A Bad Reason for Returning to the Institution: Failure to Find a Small Group

The feeling of leaving the church institution behind is an exhilarating one. The shackles are off and it's time to be the church God wants us to be! Woo-hoo!

This wonderful feeling is often accompanied by an expectation that it will be relatively simple to find like-minded believers. Not so fast. Sometimes it's very difficult to come in contact with Christians who hold to a simple view of the body of Christ. After leaving the institution, believers frequently wander in the wilderness attempting to locate a small group with which to meet. After a while some of these believers even return to the institution due to the lack of fellowship.

The struggle is real.

(This is part three of my ten part series entitled Ten Bad Reasons for Returning to the Institution.)

One of the primary reasons Christians leave institutional trappings behind is that they desire true fellowship and community. Worship services, Sunday School, potluck dinners, etc. fail to provide people with the opportunity to truly get to know one another. Because of this, they depart. Departure does not, however, necessarily lead to a quick finding of community. For many the search takes quite some time.

One reason for this is that simple church does not advertise itself. People who gather simply generally do so without much fanfare. These groups can be very difficult to locate. Therefore, when other Christians say good-bye to the institution, they sometimes cannot find anybody to meet with (even if they happen to live right down the street).

Failure to find a small group can be frustrating and depressing. After a while, some Christians even drag themselves back to the institution (often very unhappily). Let me be clear: this is not a good idea. It will only lead to misery.

But what if you leave and cannot find anybody to meet with? My suggestion is to continue to pray about it and continue to look. Also, pray that God would give you opportunity to share your faith. New believers are often extremely open to meeting simply; they do not have tradition-based hangups. Invite new believers over to your home. It's amazing what can happen when Christians eat together. Food and fellowship truly do go together.

Fact: it is not fun at all when you cannot locate other believers to gather with. It can be a very dark time. This does not mean, however, that you were incorrect to leave the institution. Rather, it may simply be a time that God uses to test your faith. Rely on the Lord and keep looking. Use your own home as a place to gather. Invite new believers. Meet days other than Sundays.

Don't go back to the institution. That decision will only lead to regret, pain, and sorrow. Rather, keep looking for others. And then look some more.

Good-Bye Congregational Sized Church

While mega churches and simple churches grow, congregational sized churches are shrinking...rapidly.

First a definition: congregational sized churches are those with about 100-300 people. They generally have a pastor or two, meet in a building something like the size of what you see pictured here, and function in fairly traditional ways. Their worship services are seen by most of the members as the most important gathering of the church. Not a great deal has changed in these churches in the past fifty years.

When we hear about churches "closing their doors forever," this is the type of church being described. Almost everywhere in our country you can find more and more of these church buildings up for sale.

One pragmatic reason these churches are closing is that so many of the members are senior citizens. When we hear about the church "graying" in the USA, it is congregational churches that are being described. Just stand in the back of one of these churches on a Sunday morning. Many if not most of the heads will either be gray or bald. It doesn't require a genius to figure out what this means.

Why is this happening? Why aren't younger Christians as attracted to this type of church as they are to mega churches and simple churches? The answer: lack of community.

This may at first seem like a strange answer. After all, congregational sized churches are often small enough for everyone to know everyone else. Many of these folks even spend time together in small groupish settings called Sunday School. Why the problem with community?

The reason is that these churches are actually too large for everyone to know everyone. The members may know a little bit about each other, but most don't truly know what is happening in each others' lives. They are not aware of the other members' hopes, dreams, struggles, desires, problems, etc. The church is small enough for face and name recognition, but not small enough for actual community to take place. As for Sunday School classes, these often amount to little more than prayer requests and talking through a quarterly magazine.

Congregational sized churches are a thing of the past. Most will continue to function as they always have until they are forced to shut their doors for financial reasons. All the while they are dying they will have no idea what their actual cause of death is. This is because they think they have what they in fact do not have: authentic community.

Growing Numbers: Mega Church and Simple Church

As we look toward the future I believe we will see two types of churches grow rapidly in this country: mega churches and simple churches.

