Looking for Community in Community

Dave Reiss TC533: Theology and Television Dr. Kutter Callaway Fuller Theological Seminary

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………….2

II: A THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF COMMUNITY………………………...3

III: THE NARRATIVE WORLD OF COMMUNITY……………………………………..6

A: THE TRACE OF COMMUNITY……………………………………………………….6

B: THE CHARACTERS OF COMMUNITY………………………………………………7

C: REAL WORLD STRUGGLES OF COMMUNITY………………………………….…8

IV: COMPARING NARRATIVE COMPLEXITIES………………………………………9

A: NARRATIVE COMPLEXITY OF COMMUNITY…..…………………………………10

B: THE NARRATIVE COMPLEXITIES OF SMALL GROUPS…………………………12

V: TRUTHS ABOUT COMMUNITY FOUND IN COMMUNITY ……………………….13

VI: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………15

WORK CITED………………………………………………………………………………16

I: INTRODUCTION

In 2009, Community, a witty television show about a ragtag college study group, premiered. The study group, diverse in age, ethnicity, and worldview, attended the ridiculously outlandish Greendale Community College. The characters continually referenced the popular culture of the present and of our childhood in the eighties and nineties. As the show progressed, their pop-culture references moved from clever nods to homage and outright parody episodes.

The narrative world created in Community for this study group, while at times absurd, resonates with the style of community that can be found in a church’s small group program.

I have been working on understanding and developing small groups, both at my church,

San Pedro Presbyterian, and in my studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, for several years.

Around three years back, I began to move our church’s program into a small group model.

During my Biblical Theology of Mission course, I designed a plan for developing adult mentors who could lead our small group program for youth. Last summer, I took on the mantle of adult education, and felt that small group communities would play an essential role in our congregation’s spiritual development. I used my seminary courses for practical ministry support.

In Adult Leadership Development, I designed a training course for small group leaders, then I took an independent study on building a small group program from the ground up. Finally, in Art of Evangelism, I wrote about the evangelistic possibilities of small groups.

At San Pedro Presbyterian this past year, we pioneered sermon-based small groups, “a lecture-lab model for studying the weekend sermon in-depth during the week” (Osborne 2008,

15). Small group participants were invited to engage in the week’s biblical text on three levels: the sermon, a weekly devotional, and small group discussion. The groups allowed members to connect with each other while creating an framework for spiritual growth (46). Small groups are

the “base-community in which men and women can meet one another to be, to plan, and to act for the careful nurturing of relationships” (Icenogle 1994, 23).

There are significant parallels between study groups and sermon-based small groups.

Both gather together with a larger audience for learning and insight, and are given the opportunity to connect with the text on multiple levels: lecture/sermon, homework/devotional, and study/small group. They are able to move from the “familiarity stages toward a working knowledge of [academic/biblical] principles” (Osborne, 65) in their smaller groups. The small group process helps people to not bury lessons into the deep recesses of their brains; it allows them space to develop, discuss, review, and process the materials together in community (62).

In this paper, I will compare the study group in Community with community that can be found in sermon-based small groups. First, I will offer a brief theological understanding of community. Then I will analyze the narrative world in which the Greendale study group exists, as well as some of the behind-the-scenes struggles for this television program. Next, I will compare the Narrative Complexities of Community with my church’s sermon-based small group ministry, focusing on their centripetal and centrifugal direction, respectively. Finally, I will extract key lessons that can be learned from the show and apply them to small group ministry.

II: A THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF COMMUNITY

In the ninth episode of Community, “Debate 109”, the college debate team argues their rival community college on the topic of whether man is inherently good or evil. While referencing Lord of the Flies, Greendale argues that “Man, when left to its own devices, will descend into chaos and evil,” thus man is evil. The rival college rebuts, “The average life expectancy for a man in a community is 23 years longer than a man alone,” therefore man is

good. These two arguments briefly touch on humanity’s struggle between community and individuality as well as the one between good and evil.

Humanity is wired to grow and flourish in small group community. God has eternally existed in community. The trinitarian small group of Father, Son and Spirit has “existed in community as group being in creative action… [this] divine group existed as three persons in conversation and mission” (Icenogle, 22). Since we were created in the image of God, there is an innate desire for us to exist in community. After examining all that was created, God saw that it was good, yet he also said that “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18, NLT). The

Triune God knew that man needed something more, so he made a suitable helper, bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh. Since God exists in relationship, we are designed to live in relationship; man and woman were created to existed in perfect community with each other and with God.

