1.10.1.3 : Biblical Responsibility for Building Community

Living in daily fellowship with others is a privilege and an expression of God’s grace. In recognition of this privilege, we place great value on the quality of relationships in our community. We acknowledge that we live in a fellowship where we depend on and are accountable to one another. The New Testament word for fellowship is koinonia. It is translated as partaker, communion, communication, contribution, distribution. Members, therefore, are encouraged to seek as many opportunities as possible to demonstrate koinonia. Within our community the greatest expression of fellowship and the highest principle for relationships is love.

As Scripture states: “We should love one another. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers…let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions as in truth. Since God so loved us, we ought to love one another. Whoever loves God must also love his brothers” (1John 3:11-16, 18; 4:11, 21 NIV). For growth to occur, we have identified the following specific expressions of love among the most desirable in our relationships