Actually, this is already happening. Christians are increasingly leaving congregational sized churches to move into either larger or smaller settings. This is occurring all over the country. Mega churches are doing quite well. Those who attend these churches appear to desire large gatherings, loud music, generally gifted orators, and whatever the latest trends are. These churches offer a wide variety of services and programs to various age groupings. I don't hear of mega churches struggling at all. Rather, they appear to be growing as people consolidate where they are gathering.

I also hear about increasing numbers of believers leaving institutional churches in favor of much smaller church bodies. These folks usually crave simplicity, family settings, edifying gatherings, and authenticity. While these types of church bodies tend to vary quite a bit from one to the other, the commonality of simplicity remains. Christians are increasingly finding out about this type of church life and are embracing it.

I'm a church growth enthusiast only if it refers to spiritual growth. However, as we interact with both the church and the world, it benefits us to be aware of current trends. We Christians have a disturbing tendency to operate way behind the curve when it comes to almost everything. Let's stop making that mistake. As we move forward, it is simple churches and mega churches that will be most vibrant. We should be aware of this and seek to know why this is happening.

Why, then, are mega churches and simple churches growing? I believe the answer lies in their one commonality: community. Mega churches often offer a wide variety of small groups/life groups/home groups that function something like simple churches. These groups, if operating well, provide the family type of atmosphere missing in much of life today.

In the end Christians desire community in Christ. They are finding this in mega churches and simple churches. Therefore, these types of bodies are growing.

Ten Reasons I'm Hopeful for the Church

A change in calendar year means lots of essays, opinion pieces, and articles focusing on both the past and the future. In this post I'll offer my own look at things. Specifically, I'm suggesting ten factors that make me hopeful for the church.

We all realize that the church as it is has both positives and negatives. On this blog I tend to focus on much of what needs to be changed and how that can occur. I truly am hopeful for the body of Christ as we go forward into 2015. Ten reasons why:

1. Jesus Christ remains the Head of His church.

Our Lord and Savior is in charge. This has never been up for debate. Jesus will ultimately accomplish what He desires with and for His church. He is and will always be the unquestioned King of His people.

2. The Holy Spirit is active.

The Spirit is alive and well. He gives life to the church. He guides the church. He bestows spiritual gifts. The Spirit is the engine that drives the church to do what Jesus wants. The Spirit never stops.

3. Christendom continues its disintegration in the United States.

Christendom has only ever actually existed in the West. It is basically dead in Europe (except for inside the Vatican). It dies more every day here in the USA. This is a good thing. Christendom is like a veneer of Christianity sitting on top of a corrupt society. It is far more damaging than helpful. I live in the last bastion of Christendom: the Southern USA's "Bible Belt." I'm happy to say that it's even dying here.

4. Persecution is increasing around the globe.

Is this a good thing? Yes, it is. In the New Testament we read of a persecuted church. Persecution brings about a purer and healthier body. It weeds out most of those who aren't truly committed to Christ. In the USA, we don't currently face true persecution; however, the cultural climate is now set for it to begin a gradual rise.

5. More and more people desire true community.

Our modern society is increasingly individualistic and isolated. People desire community. The church is the only place to find community based in the One who gives life. This community thrives in carrying out the one anothers. It is an exciting thing to be part of.

6. Christians are increasingly tired of the same old, same old.

Christians are growing more and more disillusioned with institutional practices. More and more are leaving traditional churches forever. The worship services and programs seem increasingly repetitive. These folks are looking for something more (like the true community mentioned above).

7. Christians see the need to make a difference.

Church attendance appears to be mattering less and less to many people who follow Christ. Instead, they want to make a difference in a tangible way in their communities. They understand that God doesn't take worship service attendance, but He does care if we care for the needy.

8. Old Testament based practices are failing the sniff test.

Many institutional church practices find their (shaky) basis in the Old Testament. Christians are increasingly calling this into question. Big buildings with their huge expenses cannot be justified. Worship services find no evidence in the early church. The modern pastorate is foreign to the New Testament. Christians are no longer simply buying in to the old ways of thinking.