Yet the serpent appears and tempts them. The man and woman listened to the lies and were deceived, severing community with God as they hid in their nakedness and shame. The damage was done, and trust was broken. Distance arose between God and humanity, and conflict developed between man and woman. This result spilled into their children’s lives, as one killed the other out of jealousy. From this point on, humanity lived in the tension between the desire for camaraderie and the desire for superiority, the desire to belong and the desire to control. This disparity between our innate longing to be together and our sinful desire to be in control is seen throughout the pages of the Bible. The tension is seen between Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and

Esau, Saul and David, Elijah and Ahab, and Jonah and the Ninevites, to name a few.

The struggle between community and individuality carries on into the New Testament as well. Much like the ragtag study group on Community, Jesus gathers his own band of misfits who continually jockey for positions of power and authority. This comes to a head when James and

John ask Jesus to let them “sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left” (Mark 10: 37, NLT). The rest of the disciples are furious, as we all would be. Jesus uses this as an opportunity to help the disciples understand that true community can only be found when we humble ourselves and look out for the betterment of others instead of ourselves.

“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45, NLT)

The early church also struggled with disunity. Various groups would cling to one minor aspect of theology while forsaking major ones. The concept of circumcision caused major tension in early church communities, dividing Jewish and Gentile Christians. The fragmentation in early church communities became the subject of several of Paul’s letters as he would admonish them to agree “wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose” (Philippians 2:2, NLT).

Paul addressed the division in the church in his first letter to the Corinthians. “Some of you are saying, ‘I am a follower of Paul.’ Others are saying, ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow

Peter,’ or ‘I follow only Christ.’ Has Christ been divided into factions?” (1 Corinthians 1:12-13,

NLT) Kosuke Koyama examines church division in his article, Is Christ Divided?. The people in

Corinth chose to break into four factions rather than working together for the advancement of

God’s kingdom. Paul wrote to remind them that Jesus is the “One in whom ‘all things hold together’” (Koyama, 140) and the only way to combat disunity is “concentration on Jesus in his suffering and his victorious resurrection” (141). Focusing on Jesus is the only way to experience authentic community.

Circumstances have not improved in the past 2000 years. “The fact remains that the

Christian church - the church of the one who holds all things together - is perhaps the most divided religious institution existing” (141). Koyama laments that denominationalism is tearing apart the body of Christ. Denominationalism is a church prioritizing its own denominational teaching. This division is deadly, demonic, and “an extremely arrogant undertaking” (143). It becomes evident that the fractured community which occured in the Garden of Eden has continually plagued God’s chosen people, along with all of humanity.

One of the key elements in story is conflict. “Ongoing conflict is integrated to episodic storytelling” (Callaway and Batali 2016, 189). Character and community are developed and matured within community. “Human beings don’t figure out who they are in a vacuum… We frequently find out who we are by bouncing off people who challenge our conceptions of ourselves” (Joustra & Wilkinson, 84). Character develops when we wrestle together with the tension of community and individuality. As character is tested, we become better individuals and groups. The tension between our desire for community and our sinful longing for superiority has been part of who we are from the start. The classic dichotomy plays a part in all stories and is clearly depicted in every episode of Community.

III: THE NARRATIVE WORLD OF COMMUNITY

A: The Trace of Community

Community is a sitcom centered around a study group at Greendale Community College.

Greendale is “loser college for remedial teens, 20 something dropouts, middle aged divorcees, and old people” (Pilot; Season 1(S1), Episode 1 (E1)). The show follows a unique conglomeration of students who meet regularly to help each other pass their Spanish,

anthropology, and biology classes, respectively. As the group of diverse individuals continues to meet, they struggle between their hope to connect with each other and their desire for self preservation. Each character brings a unique life perspective, allowing the members of the group to challenge each other and help one other grow and develop. This is what makes Community “a beautiful, strange bird - beloved by a passionate few, misunderstood by many” (McHale 2016,

97).

B: The Characters of Community

The central character is Jeff Winger, played by Joel McHale. Jeff is a lawyer who was disbarred when he was caught with a fake degree. Jeff is the typical “handsome, cool, self- assured, sarcastic guy” (McHale 2016, 100) who uses his charming personality and smooth tongue to get away with much, while doing very little. Jeff is often seen as the leader of the group, and he uses that position to manipulate situations for his own gain. He is an antihero whose “behavior and beliefs provoke ambiguous, convicted, or negative allegiances” (Mittell

2015, 142-143). This “tragic protagonist … is driven slowly and inexorably to his own ruin while clinging to the the shreds...of his dignity and sense of self” (Joustra and Wilkinson 2016,

77).

