A Sense of Community by Ritual
A Sense of Community by RitualA Sense of Community by Rituals
"In Christ, we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others"(Romans 12.5). From that
definition, human's innate need to bond together is apparent, providing the basis of a community. In the religious
sense, a community can be described as the interaction between a group of individuals. All communities need
distinguishing factors that not only unite the members in thought but also in action. Rituals within the community
are traits that provide just that. They help characterize and unite the group within the organization. In Religious
Worlds, William Paden describes the term ritual as a "form of expressive action." "It says things that cannot be
said as effectively in any other medium. It focuses, displays, enacts, creates, remembers and transforms" (Paden
120). Rituals, whether they are directly inside the church service or reaching beyond into the surrounding
community, have the ability to transform God's will into feasible actions. In Spring Hills Baptist church, a large
emphasis is placed on the community and it's rituals. In order to define the community within Spring Hills, one
must examine the rituals and service and how they relate to the larger works of the church.
Spring Hills has very unique aspects of architecture and technology that make it quite comfortable. The church is
merely a few years old, so the structure is profoundly modern and geometric. The focal lines are rigid with no
sense of curves. The congregation convenes on covered chairs instead of pews, and the white walls intensify the
brightness and enormity from the already vivid lighting. There are also no stained glass windows, but instead
large pained windows that allow a lot of light to enter. Such bright lighting keeps everyone aware and awake.
The ceiling is fairly raised, but remains inconspicuous due to fact that it does not have any designs to draw
attention to it. Nothing echoes in the sanctuary, which allows people to talk at a regular speaking voice and
everything is very solid. It is the exact opposite of a museum, where
Radliff, Mathewson, Zamberlan
often times there is feeling that if a wrong move is made, something might break. Here everything is comfortably
strong and secure. People do not have to be cautious in fear of drawing attention to themselves. The building
extends out even further to contain a school, which explains why the sanctuary has markings on the carpet for
use as a gymnasium and other multipurpose functions. The use of technology also adds to the efficiency. During
the service there is a variety of spotlights, sound equipment, and projectors, and musical instruments used. To the
right of the pastor there was a full sized rock band, and to the left of him a forty member choir. All of the people...
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