Images from Ministry as Community-building 2025

We are about halfway through the six-week online Ministry as Community-building learning circle at CCS. Seven students from across Canada (Vancouver Island to Newfoundland, and spots in between!) are engaged in deep conversations about various aspects and understandings of community, and the unique role of ministers in building up community.

Students have been able to ground their discussions in their own experience of community. A community mapping exercise early in the circle encouraged them to take note of the various services, and gaps, in their home communities. Because this is a social justice-themed circle, we have given particular attention to the material, political, and economic needs of communities. Social justice is not just a fight against various forms of oppression, it is a vision of a healthy, sustainable world where everyone’s needs can be met and all can find belonging. Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr. called this “the beloved community.”

We have wrestled with the practical challenges of creating fair and equitable community, and evaluated the capacity of churches to contribute toward healthy communities. Montreal activist Jaggi Singh joined us to talk about the importance of solidarity and relationship-building in community organizing, and reminded us that that there is not just one way to advocate for justice; different groups can use different tactics toward the same goal.

Jennifer Janzen-Ball and Andrew Richardson from the United Church of Canada joined us for a conversation about collaborative or cooperative ministry, and we discussed the ways in which working together and sharing resources can benefit our communities. Next week we will be joined by a panel of ministers with experience in community ministry.

Throughout the circle so far we have made theological and scriptural connections to our conversations. Paul’s image of the Body of Christ – having many parts, each with its own function and its own gifts, but still part of one body – has arisen a number of times. Next week we will do a deeper dive into the theology of community.

Also upcoming, a student-led session on organizational structures and systems in community, and a session on economics and community. The conversations keep getting richer!