Hi! It’s nice to meet you! I am Jason.
I am the worship pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Dalton, Georgia. My wife and our four kids are deeply involved in our church life, and we are committed to helping people find Community Culture.
What is Community Culture? We will get to that in a minute, but first, I want to let you know why I chose to start this whole thing. Most people assume that pastors have it all together all of the time, but nothing could be further from the truth. At the end of 2016, my wife and I found ourselves in one of the loneliest seasons of our lives. We tried to blame the church, we tried to blame the city we lived in, and we tried to blame people who were difficult to love at the time. Unfortunately, we didn’t take a good, hard look at the only people that we really had control over… ourselves.
Taking responsibility for our own community involvement has been one of the most challenging and life-giving experiences of our lives. That is why this exists. To find other like-minded believers who are committed to the hard work of creating and fostering Community Culture in their churches.
Connection with others is a basic human need. Scripture not only encourages us to pursue a deep connection with other believers but goes beyond to claim that every believer can have a unity with other believers that is entirely miraculous. Look closely at Jesus’ prayer for you and allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the kind of community that Jesus envisions for you.
“I do not ask for these only [the disciples], but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
John 17:20-23 [emphasis added]
There are three things that Jesus asks God the Father to do for you in the verse above:
- He asks that we be one with each other
He longs for us to experience connection with Him, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. This experience is not limited to the early Christians. It is not limited to pastors. It is not limited at all. Jesus prays that “They may ALL be one,” and if you are a believer, you are included in that word, “All.”
- He asks that this unity come from the Holy Spirit
Jesus is praying this prayer for you during the Last Supper. These are the moments that reveal to us what is most pressing and important to the heart of Christ, and Jesus references a gift for believers that is glorious, and that will cause us to become united with each other perfectly. God answers this prayer at Pentecost in Acts 2. We are often so distracted by the speaking in tongues and powerful message that Peter gives to the crowd; it is easy to overlook the miracle of explosive church growth and amazing peace between believers in the early Church. This same peace is still available to us today.
- He asks that the World will know who He is because of our love
Jesus wants to create a better community, culture, and ultimately a better world by offering a better way of life. Our love and unity with each other should cause the World to respond in envy. Do you, your family, and your church act in a loving community culture to the extent that the people around you want what you have? This is the kind of community culture that the Holy Spirit wants to create in the Church, and He wants to do it through you.
I have developed a tool that I think you might find useful in getting started on your journey toward better Community Culture. It is a 31 Day Community Bootcamp. Its free, but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy. There are simple days and difficult days, so make sure that you print the PDF and tape it to your bathroom mirror. That way, you won’t have any surprises along the way. It will help you to connect with others in deeper, more personal ways.
I want that in my life. The first step toward growing in unity with each other is to take a look at ourselves and choosing to make a change. Have we experienced the transforming truth of the Gospel, and is the Holy Spirit within us? If you don’t know, please email me, and we can talk about making that happen. The second step is to look at our lives and figure out where we are and how to get to where we want to be. This tool will help you identify your starting point and take steps to grow. My prayer is that it will inspire you to continue to pursue the community culture that Jesus wants you to have. I am here to help and will be with you every step of the way!
In Christ,
Jason Hundley
Jason Hundley 