9. The world is gradually being reached with the gospel.

Although it is a slow process, the gospel is making its way around the globe. More and more unreached people groups hear the good news each year. In some places, such as China, the church is exploding in number. This is a thrilling time.

10. The Dones are growing.

Those done with institutional Christianity (like me) are growing in number. We are not Nones (those with no religious affiliation). Rather, we are Dones. We are followers of Jesus who want to follow Him as we read in the New Testament. The growth and recognition of this group is a positive. It also gives an option to other believers who can't find a home within the institutional framework.


In this post I've painted a bit with broad brush strokes. Many, many believers continue to be very happy and content with institutional Christianity. Many others aren't questioning anything. However, I do see some changes beginning.

John Wycliffe is frequently called "The Morning Star of the Reformation." I believe we are at a similar time within the church. A reformation is starting. While there is no one person who is a morning star, hope is rising for great change to come within the body of Christ.

Church Simply: Series Summary

I love simple church life because it is based on relationships in Christ.

This world is lacking in true community. The only place to find this at the most foundational level is in the church. A group of redeemed people coming together to build each other up in Christ is a wondrous thing. What a gift of God to us!

This series is my small attempt to describe some of the aspects of simple church. These posts are neither lengthy nor exhaustive. Enjoy:

Church Simply: An Introduction
Church Simply: The N. T. Model
Church Simply: Christ as the Unquestioned Head
Church Simply: Let's Have a Family Gathering
Church Simply: Why Get Together Anyway? Mutual Edification
Church Simply: A Real Lord's Supper
Church Simply: The Spirit Leads the Meetings
Church Simply: Everybody Actively Use Your Spiritual Gifts!
Church Simply: Homes Make Great Places to Meet
Church Simply: One Anothering
Church Simply: Giving Without Compulsion. Giving to Meet Needs.
Church Simply: Decision Making Consensus
Church Simply: Leadership Through Service
Church Simply: Elders From Within
Church Simply: Everybody Matters Equally
Church Simply: United in Christ
Church Simply: Putting It All Together

Church Simply: Everybody Actively Use Your Spiritual Gifts!

One key aspect to simple church life is that everyone is encouraged and expected to actively use his or her spiritual gifts to serve the body.

This is based on the view of the body described in I Corinthians 12. Paul informs us that every member of the body is important. The body will not function properly unless all body parts are healthy and active. None are ignored. None are more important than others. In order for the body to do what it is supposed to do, every part must be up and running.

For this to occur the body as a whole has to trust the lead of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit not only bestows spiritual gifts, but also leads believers into using these gifts. The body must respond to the Spirit's leading by encouraging everyone to use their own gifts actively for the building up of the entire body. Everybody matters.

One place many churches (regardless of form) fail is in encouraging everyone to be active. It's easy to simply let some folks sort of sit quietly in the background and not do much. If this happens the body will suffer - possibly in ways it hasn't really considered. Since I Cor. 12 is true, then everybody needs everybody. We the church must get the message out that every believer has the responsibility to be active. Let's not guilt one another in this, but instead encourage each other. Ironically, this means we will be encouraging each other to encourage each other.

The church is stunted when a small number of people do most of the ministry. That model makes for a sick body, where some parts are overworked and others are undeveloped. Much healthier is a body where every part is in shape from regular exercise. Let's all do our part by using our gifts to serve and encouraging others to do so.

Church Simply: A Real Lord's Supper

Confession time: I love to eat. Food is excellent. It is best served with good company.

Simple church gatherings almost always involve eating of some kind. Many of these meals are real Lord's Suppers. I'm referring to an actual meal that celebrates what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross. We see this in various places in the New Testament. For example, in Acts 20:7 we read, "On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight." Please notice that the body gathered for a specific purpose: "...when we were gathered together to break bread..."

Earlier in Acts, we see that the early believers dedicated themselves to several things, one of these being the "breaking of bread" (2:42).

The Corinthian church was struggling with the Lord's Supper. Some in the body were abusing it. The wording of chapter 11 only makes sense in the context of an actual meal. Paul does not tell them to stop eating a meal; rather, he instructs them in how to eat it properly.

