Greetings in Christ’s name,
Entering the 21st century, I sense that the body of Christ needs to examine the wineskin of church structure. Over 450 years ago, Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis on the Whittenburg church door because he no longer felt His church was biblical. Although he and the other reformers were accused of heresy, their efforts restored the truths we take for granted today.
Today, with declining church attendance in most denominations, we again need to examine whether the church today is the church of God’s word. We must also ask ourselves if we will have the courage to reform the structure to allow it to be a New Testament church.
The home church / simple church / organic chirch concept is the one that I believe is the pattern shown in the New Testament. If you look in the Bible, especially the book of Acts and the epistles of St. Paul, you will see the following facts:
1) The early church had no formal church buildings. All worship was in houses of the Christian or in open fields or caves
2) There is no mention of the separation between clergy and laity. They practiced equality of brotherhood with different callings and ministries.
3) They equipping the believers for service and ministry by apprenticeship instead of training "ordained" clergy in seminary. Today in most organized ministries, our gift must fit their need or there is no room in their 'religious inn' for your ministry!
There are many more examples I could give, so I have made available study information at this web site. You can then determine for yourselves what is the pattern Jesus and his Apostles set up. Study and then pray and ask God whether new wine can be put in old wineskins?
The small group concept works because disclipleship takes place by placing a person in a caring, small group setting where development can be total, not in a large meeting where people of different maturity levels are all carried along at the same speed.
We need to ask ourselves if our church experience is meeting our spiritual needs? If we feel a calling to ministry, will we be apprenticed and released into it, or will we be told that God can use us to teach Sunday school, staff the nursery or cut the grass? In the small group concept, all those who feel called to teach, preach, prophesy, or to shepherd will be able to do so. As long as there are homes to expand into, opportunities for ministries will always be present.
I realize that no plan can be successful without God birthing the vision in the hearts of the people. Jesus said "the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21) and each of us must realize that we will only be a New Testament church if we catch the vision the early church had when they spread the gospel to their known world in the midst of Roman oppression and persecution.
To many in this skeptical world with apathy to churches and their programs, it is the only form that will work today.
We hope to see you at one of our home meetings, and hope you will become a part of our family. You won't be coming to church, you will become the church in practice! If church as usual has you frustrated, try something different. Remember, it's your spiritual life, what do you have to lose?
Jeff & Mary Henning / Break Bread Ministries