I would really love to see a church like this. Does anyone know of one?
Free
Not in contract with the civil government in any way
Not a 501c3 nor incorporated
This would allow the church to have a tax-exempt status and still have a political voice on such issues as abortion, gay marriage, evolution taught in public schools, etc.
Excellence in Christ
Each person will be expected to strive for excellence in Christ, to seek the Master, to grow spiritually throughout the week, etc.
There are no lay Christians. Each is responsible to God to be the best priest, minister, etc. that he/she can.
As such, there is no paid preacher, pastor, worship leader, etc. If anyone is paid, it would be the elders so that they can be available to shepherd the flock on a full-time basis.
Fellowship Oriented
Meetings will be fellowship oriented. Fellowship is developing friendships based on a common ideal. Each person will come prepared with a lesson learned from their personal study, a song that is especially meaningful to him/her, a song meant to encourage others in a particular matter, a prayer request or praise, a confession of sin, etc. While not all have to participate, all should be prepared to participate. Communion will be shared in small groups with people free to say what Jesus means to them or how he has helped them this week.
Other interest-based outreach-oriented meetings will take place throughout the week.
A pot-luck meal or snacks would be part of the fellowship as well.
Some activities could be done in cooperation with other congregations as extended family fellowship opportunities.
Evangelistic
All Christians will be encouraged to participate in a personal Bible study whether in their home or somewhere else once a week.
The church will be involved in the community through service projects, political projects, and community events. At these events, we will make evident that we are the church and we are doing these things for the sake of Christ.
50% or more of offerings and tithes will be utilized to reach the lost, especially the unreached peoples of the world.
8 comments:
the closest I've found to what you've described is the House Church (churches that meet in people's homes).
Thanks OneMom,
As always, it is an honor to have you visit. I have heard of the House Church movement. I have just never seen/experienced one in real life.
I (rather ironically) go to a megachurch. While it has its up side and I enjoy it, the layers of bureaucracy are sometimes overwhelming.
Kind of sounds like a Mormon/LDS church (except for probbaly the first point - I don't know much about that).
Anonymous,
Thanks for posting. I had a couple of friends in Phoenix that were LDS. It is definitely not the religion for me.
I do admire many things about them like their expectation of excellence, their evangelistic zeal, and their disaster preparedness.
The best church I was ever part of was a house church. The depth of relationship, accountability, fellowship with each other and with God was truly refreshing. We are considering starting a house church where we live now ... I miss that fellowship, and I'm tired of the focus on entertainment that so many churches have today.
OneMom,I would love to visit your house church. If only we didn't live 2000 miles apart. :)
And we would love to welcome you. That 2000 mile commute at $4/gallon is a bit of a problem though isn't it?
While not as good as being in person, I do enjoy the conversation and the fellowship online.
:)
Yes, in many ways the internet helps me feel less spiritually lonely. I have plenty of friends at church, but often it seems as though I am on a different frequency.
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