Many institutional churches are starving themselves. The Lord's Supper celebration has been changed into a Lord's Snack funeral-like ceremony. This is a sad deviation for the worse.

One of the best aspects of gathering with other believers is eating together. There is something about eating together that brings about community life. It is easy to have conversations when sitting around the table. The body comes together as it all shares food together. Part of this meal, although I don't think it is required, is the bread and the cup. The eating and drinking of these helps remind us of what Jesus has done and also fosters the unity of the body.

I love the above icon because it shows a real meal in action. People are happy. There's even a dog at the table. The meal is portrayed as an active, joyful occasion. This is what the Lord's Supper should be.

When the church gathers, one thing we should all be thinking is, "Let's eat!" And by "eat," we are referring to a real supper.

A Much Better Alternative to Sermonizing

Sermons dominate the American church landscape. Regardless of denomination, tradition, or style, the vast majority of churches employ professional pastors to deliver monologue lectures to silent audiences at least one time per week.

Is this as good as it gets? The answer is a resounding NO.

God has provided us with an alternative to modern-day preaching that is both much more edifying and more enjoyable.

First, let me provide an important definition. Preaching, as defined in scripture, is actually open air evangelism designed to call the lost to Christ. It is not what occurs when the church gathers. If you read through the book of Acts, you will find preaching always occurring within the context of the spread of the gospel.

Modern preaching has morphed into the ineffective thing we see today. God's alternative to this is teaching that takes place within the confines of Christian community. As the church gathers, whenever and wherever, teaching is one of the things that takes place. Teaching is a gift that some believers possess more than others, but we are all able to teach to one extent or another.

Colossians 3:16 is an extremely important verse. Paul writes to the entire Colossian church, saying in 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Everyone in the body is to be teaching everyone else. This happens within the body of Christ as it lives life together. Some teaching is more in word while other is more in action. There is always a back-and-forth nature to it. Discussion is an important key.

Body life is exactly that. All parts of the body are necessary (see I Cor. 12). We all need each other to teach each other. The body benefits from this, encourages it, and even corrects it (if anything incorrect is taught). No one person is elevated more than any other.

Teaching is important to the life and health of the body. However, we need to take care that teaching is not thought of as better or more important than other gifts. A balanced perspective is key.

Teaching is to be a part of the multitude of one anothers that permeate body life. As we come together as brothers and sisters in Christ, teaching in all its wonderful forms is one of the things that happens. When we follow this scriptural pattern, the body grows and thrives. Following God's plans is always best for the church.

The One Anothers in Visual Form

I copied (with permission) this graphic from Tim Challies' excellent blog. According to Tim, "The New Testament contains at least 40 passages that contain the words one another and each one points to a way that Christians are to treat, or are not to treat, each other. This graphic seeks to display the whole lot of them."

Book Review: Finding Church

Finding Church is a book that I had been looking forward to reading ever since I first heard about it. I was excited to read it when it first arrived at my home, and I already encouraged you to buy it. Now that I've completed the book, I'm still glad that I spent the time on it.

This book, edited by Jeremy Myers, offers a fascinating look at various Christians' journeys in finding church. The book's thirty-six chapters are divided into three main sections: leaving church, switching church, and reforming church. The leaving church authors discuss how and why they left the church. They make it clear, however, that they did not leave the church but instead the man-made institution. The contributors who switched churches write about different reasons why they moved from one church to another (and in some cases more). In the final section, the authors talk about how they have been part of reforming the church from the inside out.

While I was reading this book I sensed one primary theme coming from almost all the chapters: searching for community. Regardless of whether the authors left church, switched churches, or were reforming churches, their goal seemed to be the desire to find real community within their church relationships. Some had succeeded in doing so while others had not.

The best aspect of Finding Church is that it offers real accounts of Christ-followers who are looking for authentic relationships. There is nothing fictional here. True stories with real and raw details are what's offered. We see the good, bad, and ugly of church life. I appreciate that even though many of the contributors have gone through difficulties, the book in general offers a balanced view of the church. It is not a text that simply slams the church as we know it.

