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Discussion on matters of general mainstream Christian churches. What are the differences between Catholics and protestants? How has the charismatic movement affected the church? Are Southern baptists different from fundamentalist baptists? It is also for discussions about the nature of the church.

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House churches

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  • #31
    Originally posted by One Bad Pig View Post
    Yeah, if the qualifications of the leader are ignored. Seminaries have been around for much longer than Mr. North imagines - and even before then, there were minimum age/time after conversion limits which were seldom ignored, these limits having been set by experience. And the idea of getting indigenous leadership involved ASAP in mission fields is hardly limited to house churches.
    Right. So what precisely is the problem you see here?

    Comment


    • #32
      Originally posted by Paprika View Post
      The model North sketches is for and to sustain an environment with high growth. That it's unsuitable for your country, which has had, on average, limited to negative growth isn't a flaw with the model, but with your people.
      If the application is for, say, the US, I don't think North's strategy of focusing on raw church attendance/membership as opposed to maximizing discipleship for those who are in church already is most ideal, if all it's going to do is bring in more mostly nominal believers. The model might work in a country where the majority of people did not already self-identify as Christian.
      "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

      Comment


      • #33
        Originally posted by KingsGambit View Post
        And churches with their own buildings generally get around this by adding additional service times, if they are fortunate enough to even have this problem.
        We have a Junior High School right across the street, so when we anticipate lots of people, we ask our regulars to park across the street and walk to Church, and it always works out great.
        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

        Comment


        • #34
          Originally posted by One Bad Pig View Post
          Eh, some good, lots wrong with that column. An example, more or less at random:

          The column opines that church buildings are bad because the have the problem of real estate; if everyone in the congregation invited a friend, and all the invitees came, there'd be no place for everyone to park. Never mind, for a moment, the sheer improbability of that happening. This is different from a house church. . . how exactly?
          And in some communities, there are actually zoning laws AGAINST house churches due to parking problems, or whatever.

          Source: House Church Meetings

          Courts have generally found that, even apart from the siting of religious buildings, zoning laws can be used to regulate religious activities in existing facilities that were built for non-religious purposes.41 These courts have decided in many cases that zoning ordinances place a minimal burden on the congregations and the ordinances have a reasonable or important governmental interest.

          © Copyright Original Source

          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

          Comment


          • #35
            Originally posted by Truthseeker View Post
            Two reasons: 1) The searcher is not trying hard enough or just had not thought of house churches. 2) The church is not "advertising." Yellow pages, for one thing. A website. An outreach program.
            I have thought about a house church. Don't know of any.

            I think a house church would tend to advertise by word of mouth. If you're like me and have a limited social circle, that word of mouth probably isn't going to reach me. For example at work I know only one person who is probably a Christian. Extended family either doesn't go or is RCC which is a non-starter with my wife.
            "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." Hosea 6:6

            "Theology can be an intellectual entertainment." Metropolitan Anthony Bloom

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            • #36
              Originally posted by Thoughtful Monk View Post
              I have thought about a house church. Don't know of any.
              I think, particularly in the States, house churches tend to be started up by people who were disaffected by a local "regular" church. I have had a lot of contact with house churches in my Church Consultant days, and that seemed to be the case. Often, it was almost a "us four and no more" mentality, not WANTING to grow, necessarily.

              On the other hand, I know of Churches that have SPECIFICALLY started house churches in communities (often newly popped up communities) where there is not yet an evangelical Church)

              One of the house church groups I was consulting for/with heard my schpiel about "growing", and one of them asked me, quite seriously, "Well, Pastor CP, whoever told you we WANTED to grow?"
              The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

              Comment


              • #37
                Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                I think, particularly in the States, house churches tend to be started up by people who were disaffected by a local "regular" church. I have had a lot of contact with house churches in my Church Consultant days, and that seemed to be the case. Often, it was almost a "us four and no more" mentality, not WANTING to grow, necessarily.

