Relationships: The Core of Community

A community is more than shared geography or shared beliefs. What makes a community truly sustainable is relationships—the bonds formed through shared purpose, shared values, and shared commitment.

Culture grows out of common ties, but lasting community grows out of covenant relationships. These relationships determine whether a community becomes a thriving body or simply a collection of individuals living side by side.

Why Relationships Determine Sustainability

Healthy communities are built on the moral framework and convictions of their members. A clearly defined and mutually embraced purpose creates strength and unity.

But unity cannot exist without willing submission—the choice each member makes to place the needs of others and the mission of the community above personal preference.

This is not forced submission or control. It is a voluntary response rooted in love.

A Shared Purpose Must Be Understood

For a community to function well, its mission must be:

  • Clearly defined
  • Understood by all members
  • Willingly embraced

Relational expectations—how members treat one another—must also be agreed upon. These are not rules imposed by external authority but standards embraced for the sake of unity and harmony.

The Problem With Modern Society

Society seeks to maintain order through ever-increasing rules and regulations, not through instilling virtue. This approach results in greater control, diminished freedom, and fragmented relationships.

FOZI communities follow a different way.

A Community Built on Love

FOZI communities are founded on the two greatest commandments:

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:37–40

These commandments form the relational backbone of our communities. When they are practiced wholeheartedly, no extensive list of rules is needed.

The Core Values of Fields of Zion serve as practical expressions of these commandments and as a covenant of unity among our members.

Love as the Foundation of Community

True community begins with understanding God’s definition of love—a love marked by honor, sacrifice, humility, and service.

The willingness to endure hardship for the good of another is the clearest sign of someone who understands the love of God.

FOZI communities are not built on casual belief but on a covenantal desire to honor God and love one another in every relationship.

Members commit to:

  • Honor God in all actions
  • Put others first
  • Uphold community values, even at personal cost
  • Seek unity through submission, not control

This is the soil where sustainable, kingdom-centered communities grow.

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