As for negatives, the book can come across as a bit complainy (not a real word but you know what I mean). However, this is part of the nature of recognizing problems and looking for solutions. My own blog could be called the same. Because this book is an anthology of sorts, there is some repetition. There's no way around this since 36 different people are writing about a fairly narrow topic. Finally, a few of the authors speak positively about homosexuality; one even claims to be bisexual. This is concerning to me because these particular authors are not struggling with homosexual feelings, but instead appear to be approving of the lifestyle. Let me be clear: homosexuality is sin. The scriptures clearly condemn it. As Christians, we should love homosexuals and share the gospel with them. We cannot, however, cave on biblical truth.

As for me personally, I enjoyed the first section of this book the most. That's probably because our family left the institution, too. I resonate with what those authors are saying. That said, I'm glad that not all Christians have left. We also need some who switch and some who stay and reform. I'm thankful for all of these brothers and sisters.

To sum up, Finding Church is worth the expense and the time. You won't agree with all the contributors (since they don't all agree with each other), but you will be challenged by much of what is written. This book is appropriate for all Christian adults. I recommend it.

Priesthood and Reciprocity

As priests to God, our primary duty, responsibility, and joy is worship of our Lord. It is the reason we exist. We are called to be active in this pursuit.

One of the main ways we worship God is through our self-sacrificial service of others. God desires that we help our brothers and sisters to live more effectively as the priests they already are. One primary way we accomplish this is by carrying out the multitude of one-anothers in scripture.

The one-anothers are, by definition, a two way street. We love others; they love us. We serve others; they serve us. We admonish others, they admonish us. In light of this, we must be careful to give others opportunity to act as priests toward us. We must be willing to accept service.

There is a tendency (and I'm not sure why this exists) among some Christians to be always serving but not receiving it. If you ask them if they need help, they almost always say no. I think they do this because they don't want to cause any work for anyone else; therefore, their motives seem pure. However, in doing this they actually stunt the growth of their brothers and sisters. This is because they are keeping them from serving.

The one-anothers have a reciprocal nature. We all grow up together in Christ as we serve one another. We help others grow by one anothering together. This involves both giving and receiving. If we only focus on the giving, we end up inadvertently hurting both ourselves and others.

The New Testament is plural not singular. The authors intend body life to be full of reciprocal one-anothering. When this happens, the body grows in both health and maturity. Even more importantly, God is worshipped through back-and-forth priestly service.

The Relationship Driven Church

It's fascinating to read how the New Testament authors describe church life. Almost everything they write has to do directly with interpersonal relationships. All of the "one another" exhortations are examples of this. If we studied the application passages of Paul's letters we'd see a comprehensive focus upon relationships between brothers and sisters in Christ.

What we don't see too much of is a focus on events. Although we read a few descriptions of church gatherings (for example Acts 20), these are not many. A significant passage such as Hebrews 10:24-25 focuses much more on the relationships involved than on the specifics of the meetings themselves.

In our culture the focus of the church seems to lean toward events. This can be true whether talking about more institutional churches or simpler ones. Although this is done with good intentions, it indicates priorities that are at least somewhat off target.

We'd all do well to ask whether or not we are more focused on relationships or events. I admit that there is almost always overlap between relationships with friends and events we are all involved in. However, they are not the same thing. Which of the two do we spend more time on? Do we put more work into events or relationships?

When we read the New Testament, we see Christians who had some great relationships and some that weren't so great. The writers dealt much with these issues. That was their concern. The church today (that's all of us Christ-followers) benefits when we take a look both at our relationships and at how much effort we place into those relationships.

What I Will Tell My Kids About Finding a Church

God has blessed Alice and me with three great kids: Caroline, Mary, and Bobby. They are teens and all live at home. However, someday they will depart. If they stay in Savannah, they may want to be part of a different church family. If they move somewhere else, they'll be forced to find other Christians with whom to fellowship.

What do I tell my kids about finding a church family? I've been thinking about that lately. It's helped me boil down what is most important. I came to a simple conclusion. This is what I will tell them, "Ask God to lead you to a group of people who you can help grow closer to Jesus Christ and who will help you grow closer to Jesus Christ."

