The reason I like using the word Church with a big C only is because I wonder if we could ever just be together with Christ as the head of his Church instead of having all these divisive little c churches all over the place.
Can there ever be a community with…
No “church” service
No singing, unless someone is led to want to share
No preaching
No teaching, unless a person wants to share
No asking for money
No paid pastor or employees
No doctrinal statements
No “What we Believe” statements
No programs, no classes
Church to me is just living life together in community with one another being the hands and feet of Christ. (You know Christ has no other way to have others see Him then through us)
Can we help others physically, spiritually, and financially without all the above BS.
Lets have a meal, go to a ball game, cry, laugh, and grow together in Him so together we can show the Allness of God (Christ) to the world.
By the way… where is everyone? It seems like I am wandering this post-institutional wilderness all by myself?
Well, as long "two or more are gathered in His name" you automatically have a Church. Then you can agree to do just about anything together you like. You can pick some or all of these things on your list, or turn it into a fellowship meeting with games, or bluegrass music, or boy scouts, or mud wrestling for that matter.
But most Church meetings have a lot on your list for these reasons:
No “church” service - In general, church services are put together to accomplish things that Jesus and the apostles did together. Having some kind of structure is convenient when your group gets large and many people work together to organize the gathering.
No singing, unless someone is led to want to share The apostles sang hymns together and so did the first churches. It kind of became a tradition that goes clear back to King David. "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord" is a form of worship or praise.
No preaching People often gather together in church to learn the details of their faith. A 15-minute sermon is kind of a mini-dose for the least common denominator of the general membership. You really need as many contact hours per week as you would for a college course - if you are serious.
No teaching, unless a person wants to share See above. Since what you believe is critically important, that needs to get passed on in a training program of some kind.
No asking for money If you do form an organization with common goals and a meeting place, you need to cover your expenses. Even when friends go out for beers they often chip into a common pot to cover the bill.
No paid pastor or employees Not needed at all, if you can get volunteers. If you want someone to spend full time meeting the spiritual needs of the group, doing marriages and funerals and being there for counseling etc. then they need to earn a living somehow.
No doctrinal statements These are simply boiling down what the Bible teaches so that people can know what the group professes to believe. Belief in that content is in fact the whole reason for having such a group in the first place.
No “What we Believe” statements That's the same as above for the same reasons.
No programs, no classes Not much of a reason to meet if you have no goals as a group and nothing to share with new members.
But there's nothing wrong with doing it your way either. :o)
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Swanny, what you describe is exactly what I've been learning to practice for the past year now. I believe what you are referring to is an idea. Ideas cannot be legislated ( and if they are it's too illusive to readily enforce), it can transcend any divisive barrier now in place in this world namely; political, economic, country, bond or free, black or white, etc. Ideas can spread like wild fire and skip across oceans and vast continents in a moment.
The beautiful thing about the idea of the Big 'C' as you put it, is that it welcomes heterogeneous people. It doesn't demand conformity. It allows each member to serve to the best of their abilities and according to what they have to offer without anyone in authority orchestrating or exercising control over another.
I should back up. The idea I'm talking about is this: believe in Christ, repent, become as a little child and be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. But even if you can't or don't want to do that your fellowship isn't prohibited because no man or women or committee control the gathering of a body of believers.
There will surely be a variety of opinions on politics, economics, and even varied understandings and maturity in spirituality towards the many teachings, prophecies, and etc. pertaining to Christ and the foretold history of man.
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Agreed. That's exactly how every Christian church is supposed to be.
If they aren't, it's because they've gone and let humans be members.
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exactly
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