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Featured "Home Church" vs "The Current Business Model"

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by T Alan, Dec 7, 2014.

  1. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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    I will add this. I attended a SBC church for years. The leadership made some misleading statements about a financial issue, teaching became superficial, and the entire service became an effort to cater to the culture in order to gain new members. We had three different and distinct services each Sunday morning (not counting the children and youth, who each had their own services). Turns out the pastor was getting his sermons online and just presenting them to the congregation. In sort...it was a mess. We left for a few years and amazingly enough God drew us back to that same church. It is much different now (I am amazed at the discipleship, the studies, and the teachings of the pastor). God worked amazingly in that church. I always wonder if I had stayed if I could have been a part of its rebuilding. Anyway, food for thought. Something in your post made me think of my own experience.
     
    #21 JonC, Dec 7, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 7, 2014
  2. T Alan

    T Alan New Member

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    Probably was the lying, thieving preacher angle. :p
    As Yah leads, I will follow, trusting in faith.
     
  3. Sapper Woody

    Sapper Woody Well-Known Member

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    There's a huge difference that needs to be pointed out between a church in a home, and a home church. Several families starting a church in a home is fine (provided they do it biblically, and don't start a bastardized church). A home church carries the idea of a family carrying on a faux church in their home in lieu of finding a church. When someone says home church, I immediately think of the Duggars. A family meeting in a home instead of attending church is, imo, unbiblical and spiritually damaging.



    To address another idea from this thread, there is a biblical way to start a church. Disgruntled members leaving and starting a church under their own authority is not the way.
     
  4. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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    Depending on the situation, I find that most of the time it is impossible for them to do it biblically. In Acts, we see those saved described as being "added to the church." This church is descriptive of living in a larger community. If there are no other churches around, then sure...that makes sense. But if there are functioning churches, well, then I disagree.
     
  5. Sapper Woody

    Sapper Woody Well-Known Member

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    I believe we agree with each other here. If there is a good church in the area, then there is no reason to start a church in a home. But if there's no good church locally, I believe it is unbiblical to "just start one". Churches should be started out of churched.
     
  6. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    Just to clarify what you stated -
    Are you saying a new church should only be started based on the authority of an existing church?

    When I was in Wildchicken - I started a Bible Study, as there was no Bible believing church in the area. A few months later we organized as a local church - without the authority of any other church.
     
  7. Sapper Woody

    Sapper Woody Well-Known Member

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    While not attacking you personally, Salty, yes I believe it is unbiblical to found a church without a parent church. Even if that parent church is several states or half a world away, I believe that there needs to be a parent church.



    I have anecdotal evidence of churches being founded without any parent and having problems, reorganizing under a parent church, and then the problems resolving themselves.
     
  8. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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    Wild chicken?
     
  9. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    Evidently you did not spend any time in EUCOM/USAEUR/USAFE
     
  10. OldRegular

    OldRegular Well-Known Member

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    I believe you are correct!
     
  11. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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    Ok. I'm tracking. I was in Bamberg.
     
  12. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    You never referred to Wildflecken as Wildchicken?
     
  13. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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    I should have caught on, wasn't thinking.
     
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