread-winner loses a job, small groups will be the at the "front lines" in battling for the family and helping them through hard days.

The list can go on... And it will! Community is a crucial value at The Ridge. And, it leads to another one: Serving Others. Stay tuned for a discussion of that value soon!

There are several verses in the Bible that support our value of Community. Check these out: Proverbs 27:17, Acts 2:42-47, Matthew 18:19-20. If you want to chat about our value of Community, email kevin@ridgechurchknoxville.com.