What is “true community”?

I was told once that the journey of following Christ also involves a journey of self-discovery. Spiritually speaking, I have been socialized in the Pentecostal/Evangelical tradition which has advocated authentic community or circles of trust through expressions like the small group movement, accountability groups, and cottage prayer meetings. In each of these I have found the more I learn about Christ the more I learn about my own soul.

Parker Palmer discusses true community in his book, A Hidden Wholeness (2004). In this section, he presents reasons as to why we need to be in community with others if we seek to live an undivided life. He refers to his own experience with Quakers at Pendle Hill in what is called “circles of trust.” He says these groups “taught me about the reality and power of the soul, about a way of being together that allows the soul to make a claim on our lives, and about the miracles that can happen when we do" (p. 28).

Those from the Pentecostal/Evangelical tradition would prefer that the "inner teacher" is best thought of as the Holy Spirit. This view is generally thought to be more reliable than one’s own heart (cf. Jeremiah 17:9), but as we mature spiritually the assumption is our own inner voice does become more reliable. In the meantime circles of trust like I mentioned do help in discerning the inner voice (i.e., the Holy Spirit or my true self) from the voices of sin, worldiness, deception or evil. These are times when fellow Christians have been the most valuable.

I found a unique parallel in my professional life with the attitudes and processes required for school accreditation. One co-worker described the relationship between schools and accrediting bodies this way: “We must submit to evaluation from outside ourselves to give us insight into ourselves because on our own we will deceive ourselves.”

Palmer feels there are certain principles and practices that shape a circle of trust which creates safety. He says, “…the soul can feel safe only in relationships that possess certain qualities” (p. 29). What Palmer describes requires a certain amount of intimacy in the relationship. However, not everyone is comfortable with intimacy. Moreover, the level of intimacy expressed depends on the context. Wise people express certain things only with friends they would not with co-workers, even if those co-workers were Christians. So I suppose true community depends on what’s at stake in being honest with others.