Growing closer to Jesus necessarily includes becoming more like Jesus. This includes living sacrificially for others, striving for personal holiness, being an active disciple-maker, etc. When we look at the exhortations in scripture for how Christ's followers should live, we see these almost always given in the context of the Christian community. Commands are for the large part plural as opposed to individual. Growing closer to Christ occurs most effectively in community as opposed to solo.

III John verse 4 says, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." All truth is God's truth. Jesus stated directly that He is the way, the truth, and the life." My great hope for my children is that they grow increasingly closer to the One who is the source of all truth. This will happen best with other believers who they can help and who can help them.

What do/would you tell your kids or others about finding a church family?

Why Are Campouts Great? Community

Last weekend we had the opportunity to go on a campout with a group of other Christian families. Some we know pretty well, while others were new to us. We all have daughters in the American Heritage Girls.

The campout took place at beautiful Magnolia Springs State Park, which is about two hours from here. We all stayed at a pioneer campsite, which means sleeping in tents, cooking over outdoor stoves, sitting around the fire, and using a scary outhouse. It was real camping (as opposed to staying in some sort of cottage with electricity. O.K. I admit to having done that before).

We enjoyed fishing, going on hikes through the woods, playing games, eating lots of good food, watching the animals, etc. Personally, it was great just to breathe in a lot of fresh air (I work in a construction equipment factory with less than the best air quality).

As I think back on the campout, it is clear what made it great. It was the community. Campouts like this provide the rare opportunity to spend many hours with friends away from the distractions of everyday life. While group camping, all the tents are within a few feet of each other. Most electronic distractions are a non-issue. There isn't much to do but hang out and talk. This may involve taking hikes and playing games, or it might just mean sitting in chairs in a circle. Regardless, it provides something that is difficult to come by most of the time: a lot of time to talk and simply be together.

It strikes me that the church would benefit from functioning much like folks at a campout. We would spend a lot of time together, hanging out, eating, playing games, and talking a lot. We would share our lives together for bulks of time (this, of course, is not all the church would do.)

We can learn a lot from campouts. I hope we are able to go on another one soon.

Willing to be One Anothered

The multiple "one another" commands that we see throughout the pages of the New Testament provide for us a picture of body life. We do for others, and they do for us. We treat others in a certain manner, and they treat us the same. We care for others, and they care for us.

In talking about the one anothers, most of the focus usually falls on what we should do for others. I suppose this makes sense. However, we also need to realize that we must allow others to do for us. The one anothering is a two way street.

I'm not suggesting that we treat others well because they treat us well. We carry out the one anothers out of joyful obedience to Christ. However, we also need to be willing to accept one anothering from our brothers and sisters in Christ. When we accept their one anothering of us, we do them a service. It provides them with the opportunity to joyfully obey Christ.

These is a sort of reciprocal nature to all this. We all grow up together in Christ as we serve one another. We help others grow by one anothering together. This involves both giving and receiving. If we only focus on the giving, we end up inadvertently hurting both ourselves and others.

One anothering is critical to the life of the church. We all need to be involved in it. When we share with each other in this way, God is honored and we all grow closer to him.

For much more on one anothering, take a look at what Jon is writing about.

Priestly Serving Together

We live in such an individual-driven society that it is sometimes difficult to accurately understand what the apostolic writers are telling us. We are further hampered by the English language. Specifically, singular commands and plural commands often sound the same; the word “you” can be singular or plural.

Since we are Western, we often fall into the trap of reading commands as singular when they are actually plural. Romans 12:9-21 is a passage where this can easily happen. In these verses, Paul gives short command after command, and almost all are plural.

Paul is telling us that we serve as priests together:

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

This sounds sort of like a laundry list to our ears. How in the world can we obey all these commands? We can’t if we try to do it alone.

Paul, to our benefit, isn’t thinking about us living up to these standards alone. Instead, the apostle is thinking about body life. Three times in these verses Paul uses the expression “one another.” His thought process is that we will carry out our priestly service right alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ. We will live according to these high standards by helping one another do so.

