Dustin Willis wrote Life in Community: Joining Together to Display the Gospel to describe what he has seen over time as healthy church community elements. Although the book is specific to church body life, the principles can also be valuable as we think and invest in the other communities in our lives.

Here are two excerpts from the book for your consideration:

“According to Scripture, the church is a community of Christians who care for one another, love one another, host one another, receive one another, honor one another, serve one another, instruct one another, forgive one another, motivate one another, build peace with one another, encourage one another, comfort one another, pray for one another, confess sin to one another, esteem one another, edify one another, teach one another, show kindness to one another, give to one another, rejoice with one another, weep with one another, hurt with one another, and restore one another. All of these “one anothers” combined together paint a picture not of people who come to a building filled with customized programs but of people who have decided to lay down their lives to love one another.”

“What better way to demonstrate the hope of the gospel than to invite others into our homes where they can hear it proclaimed and see evidence of a transformed life. … We practice hospitality when we consistently receive others into our lives and homes in the same fashion as Christ received us. … Hospitality is about relational posture and attitude far more than any amount of skill, action, or practice. It’s a heart that says, Yes, there is room in my life for you.”