Jeff started the group as a ruse to hook up with his fellow classmate, Britta Perry. Britta is an outspoken advocate for the poor and oppressed, but her activism is soon revealed to be

“slactivism”, as she rarely puts her beliefs into action. Britta invites others to the study group who are “uniquely flawed and uniquely gifted… [to join this] imperfect but thriving community of misfits” (Callaway and Batali, 2016, 205). Abed is “the character who is the heart and soul of

Community. Like the show itself, Abed was odd and endearing” (McHale, 97). It is insinuated

that he has Asperger’s Syndrome, and he uses his understanding of television and movies to aid his connection with people. Troy begins the series as the dumb jock, but over time, his bromance with Abed softens him. Annie, the smartest and most dedicated student, is young and naive. She is unaware of her attractiveness, and develops an ongoing sexual tension with Jeff. Shirley is the mom of the group. She often uses her power of passive-aggressive guilt trips to manipulate everyone. She is the token Christian whose faith is often ridiculed.

Finally there is Pierce Hawthorne, played by the infamous Chevy Chase. Pierce is a rich, racist and crass old man in search of belonging. His search led him through seven failed marriages, into a cult, and now into a ragtag study group. From the start, there is a fierce rivalry between Pierce and Jeff, which continually sets him apart from the rest. Pierce is often the first member of the group cast aside, leaving him bitter and vengeful.

Each of these characters brings their own unique life experience and personality to the study group, which regularly causes internal friction as well as conflict with other students at

Greendale. The study group continually faces obstacles in which they must choose between their need for community and their desire for individuality. While their antics are hilarious and the dialogue is ingenious, the development of each character over the course of six seasons becomes cartoonish. They “become caricatures of the people that we meet in the pilot episode… [They] seem to devolve into exaggerated types of their most conflicted selves (Callaway and Batali

2015, 187).

C: Real World Struggles of Community

Community is known for its group dysfunction, and behind the scenes, the cast and crew often mimicked that tension. Perhaps it was art imitating life or some sort of weird method acting

style, but from the beginning, Chevy Chase was at odds with and up-and-coming star Joel

McHale. McHale believes this stems from the fact that he was cast in the “classic Chevy Chase role”, on which Chase had built a career for over 30 years (McHale, 100-101). Chase also became continually frustrated with how his character was being written, which resulted in him leaving the show at the start of season four.

Due to the drama with Chase, showrunner Dan Harmon was fired after the third season.

“Not surprisingly, the fourth season under new showrunners was regarded by most fans and critics as inferior” (Mittel, 112). This led to Harmon’s return in the fifth season, “which actually strengthened his role… [as the] clear authorial figure” (112). This real world tension with cast and crew confirms that developing community can be difficult, especially when individuals wish to assert their authority instead of approaching relational dynamics with humility. It is how these complexities are resolved or ignored that allows space for authentic community to be discovered.

IV: COMPARING NARRATIVE COMPLEXITIES

Stories tend to spiral either inward or outward, often referred to as narrative complexity.

The stories that spiral inward, or centripetally, tend to focus on the inward struggle of a character and the destructive force that person plays on a community. Other stories spiral outward, centrifugally, and allow us to see the effects of this individual or group on the larger narrative world. “Both of these modes of complexity are related to broad, sweeping narrative trajectories

[and by] identifying the basic direction in which a narrative is moving we are granted insight into the unique ways that [the story] functions dramatically and contributes to [its] meaning”

(Callaway, 44-45).

In the following section I will compare the narrative complexity of Community with the intended narrative for sermon-based small groups. Community presents us with a centripetal narrative, which focuses on the study group’s move toward codependence and destructive behavior. The mission behind church-based small groups is to provide an environment for

Christians to gain and deeper understanding of the biblical narrative, and to help move the

Gospel into the broader story of society. Thus, the intention is for groups to move centrifugally, allowing God to spiral out of the small group and “into all the world” (Mark 16:15, NLT).

A: Narrative Complexity of Community

From its inception, there was something off about this study group. It was formed out of false motives, and each member seemingly joined for their own selfish gain. Jeff was trying to con Britta into sleeping with him. Abed was looking for a group to understand and accept him.

