Unity (the introduction)

Unity is an interesting word.

Worth very little on the scrabble board, this 5 letter noun is thrown around often in political and church circles with such vehemence and passion that an unobservant outsider would think it is something we have waxed. Nestled near the back end of our scant used leather bound dictionaries, we often find ourselves spouting off some trite comment about unity (or lack there-of) in the church or amongst the churches and denominations as if we have the clarity and insight into it's true definition.


Psalm.133 "God commands a blessing when the brothers dwell in unity" is recited on mass by prayer groups the world over. As soon as we split up into groups of 4 or 5 (for this is how the Lord taught us to pray), it is worth taking the plunge and praying this verse upfront because if you hang back at all it will be snatched up quickly by another before you can say John.3:16.

(Quick side note on prayer meetings, always take the lead and pray the go-to scriptures early on and then settle back into the “Yes Lord’s” while the others fumble about, giving you time to scour the concordance at the back of your ESV (NIV is SO last year) for some more verses on that evenings theme. Useful tip I know. You’re welcome. But I digress.)

Over the next few blogs I am going to add to the vociferous commentary on unity by taking a few snapshots at what we as the wider body gather together around. Denominations, missional groupings, teams, teams within teams, circles, gatherings, or whatever the latest buzz-word is are coming together in a continuing pursuit for a truer and richer understanding of “unity”, with different ideologies, agendas and issues being thrown into the recipe of these collaborations.

 Can we learn from our mistakes or are we bound to just repeating them with just a different coat of terminology and slogans?

The next few blogs will be fun.

And I promise I won’t use Psalm.133