There are many worthy ways of following the Lord, and most Christians are called to faithful service in marriage and in family life. By choosing not to marry, brothers in The Servants of the Word are free to devote the time, energy, and commitment typically invested in family life to other services and mission so urgently needed to spread the gospel today. Our foremost example, Christ himself, made use of this special freedom in living a life of single-hearted devotion. We call this “living single for the Lord”. We do this by living out a common life, pooling our resources, but most of all by being single-hearted for the Lord and his kingdom.
A Common Life
The first Christians, as we read in Acts 2:41-47 were clearly a community of believers who shared a common life. They prayed and worshipped together, shared all things in common, and helped each other to remain strong in their faith.
The Servants of the Word share their daily life in the same way. Prayer is our first priority, with daily periods for individual and communal prayer as well as Scripture study. We also gather to chant the Psalms three times each day. Special times of retreat and prayer are a part of our weekly and annual schedule.
We share the morning and evening meal together and make time for other common activities, recreation, and fellowship to strengthen our experience as a community of brothers.
Simplicity of Possessions
Our desire is to have our hearts undivided in devotion to the Lord and to make all our resources available for his work. Our approach to material possessions is guided by common decisions to meet the needs of each individual brother while making the most resources available for specific mission and outreach work. The guiding principle is good stewardship of the grace and resources God gives us.