Troy was in search of someone to do his school work while Annie was desperately in love with him. Shirley was looking for a new family after her recent divorce, and Peirce was wanting to regain a sense of importance. From the beginning, they each approached community in a self serving manner, looking to find what they could get from the group and not what they could give.

One of the most centripetally destructive characteristics of the group was its exclusive nature. Within the first three seasons, several people tried to enter the group, but they were quickly ostracized. In “Investigative Journalism” (S1, E13), an unknown classmate named

Buddy, played by Jack Black, attempts to infiltrate their group by joining them at their study table. He is expelled because he is an outsider. Throughout season two, disgraced Spanish professor, Ben Chang, looks for a way into the group but is constantly rejected. This rejection drives him insane. Only in “Asian Population Studies” (S2, E12) is Chang even considered,

mainly because Jeff feels threatened by a different outsider, the kind hearted doctor, Rich. In their third year, they are forced to bring in an eighth member, Todd, when they are told to pair up as lab partners (“Competitive Ecology”, S3, E3). The group begins to unravel as they try to decide who should partner with whom. Even after Todd points out their self destructive behavior, they collectively conclude the problem lies with Todd.

Paired with this exclusivity is their destructive ability to manipulate each other. Jeff is the main perpetrator, because in almost every episode he is looking for ways to have others work for him so that his they will make his time at Greendale easier. There are moments when he learns a lesson and makes sacrifices for the group, but he quickly returns to his selfish ways. Jeff is not alone in his manipulation. In “Anthropology 201” (S2, E1), Abed manipulates Jeff and Britta to get engaged, so that the new school year will contain more “fast-paced escapades.” In

“Aeronautics of Gender” (S2, E7), the girls manipulate Abed into insulting everyone who crosses them. Pierce pretends he is dying and bequeaths gifts to the study group, in “Intermediate

Documentary Filmmaking” (S2, E16), as a way to play mind games on the group for continually ignoring him.

Community develops a great picture of how a small group can spiral into itself, leaving its members bitter and disillusioned. Each member of this study group acts as as buffered self, an

“individual agent living in a world populated by other individual agents” (Joustra & Wilkinson,

15). They often focused on their individual desires for notoriety and acceptance, instead of seeking the greater good of the community. This can be become the case for church-based small groups, too, if members look to their own desires and not to the needs of of others.

B: The Narrative Complexities of Small Groups

Small groups “allow each member to discover and use their spiritual gifts to serve other members of the body. Groups encourage and build up one another so that the body of Christ can be cared for and the world can be influenced through their good deeds” (Donahue, 22).

If we are to embrace Donahue’s understanding of the purpose and meaning of church- based small groups, then it becomes clear that their narrative flow should be centrifugal,

“spinning out into the larger world of other agents and structural forces” (Callaway 2016, 237).

A group member’s story is connected to the collected story of the small group, all of which connects to the body of Christ. This interconnection spirals out of the heart of Christ, and move his love and grace to the ends of the earth. As the church, our small group ministry should become a place where people can practice community, which then impacts other communities it is connected to.

At San Pedro Presbyterian, our sermon-based small groups are designed to help our congregation members grow together in faith and friendship. Each week, groups dive deeper into the the week’s sermon passage, no longer letting that message go in one ear and out the other.

Group members work together to unpack the scriptures, allowing for a deeper understanding and practical application of God’s Word. As group members build relationships with others, they begin to tear down the walls of individuality, and they benefit from the knowledge and support of other Christians (Osborne, 44).

If we are honest, the ideal small group rarely happens. We all bring our own brokenness and desire for individuality into a group. “Each human small group gathering now exists unto itself as a divergent culture of individual and personal subculture coexisting in a state of hiddenness and brokenness” (Icenogle, 31). A church small group can easily move from a spiritually guided community striving to live out the great commission into an exclusive clique

that causes more damage to the church community than good to its members. It is here that we learn from the dysfunctional study group in Community.

V: TRUTHS ABOUT COMMUNITY FOUND IN COMMUNITY

Robert Johnston argues that movies, “can be the window through which God speaks.

They can be the occasion not only to know about God but to know God” (Johnston 2014, 44). I would add that television shows are capable of doing the same. Sometimes God speaks to us when characters exhibit the attitude of Christ, and other times we can hear God’s voice as we analyze their faults and failings. In this section, I will extract some wisdom from episodes of

Community that can be applied to a church-based small group program.

