Our Vision

By Lauren Stearns, Start-Up Team Member

Our vision as Community Church is to create an international worshipping community in Prenzlauer Berg.

“International worshipping community.” What exactly does that mean? Wow, I’m so glad you asked.

Church is not just a place that you go to but a community that you are a part of. As many often say, “The church is not the place, it’s the people.”  We are called Community Church because we truly believe that we are called to be a community for one another—a place for people to belong.

Community has long been a passion of mine. My life has been defined by a series of vibrant, life-giving communities that ultimately led me to Berlin and to this work. I think there is something so spectacular about the way God created us to live in community with one another. We aren’t meant to walk this journey alone; we were meant to share it with others.

It’s no secret that life in Berlin can be lonely, despite all the things to do here. Because this city is so transient, it can be hard to build deep, meaningful relationships. We all crave community. We all want to be known. We all want to belong. It’s part of our shared humanity. And it’s why we, as Community Church, desire to create an international worshipping community in Prenzlauer Berg.

Let’s break it down word by word to get a fuller picture of what we’re after here.

International. As a church, we value diversity and want to see people from all nations worshipping the Jesus together. It’s a beautiful thing to see people from around the world singing and praying together in the same space, in the same language, in the same heart.

This leads to the next word- worshipping.

This isn’t just an international community; the worshiping aspect makes it distinct. As a church, we want to come together over the thing that unifies us, Jesus. We want to gather to learn more about who God is and his heart for us. We want to worship, to celebrate God for who he is and what he does.   

Finally, we are a community.

We are a family. We are a gathering of people who seek to know one another deeply and do life together. Being a community means allowing others to celebrate joys and carry burdens with you. It is the sharing of meals and the telling of stories. The laughter and the tears. As I said before, this community is one where we want people to feel like they belong.

This a space for people of all backgrounds to come and sit at our table. This a space for people who have been walking with Jesus for 30 years and for people who haven’t quite made up their mind yet. This a space for people to sit and behold the goodness of our God and learn more about the ways he is working in the world.

This is a space for you.

We invite you into the journey of walking with Jesus.

We invite you into community.