Recovering the Salt of the Church: A Study of Intentional Communities of Christian Wisdom Practices

“… contexts. How might this integration of depth practice, orthopraxy, enliven the church in North America at a time of uncertainty and opportunity? ”

Team Members/Contributors

Arrington Chambliss Life Together Community Contact Me

About this pastoral study project

Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Mark 9:50

For twenty-five years I have worked on the margins and recently at the center of the church and have witnessed many communities who have lost their salt. Meanwhile, the Christian tradition has a theological treasury of wisdom practices – contemplative, communal and prophetic – that possess all that’s necessary to restore the salt to individuals and communities. In the past seven years, as Founder and Executive Director of Life Together, a Christian, young adult, service learning community and leadership development program, I’ve gained hope and curiosity as our community has given birth to church again and again through an interweaving of the inward and outward work of wisdom Christian practice.

I will broaden my experience and reflect on the patterns and practices, which sustain Christian intentional communities similar to ours. I am eager to reflect upon our experience with the Life Together Community, alongside other vibrant Christian communities who integrate ancient practice and daily life. Finally, I want to offer my reflections, learning, examples and stories of integrated practice in intentional community to the wider network of North American faith-based communities.

I plan to learn with three different intentional communities who all share what the Church of Our Savior calls an “integrity membership,interpreting the call to discipleship, or what Life Together calls the Jesus Way, an interweaving of two journeys in community – an inward journey, growing in love of God, self and others, and an outward journey, helping to restore some part of God’s creation.”