A Formula for Randomness

Community, we agreed, has a few distinct properties.

But, the more that I think about it, I wonder whether or not it’s even possible to “create” something that, in its best form, kind of just naturally evolves. Sure we can do it, but it doesn’t seem quite as romantic as it does when community just kind of… happens.

We talk a lot in the missional movement (whatever that means) about not creating community itself, but rather creating spaces where community can happen. So, instead of trying to invent new trees, we find some ground, plant a seed or two, and water them every now and then- so to speak.

Think about the best books or movies you’ve ever taken in about community. The very best stories, the ones that move us, are about people who just kind of bump into each other. Magic ensues.

The best love stories are about people who meet on a bus, in a classroom, or at an exotic place such as the post office. This run-in is just like every other one. Except it isn’t.

There is something different here. Something fantastic that can’t be described.

I think that this random spark is probably the seed of the truest kind of community. It is the most terrifying kind of community to enter into- slowly offering up the deep parts of your heart to someone who was, until recently, a total stranger- but it’s also the most rewarding kind.

This is not to say that real community is impossible to find inside, say, a small group that is arranged ahead of time.

But I think, in the end, reality and real life are things we simply cannot bottle up and ship out. They cannot be understood with formulas, explained away with arguments, or, perhaps, even facilitated with intention.