I've always wondered what makes community biblical—as opposed to community that is merely social. So often churches provide social community, often called fellowship, which meets a genuine need for friendships and a place where, as the "Cheers" theme burned into our minds, "everyone knows your name."

That's all well and good. I certainly want my children, for example, to build healthy friendships with other kids from our church.

But recently I experienced, for the first time, a more profound sense of biblical community. For the past seven years, my wife and I have participated in a small group, which at present comprises five couples. This past year, our group celebrated the birth of a child to one of the couples. We also cheered raucously this year when two other women in the group announced their pregnancies, and then we prayed fervently for safe deliveries and healthy babies. Both women were due within weeks of each other.

In October, the woman who was due first became concerned ...