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How Communication Can Grow Community
A Parable

"A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold"
(Luke 8:5--8).

As most of us learned in Sunday school, Jesus' parable of the sower is not about gardening; it is about how the word of God is heard and understood. It is about communication between humanity and the Creator and that when we are able to hear God's word and respond, good things grow.

Likewise, when persons communicate well with one another, we grow something wonderful: community and fellowship. Communication provides an amazing connection through understanding and intimacy. Or it can wither and break relationships. Though Jesus didn't tell the parable of the sower to illustrate how we should relate, the story provides a great metaphor for how to build community through communication. Good, healthy communication yields community growth, but lack of trust can choke relationships. While closed communication withers our interconnectedness, communication that is open, honest and vulnerable helps a sense of community to flourish.

Community dissolves when voices are trampled and rejected. People feel swallowed up like seeds eaten by birds if they are not given a voice. If either the speaker or the listener feels disregarded, communication is broken and community is threatened.

In high school, I remember when a new student came to our student council meeting, eager to volunteer, but she was shy and didn't say much. Finally, she gathered her courage and suggested an innovative and unusual idea for an upcoming dance. The meeting screeched to a halt. Even if the other students had thought the idea interesting, the new girl's idea was outside the norm and, therefore, unwelcome. Someone said, "Um, that's not how we do things here." The new girl's face fell and I never saw her at another student government meeting.

Communication that is not inclusive breaks down community at the root. Conversation enders like "This is the way it's always been done" or "That would never work" set a tone that leaves some voices-and some potentially great ideas-unheard. Sometimes entire groups can be disregarded for one reason or another: elderly churchgoers may underplay the needs of young families and don't want to hear new ideas, or youth may think the old folks are out of touch. Seeds are trampled or devoured before they have a chance to grow.

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