Cultural Shifts

posted by Navigators on June 24th, 2020 in Community

By Kristin Coulson, first published in Compass Winter 2020 edition.

In January, our staff gathered for the annual training in Canberra. One of the key topics discussed was about living and discipling in today’s western culture. The culture we live in influences us in ways we often don’t realise – how we relate with God and others, how we raise our children, how we witness, and how we disciple. It is important that we understand the way our culture impacts our faith and our lives. We must examine it in light of the Scriptures in order to walk as true disciples of Christ and to be faithful ambassadors for Him.

One challenging aspect is the tension between the value of individualism in our society versus our call to community as disciples of Christ. Our aim should not only be to grow the individual but also to nurture their engagement in the body of Christ. As we work not as individuals but as one body, we grow to serve one another, love one another, and build one another up in the ways that God has designed His people to do.

As we have currently navigated the changes to our everyday lives because of the pandemic, I think it has opened many of our eyes to our need for community. While being separated from family, friends and others, the necessity of community has never been more obvious. It has been amazing to see how the body of Christ has stepped out of their comfort zones to care for their neighbours and communities in new ways during this time. Let’s continue to “come together” to care for one another and the world around us, and to show Christ’s love together as the body of Christ, not just as individual followers of Him!