When you hear the name Dietrich Bonhoeffer, what comes to mind? For many, it’s the image of a courageous man who stood against the Nazi regime and was executed for his resistance. That’s true — and inspiring. But if that’s all we remember, we miss something vital. Bonhoeffer was not just a martyr. He was a builder of community. He dreamed of a radical Christian fellowship that actually lived out the Gospel in daily life. For him, faith wasn’t just about believing the right things; it was about life together in Christ.
In 1935, Bonhoeffer founded a small underground seminary at Finkenwalde, hidden away in the forests of northern Germany. The Nazi regime had already dismantled much of the German church, and compromise was everywhere. But Bonhoeffer gathered a small group of young men to live, eat, pray, and study side by side. It wasn’t glamorous. They rose early for prayer, shared meals, learned Scripture by heart, and sang hymns together. They held each other accountable, not just in doctrine, but in the way they lived and treated one another. Bonhoeffer knew that only a community shaped by Christ could withstand the pressures of a dark and hostile world. This experiment in Christian community became the seedbed for his little book, Life Together — a book that still challenges and inspires people today, and the only book apart from the Bible that I re-read every year!
What strikes me when I read Bonhoeffer’s words is how realistic he is. He doesn’t paint a picture of a perfect Christian utopia. In fact, he says we should drop our “wish-dreams” of ideal community, because they’ll only leave us disillusioned. Instead, true community begins when we see ourselves as we really are: forgiven sinners who desperately need grace. We gather around Christ, not our preferences. We bear one another’s burdens, we forgive quickly, and we give thanks daily for even the simplest of gifts.
Bonhoeffer writes:
“The Christian community is not an ideal we must realise; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate”.
That’s radical. Community isn’t something we achieve by working hard enough. It’s something we receive as a gift. And then, day by day, we live it out together — through prayer, service, confession, celebration, and shared life.
In a culture that prizes independence, Bonhoeffer reminds us that Christian life is meant to be shared.
- We need people to pray with and for us.
- We need companions to speak truth and encouragement.
- We need the discipline of shared rhythms — not just private devotion, but a common rule of life.
Bonhoeffer’s vision of community wasn’t about safety or comfort. It was about becoming a sign of Christ’s kingdom in a broken world. That feels just as urgent now as it did in the 1930s.
Yes, Bonhoeffer was brave in the face of tyranny. But his courage didn’t come out of nowhere. It was formed in the hidden life of prayer, in the daily grind of washing dishes and praying psalms with brothers in Christ. When I think of him as a hero of faith, I don’t just think of his death — I think of the way he lived: faithfully, intentionally, in community. Maybe the best way we can honour Bonhoeffer’s memory isn’t just by admiring his story, but by asking: What would it look like for us to build communities of “life together” here and now?
What about you? Have you ever tasted the richness of Christian community like Bonhoeffer described? What might “life together” look like in your own circle of faith?
Scripture Reading
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.”
— Acts 2:42–44
This is the heartbeat of the early church — a community formed around Christ, living in radical fellowship and generosity.
Reflection Questions
- Where have I experienced true Christian community — where Christ was at the centre and relationships were real?
- What “wish-dreams” do I carry about community (expecting it to be perfect, easy, or to meet all my needs)? How might I let go of those?
- Who in my life is God calling me to pray with, share meals with, or walk alongside more intentionally?
- What small daily or weekly practices could I adopt to nurture “life together” (e.g. praying the psalms with a friend, eating together, confessing and forgiving)?
- How might my community — church, small group, family — become more of a visible sign of Christ’s love in the world?
Andrew S M Clark 