At 15, Charles Spurgeon was driven by a snowstorm into a small chapel. There, he heard the good news about Jesus and gave his life to Christ.
By his 19th birthday, he had become a preacher at New Park Street Baptist. Seven years later, the congregation moved to the 5,000-seat Metropolitan Tabernacle. Four years after that, in 1865, he began publishing a monthly magazine that would help thousands process the truth.
Spurgeon connected deeply with God, but he was also a profoundly community-minded man. He believed faith was meant to be public—to shape lives, institutions, and cities.
Community-Mindedness and Moral Excellence
Community-mindedness is the beating heart of virtue. Virtue is not private. There is no season of “working on yourself” first and then developing communal virtue later. The two must grow together. Virtue is communal. Period.
This is really what the ancients meant (and more) when they talked about “justice” as a cardinal virtue. Doing good isn’t just about ourselves. It is about our community. That’s why I’ve described it as community-mindedness. “Justice” can seem too transactional, as if we only have to care about our neighbor when some wrong is committed and needs to be corrected in court. The concept is much broader: thinking of the community all the time.
The Bible reflects this view of moral excellence and virtue. Peter explains that we are to add to our faith virtue, and that this virtue leads us to mutual affection for one another and to a general love that reaches out to all people (2 Peter 1:7). Moral excellence inevitably moves outward.
The Apostle Paul described this same posture in his letter to the Roman church. Addressing differences within the body, he wrote, “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1). He then grounded this in a larger principle: “Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up” (Rom. 15:2). This is community-mindedness. We do not simply think about what is good for ourselves. We consider what is good for everyone.
This is the pattern Jesus Himself showed. “For Christ did not please Himself . . .” (Rom. 15:3). His life was consistently oriented toward the needs of others, toward the good of the community—not His own comfort or ease.
What does this look like in practice?
What does it actually look like to think and live this way?
Here are a few concrete expressions:
- Start a regular rhythm—like meals or meet-ups—that keeps the community connected and engaged.
- Take initiative to organize or improve something everyone benefits from.
- Notice who’s been less involved and draw them back into the shared life of the group.
- Encourage teamwork and shared responsibility when energy starts to fade.
- Help communicate clearly so people know what’s happening and feel part of it.
- Celebrate group milestones and recognize others’ contributions.
- Bring together people who wouldn’t normally interact to strengthen unity.
- Step into a role or task that helps the whole group function better.
- Suggest or launch a new idea that adds value to the community’s mission or rhythm.
- Model steady, positive commitment that inspires others to stay engaged.
The key is learning to notice who is there and asking how things could be better. That is what community-mindedness means in practice.
Now imagine the ripple effects. What would happen if every person thought this way? What if people cared not only about their own houses, but about the good of their neighborhood? Not just their neighborhood, but the city? Not just the city, but the state? Not just the state, but the nation? Not just the nation, but the world?
But it always starts close to home. When we enter a church, for example, we think not only about our own tasks or what makes us comfortable, but about what others are doing and what helps them thrive.
Answering Objections
Most people agree, at least in theory, that living for the good of the community is virtuous. In practice, however, objections quickly arise.
Objection 1:I need to work on myself first.
Answer: You are a social creature as well as an individual. Living well with others is part of what it means to be human. You cannot become a good human in isolation. This is obvious to everyone.
Objection 2: I will be trampled on.
Answer: Living for the good of the community does not mean living at the whims of others. Doing what is truly good for the community often conflicts with what people want in the moment. Being a doormat helps no one—not you, not those who mistreat you, and not the community. Community-minded living often requires hard conversations and firm boundaries, not passive acquiescence.
Objection 3: This won’t make me happy.
Answer: It will. Confusion reigns on this point. Modern Western individuals focus relentlessly on themselves—and what is the result? Widespread anxiety and depression. By contrast, the classic Western tradition, from Aristotle to Jesus, taught that happiness is found in service to the community. Speaking of service, Jesus said, “If you know these things, blessed are you, if you do them” (Jn. 13:17). Service is the path to happiness and blessedness.
The Goal
The goal, then, is simple but demanding: that we would do far more good for the communities we inhabit. We must move beyond ourselves and ask, what is best for the whole?
This is exactly what the Apostle Paul urged upon the Galatian church: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Gal. 6:10). Each of us should seek to do as much good as we can for as many people as we can.
That kind of life begins with attentiveness to the communities we already belong to. It means thinking bigger, aiming higher, and refusing to settle for minimal engagement.
That is precisely what Charles Spurgeon did in nineteenth-century London. He was not content merely to write theology or preach sermons. He wanted to show love and do tangible good for those who needed it most—the orphans of the city.
In 1867, Spurgeon and his church opened an orphanage for boys in London called Stockwell. A decade later, he opened one for girls. That work continues today, more than 150 years later.
This is what happens when community-mindedness takes root. Its impact multiplies. But it always starts where we are.
So here is the challenge: ask yourself one simple question—“Think of one community you’re part of—what concrete steps could you take to aim higher and help the whole community flourish?”
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Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
Excellent article, Wes. Bravo!