By the power of the Holy Spirit and with the help of the church family, we can live in a manner that pleases God. This is what priests do. We offer sacrifices of praise in accordance with God’s standards. We do it together.

I Love This Verse!

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16

If we take scripture seriously, then this verse has uber-significant application for various reasons. I'll briefly focus on one. It is not only our joy, but also our responsibility to teach and admonish others and also accept teaching and admonishing from others.

Paul has an expectation of action on our part. We are not to sit back and wait for others to do this, but instead we are to engage in teaching and admonishing the church. Since this letter is written to the entire body (note: not just some), this applies to all Christians. This is a key aspect to the priesthood of all believers.

In order for the church to be healthy, we must live this out.

Excellent Article by John Zens

Yesterday I came upon an excellent blog post written by Jon Zens. It's actually a guest piece on Frank Viola's site. Zens' article is entitled The New Testament is Plural Not Singular. Enjoy.

Communion and Fellowship

I find it terribly ironic that most churches do not celebrate Communion in their Fellowship Halls. Instead, the sanctuary/worship center is the place.

The irony is that the words "communion" and "fellowship" are nearly synonymous. Additionally, most times in life a supper is held in a room for eating. In light of this, a room designed from free-flowing fellowship and robust eating seems like a perfect spot for Communion.

Myths About Organic Church

Milt Rodriguez has much experience in organic church life. He offers sound advice on his blog for those seeking authentic church according to biblical principles. For this reason, he's on my blogroll.

Milt is in the process of writing a series entitled "10 Myths About Organic Church." So far in the series he has penned six of the ten entries. I encourage you to read all of them. While I don't necessarily agree with everything Milt has to say, I almost always find his thoughts to be both informative and challenging. Below I've included links to the six entries followed by my favorite quote from each:


Myth #1 – Organic Church is a New Method for Doing Church

“Why is it that we don’t come seeking life instead of more information and knowledge? Why don’t we come seeking Christ instead of other things? Organic church is really only about one thing – the Lord Jesus Christ Himself! It’s about His life and living by His life with a group of believers.”


Myth #2 – Organic Church is a New Movement

“So we can see by the scriptures that God’s church is something that is founded upon none other than Jesus Christ Himself and not all of man’s ideas about Him. So it’s very clear by these definitions that actually the new movement is the institutional church itself, not the organic church. The organic church is the attempt of modern day believers to return to their ‘roots’ in primitive Christianity. These ‘roots’, of course, are nothing new, but rather a return to something very ancient.”


Myth #3 – Organic Church is a Spontaneous Free-For-All

“It’s not that we throw away structure in the organic, but rather that structure comes to have a whole new meaning for us. Of course there is still structure in organic church, but this structure is not mechanical as in the system, it is organic. That means it has a totally different nature. The essence of organic structure is based upon the indwelling life of Christ, not any man-made mechanism that is external.”


Myth #4 – Organic Churches Do Not Have Leaders

“We are ALL called to lead and to minister. Our Christ is the ALL in ALL (of us). But the key is that we all (hopefully) desire his Headship and his Centrality and to live by his Life. But all of these things or aspects of Christ are expressed THROUGH US! But this can only happen as we all learn to live by Him and abide in Him. This comes by mutually submitting ourselves one to another. He is our only Head and we discover his direction and leadership by submitting ourselves to the members of the body. This will happen in different ways at different times. Different members of the body will lead in different areas at different times depending upon what the Head wants for that particular season.”


Myth #5 – Organic Church is All About Rapid Multiplication and Discipleship

“Fruit only happens because there is much transformation (pruning) that goes on as the branches realized that apart from Him they can do nothing! All fruit comes in season. And the idea of seasons in the church (which is organic) has been abandoned for church growth principles, programs, and agendas.”


Myth #6 – Anyone Can Plant an Organic Church

“The record (New Testament story of the early church) shows that true biblical church planters are not made overnight. It also shows that not everyone is called to this work. It also shows that it takes years of preparation. It never has been, nor will it ever be a quick and easy task. At least, not if we do it His way.”


I'm anticipating Milt's final four entries in the weeks to come.