Learning Communities Learn in the Context of the Wider Community

Read the gospels and you will see that Jesus formed a tight-knit community around him to be his disciples, to learn from him, to be empowered and commissioned to continue his work. As such they formed a learning community.

But notice how little learning was done in a classroom. How little was done with top-down delivery, going through stacks of theory. Most of the learning was done on the go, out amongst the people, ministering and in dialogue with those around.

Check out Luke 6. Jesus chooses his closest twelve and designates them apostles. But he doesn't start spelling out what this label means until they come down and join a larger crowd. It is in this wider context, surrounded by need and ministry opportunity, that Jesus looks at his disciples (verse 20) and (somewhat obliquely) maps out their lot.

As with Jesus and his disciples our mission is done in a specific context. We must also realise that we can learn in the midst of that context, and not struggle to be apart from it. It is out amongst the need and ministry opportunity where the Spirit can show us how God works. We would do well to form ourselves into tight-knit learning communities - to support and direct each other in our learning. But that much of that learning will arise in the context of the wider community.