Authentic community

It was Boxing Day 2025. A friend messaged me to ask, 'Have you read any Kristen Hannah books?' I haven't. Novels don't grab my attention. But to find out what she was talking about, I Googled the author which led me to click on Amazon.

Amazon have a section on the page for book products, Popular Highlights in this book. Kindle (ebook) readers highlight quotes or statements from the book that are reported on by Amazon. In one, I noticed the three highlights.

32,179 Kindle readers highlighted I always thought it was what I wanted: to be loved and admired. Now I think perhaps I’d like to be known.

20,718 highlighted, “But love has to be stronger than hate, or there is no future for us.”

And 18,056 Kindle readers highlighted, “Don’t think about who they are. Think about who you are and what sacrifices you can live with and what will break you.”

On the evening of Boxing Day, I finished reading Mark Sayers' newest title, Platforms to Pillars: Trading the Burden of Performance for the Freedom of God’s Presence. I appreciate Mark's
theological-sociological-pastoral perspectives on history, current society, and future considerations.

The Kindle readers highlighted comments Kristen Hannah had included as part of her book. Interestingly they matched Mark Sayers' writing. In his chapter, 'Crisis Individualism' he writes,

From how our devices are rewiring our brains to how our cities are being reshaped by the ability to work from home, we know how digital platforms are changing society. As mediating institutions such as churches, unions, and community groups withered amid the rise of individualism, digital platforms have attempted to offer the culture a means of finding connection and community that does not restrict the individual’s freedom. Digital platforms entered the breach, offering avenues for relating, consuming, trading, and self-expression.

Can you identify how community has been replaced by transaction? Let's read on.

Sociologist Richard Sennet observed that in the social terrain of the second individualism, “only a certain kind of human being can prosper in unstable, fragmentary social condition,” noting that “this ideal man or woman has to address three challenges.” Sennet lists these challenges as:

1. The requirement to constantly reinvent and maximise oneself for relevance.
2. The need to let go of the past, including narratives and meanings that no longer appear in the modern context.
3. The sacrifice of stable relationships for the pursuit of personal success.

In Sennet’s reckoning, such a person would be “an unusual sort of human being.” Most people are exhausted by the effort to reinvent themselves continually; they find solace and identity in their memories and the community and life narratives of which they are a part. They value meaningful, secure relationships.

The premise of Mark's book is that our world values platforms, whereas our faith values pillars. He uses the stories of Moses, Elijah and Elisha to remind us what a life lived as a pillar looks like.

And then he concludes, 

This means that individuals who live as pillars may go unnoticed initially. Their manner of living and devotion becomes obscured by the prevailing platform mentality, which shapes the frames through which we perceive the world. They are rendered invisible because our attention tends to gravitate toward figures who epitomise the value of celebrity espoused by the platform society.

Pillars are ultimately humans returned to their creational mandate. They enact God’s will in time. Pillars live sacredly. Making relationships sacred, work sacred, and time sacred. This is the way forward as the church in a platform society.

The call to live as a pillar is more than just a deeper personal faith; it is to live in such a way as to commission others to live as pillars.

During the timing of reading Platforms to Pillars, I met someone who is a recovering addict. We talked about the local church and society. We talked about the need for us, as the church, to provide a space where no-one has to look like they have it all together, where stating you are recovering from something (we’re all recovering from something – perhaps its greed, lust, anger, an eating disorder, porn, substance use, shopping … let’s be real about this) doesn’t produce a look as if you need to exit the building, but instead reinforces that we’re all sinners, all getting through life with Jesus by our side, all making mistakes and learning from them, all attempting to be exhibiting what a follower of Jesus looks like.

Now, I agree, we don’t all want to arrive at church, time-after-time to sit in a circle and say, “Hi, my name is Jo, and I’m a sinner.” We’d possibly find it difficult to muster up the energy to get to church! Yet, that’s essentially why we attend.

Jesus answered them, "Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent." Luke 5:31-32

Many churches offer prayer at the end of a service indicating there is a possible struggle in every life and highlighting the power of prayer. But what of our interactions with each other in the 'everyday'? If I was to say to you, "I'm struggling with …" how would you respond?

What if we encouraged others in our church setting to be authentic?
What if we spent more time in our Bibles, reflecting on our actions, and praying for and caring for others than we do on our phones, on social media, watching mind-numbing television shows?
What if a slip up created a space for confession, support, and accountability?

Here's the outcome. Community like this, vulnerable, authentic and welcoming, provided by church becomes the very space that is appealing to those who find their platform society engagement to be empty. Instead of blurring the lines and seeking 'relevance', we set the lines and seek to be ‘relevant through the lens of the Gospel’. Imagine the place you call 'your church' being this place.

Lord, make our lives, our interactions, our love for You provide a way that is different, a way that is appealing. Change us to be pillars for Your kingdom