Contemporary Church Community - Essay Example

     Research a Contemporary Church Community Hutterites are a collective section of Anabaptists who, in a similar way as the Mennonites and Amish, trace their origins to the Radical Reformation which occurred in the 16th century. Since 1536, the demise of Jakob Hutter, their namesake, the beliefs of this religious group, in particular, complete pacifism and living in a community of goods, have lead to numerous years of odyssey in a number of nations. In addition, the Hutterites found refuge in North America when they were almost wiped out between the 18th and 19th centuries. Also, their number expanded from approximately four hundred individuals to almost forty two thousand people for over one hundred and twenty five years (Rod and Stanton 16). This paper will look at the Hutterites while assessing their organization, leadership structure, venue and time of church meetings, their religious rituals, their theological teachings, and their ethical values. It will also look at the most attractive features of the community’s life and the aspects that would be most challenging. In all Hutterite churches, the church is organized in a group referred to as the Zullbrieder. It is made up of the spiritual leader and an advisory board comprised of a farm manager, two or three witness brothers, and the colony manager. The spiritual leader or minister also holds the title of the chief executive. The spiritual leader together with an advisory board makes the everyday decisions of the church. The spiritual leader’s responsibilities entail disciplining members of the church, undertaking church sermons, funerals, baptisms, and marriages. The church’s advisory board is made up of the farm manager, two or three witness brothers, and the colony manager who are selected for their entire life. The advisory board carries out the responsibilities of the directors or the board of trustees of the church organization. The duties of the church leaders are guided by the congregation (Hostetler 23). The witness brothers are also employed in the colony to handle a section of the colony’s abundant duties. The spiritual leader’s companion at times is holds the position of a tailor. Therefore, she takes part in customary duties, for example choosing and buying fabrics, cooking, and medical decisions. All the church leadership positions are regarded as elective positions and a number of decisions are presented to a vote prior to their implementation. The decision-making and voting procedure is mostly based on a two-tier arrangement. It comprises a council, which is made up of seven senior men, and the voting membership which is made up of all the married males (Hostetler 24). The council votes for substantial decisions and, if enacted, the decision is forwarded to the voting membership. Hutterites attend a church service almost daily for almost half an hour. This is in addition to one to one and a half hour church service every Sunday. In addition, the church members attend a one to one and a half hour church service on universal religious ceremonies, for example, Pentecost day, Christmas, Ascension Day, Epiphany, and Easter. Additionally, members of the church hold services for marriages, funerals, and baptisms. Church services, which tale place every day on a number of communities, establish the foundation of Hutterite spiritual life. Church members use these services to direct all life events back to divinity. They also hold evening services, known as Gebet, in the churches for half an hour (Hostetler 36). These services are held prior to the evening meal. On holy days and Sundays, church services take place in the forenoon. Hutterites contain several religious rituals. They are adamant that every life possession is supposed to be under the lordship of Jesus. They also practice confession and baptism, and believe in a nonviolence existence. Their economic activity of distributing commodities equally in the community is found on this practice. Hutterites carry out adult baptism. This is because they hold a belief that the church is an association of believers who are sincere in their yearning to follow Jesus and develop into holders of His unifying Spirit of peace. Their religious rituals are aligned to teachings of Christ. Following Christ demands a submissive answer to the call of God lives out in the collective faith society. Individuals of the Hutterite church pray jointly to remind one another of the holy life Christ shares with the people and which people desire to share with the universe (Hostetler 59). The Hutterite religion is exceptional in that it believes in community of goods. This is where very material commodity is held universally. This point of view is derived from a number of biblical teachings (Hostetler 59). They believe that all through historical events, God detached His people from the universe. The Israelites have always been separate according to the scriptures, for example, Abraham was requested by the Lord to abandon members of his homeland so as to serve Him. On the same, people can understand that Christ and his disciples shared all their possessions and they also had an ordinary purse. Christ clarifies to the rich young ruler that he is supposed to give all his possessions to the disadvantaged and then go with Jesus, in Mathew 19. They use these theological teachings to enable community members have equal possession of goods. The Hutterite church also have things that they presume to be ethical living. A basic component of the Hutterite church has at all times been total pacifism. They prohibit their members from taking part in war taxes, military events, putting on a formal uniform, for example, a police uniform and taking orders. This has led to persecution and expulsion in a number of areas in which they have resided (Rod and Stanton 32). In Moravia, these people had a magnificent life for over a hundred years, until fresh persecution instigated by the Austrian war in Czech lands compelled them to run away for the second time, to Ukraine, in the Russian Empire, and Transylvania. The Hutterite church also has a sexual custom for the young people. They believe it is ethical to indulge in sex only when you are in a marriage union. Extramarital and premarital sexual activities are severely prohibited. The most attractive aspect of this community’s life is the idea of community of goods. These people live in community. This means that they split all of their things. Ever individual residing in a community owns the possessions of the community in a collective manner. Members of this community work for one another and they do not pay earnings to the members. Nonetheless, apart from the issue of earnings, all life needs are given (Hostetler 115). Therefore, every individual provides service to the others through labor and activities and all outcomes are split. If people require different commodities, they request for it and if it is an essential commodity, it is purchased for them. Moreover, all members are awarded an allowance monthly which may be utilized for buying personal things. Finally, in this system, a large number of possessions are distributed in proportion to the needs. Community aspects relating to recreation may pose a challenge for me. Customarily, Hutterites have an extremely restricted amount of leisure time. Moreover, sports and additional recreational activities are not encouraged or in extreme cases, are banned (Hostetler 197). This may be challenging for me because I enjoy sports and other recreational activities. In addition, recreational activities are a significant component in developing relationships. They may assist an individual in forming lasting relationships. Therefore, without sufficient recreational activities I may not be able to have new friends or establish significant relationships with other people. Nonetheless, opinions towards recreational activities are changing and depending on the mindset of the church leaders, members can take part in a number of recreational activities. Works Cited  Hostetler, J. A. Hutterite Society. Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997. Print. Rod, J., and Stanton, M. The Hutterites in North America. Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010. Print. Read More