Motivation for staying is more important than motivation for joining. (“Pilot”; S1,

E1). Jeff creates a study group with misguided motivation. As Jeff’s motives are revealed, he is asked to leave the group. When Jeff confronts his personal need for community, he is welcomed back into the group.

People join a small group for a variety of reasons. Leaders of small groups need to nurture a welcoming environment. Group leaders need to help members see that there are remarkable benefits to remaining in community. It is together that we can encourage each other to grow in faith and support one another through the ups and downs if life.

Differing beliefs can bring unity, while confrontation can bring discord.

(“Comparative Religion”, S1, E12). Shirley is surprised that the study group members have differing religious beliefs, while Jeff’s confrontation with the school bully leads to disaster.

Eventually Shirley learns to accept her friends’ differing beliefs, while Jeff’s desire for a peaceful resolution turns violent.

In a small group, people can bring a variety of perspectives into the discussion. Allowing people to present their viewpoints can be quite a challenge. Too often, group leaders divert conversations away from these topics. If we learn to approach varying positions with an search for understanding, then we can find unity while being different. Still, there are times when people want to sew discord. Small group leaders must develop a peaceful strategy for navigating conversations through this.

Trust is essential for building unity and purpose (“Cooperative Calligraphy”; S2, E8).

Annie’s pen has gone missing, and she is quick to blame everyone for stealing it. This act of distrust pits group members against each other. After a comprehensive search of each person, the lines of trust have to be reestablished.

Trust is a valuable element for a small group. It takes time for a group to build trust but only moments for it to be destroyed. As the group learns to trust each other more, they will open themselves up to God and to their peers. Small group leaders must continually guide the group to maintain trust, avoiding traps that will cause trust to be broken.

Welcoming new people can be rewarding (“Asian Population Studies”; S2, E12).

Annie wants to invite kind hearted Rich to join their study group, but Jeff is adamantly opposed.

The group holds a mixer to see about acquiring members, as Ben Chang lobbies for a place in the group.

The members have debates on whether groups should be open, allowing members to come and go at random, or closed, allowing new members to join at any time. There may be times when a group needs to be closed for a period of time. When a group becomes too closed, then they are in danger of becoming a clique. Small group leaders need to encourage members to invite others, sharing in the experience of community.

Becoming a clique can be toxic (“Competitive Ecology”, S3, E3). The study group is forced to welcome a new member, Todd, into the group. This new addition causes constant bickering, fragmenting the group, which they eventually blame on Todd.

When a small group becomes exclusive, they transform into a destructive force. This type of group wreaks havoc on people inside and outside the group. Group leaders should strive to help the group focus on others, and not nearly themselves.

VI: CONCLUSION

“The small group is the base community in which men and women can meet God and one another to be, to plan, and to act for the careful nurturing of relationships with created things” (Incenogle, 23).

Community provides a glimpse into a fractured small group. On the outside, the mission of the group is to pass their courses, yet their true goal is finding a place to belong. Their sinful nature causes the group to spiral centripetally inward, losing site of their purpose. This group is highly dysfunctional and co-dependent. This leads the them to develop a “love that is toxic and weird, and destroys everything it touches” (S3, E3).

God designed humanity to flourish in community, and this is most aptly seen when people come together in small groups for a common, unified mission. Small groups are formed to strengthen relationships and to accomplish tasks (25). God’s hope for community is to be centrifugal, spinning His message to the very ends of the earth. When God’s people actively participate in small group community, we live into the holy Triune community in whose image we were created.

WORK CITED

Callaway, Kutter and Dean Batali. 2016. Watching TV Religiously. Grand Rapids, MI; Baker Books.

Donahue, Bill. 2012. Leading Life Changing Small Group. Grand Rapids, MI; Zondervan.

Joustra, Robert and Alissa Wilkinson. 2016. How to Survive the Apocalypse. Grand Rapids, MI; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Johnston, Robert K.. 2014. God’s Wider Presence. Grand Rapids, MI; Baker Books.

Icenogle, Gareth Weldon. 1994. Biblical Foundations for Small Group Ministry. Downers Grove, IL; InterVarsity Press.

Koyama, Kosuke. 1999. Water Buffalo Theology. New York, NY; Orbis Books.

McHale, Joel. 2016. Thanks for the Money. New York, NY; G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Mittell, Jason. 2015. Complex TV. New York, NY; New York University Press.

Osborne, Larry. 2008. Sticky Church. Grand Rapids, MI; Zondervan.