Music and Scripture take on new meaning in worship and bind the community together in a common purpose. Worship is a living reminder that God is at the center of all healing. Prayer for healing among members is offered. The Celebration of the Eucharist is a central event where members are empowered to forgive each other and renew their vision of ministry. In healing communities, different forms of leadership are present.
Leaders often emerge or are chosen on the basis of spiritual gifts.
Even in communities where clerical leadership is dominant, heading communities usually have an expanded leadership team that draws on gifts of the many rather than a few. Healing communities learn to survive conflict by finding ways to reconcile the inevitable rifts that arise over personality, theological misunderstanding and mission priorities, and to find in the chaos the seed of new life. Healing communities build on trust our ultimate security in life rests in God, and on trust in the integrity of another person's experience. The world has never had a greater need of those people and those communities who know how t treat another person's life as holy ground-to bury their capacity to destroy in favor of creating communities that promote life and health for all. Building healing community takes time.