                On the other hand, I know of Churches that have SPECIFICALLY started house churches in communities (often newly popped up communities) where there is not yet an evangelical Church)

                One of the house church groups I was consulting for/with heard my schpiel about "growing", and one of them asked me, quite seriously, "Well, Pastor CP, whoever told you we WANTED to grow?"
                That since that today house churches would be started by the disaffected. It is still safe to do church so there is no need to band together for mutual support. Now I think in 10 years it may be a house church model because of persecution on the church. I've thought doing a serious study of how the Chinese church functions today would be good prep for what is coming.
                "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." Hosea 6:6

                "Theology can be an intellectual entertainment." Metropolitan Anthony Bloom

                Comment


                • #38
                  Originally posted by Thoughtful Monk View Post
                  That since that today house churches would be started by the disaffected. It is still safe to do church so there is no need to band together for mutual support.
                  Mossy can share her own story, but her family was "disaffected" from her Church -- tried and tried to stay, but came to a point where that just wasn't possible --- you can't worship somewhere where you're not at peace. And there aren't good options around, so I can certainly understand doing "house church" rather than just "giving up".

                  Now I think in 10 years it may be a house church model because of persecution on the church. I've thought doing a serious study of how the Chinese church functions today would be good prep for what is coming.
                  I don't think persecution in the US will be of sufficient nature to affect our mainline Churches for the forseeable future. I see our mainline Churches becoming less effective and more... um... complacent.
                  The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Originally posted by CP
                    Mossy can share her own story, but her family was "disaffected" from her Church -- tried and tried to stay, but came to a point where that just wasn't possible --- you can't worship somewhere where you're not at peace. And there aren't good options around, so I can certainly understand doing "house church" rather than just "giving up".
                    Yup.


                    Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                      Mossy can share her own story, but her family was "disaffected" from her Church -- tried and tried to stay, but came to a point where that just wasn't possible --- you can't worship somewhere where you're not at peace. And there aren't good options around, so I can certainly understand doing "house church" rather than just "giving up".
                      I remember some of mossrose's story from old TWeb.


                      Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                      I don't think persecution in the US will be of sufficient nature to affect our mainline Churches for the forseeable future. I see our mainline Churches becoming less effective and more... um... complacent.
                      The mainlines won't be persecuted because you won't be able to tell their position apart from society's. They may be the ones Jesus was referring to when He talked about persecutors will think they are serving God.

                      It seem to me an increasingly influential part of the county sees no difference between the stand of Westboro and a conservative church. (For the record, I get the difference.) The persecution will probably starting in the Northeast and the coasts and moving towards the center. I suspect given my local it will hit me sooner. After all I live in the state where the governor has said that the pro-life people don't place in the state.

                      I don't know if they will be foolish enough to actually enter the Republic of Texas.
                      "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." Hosea 6:6

                      "Theology can be an intellectual entertainment." Metropolitan Anthony Bloom

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Originally posted by Thoughtful Monk View Post
                        The mainlines won't be persecuted because you won't be able to tell their position apart from society's. They may be the ones Jesus was referring to when He talked about persecutors will think they are serving God.

                        It seem to me an increasingly influential part of the county sees no difference between the stand of Westboro and a conservative church. (For the record, I get the difference.)
                        I have a hard time believing that the greater majority of people don't understand that Westboro was extremist.

                        The persecution will probably starting in the Northeast and the coasts and moving towards the center. I suspect given my local it will hit me sooner. After all I live in the state where the governor has said that the pro-life people don't place in the state.
                        Interesting. I have to admit I have a rather "Texas" perspective on it, and we're still allowed to pray at high school football games, graduations, and school flag poles.

                        I don't know if they will be foolish enough to actually enter the Republic of Texas.
                        It may take some time!
                        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                          . . . pray at high school football games, graduations, and school flag poles.
                          School flag poles?
                          The greater number of laws . . . , the more thieves . . . there will be. ---- Lao-Tzu

                          [T]he truth I’m after and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance -— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            Originally posted by Truthseeker View Post
                            School flag poles?
                            National Day of Prayer -- "See You At The Pole" -- maybe a regional thing? Folks from the community gather at the flag pole at the local school to have a prayer service.

                            I just kinda threw that in there.
                            The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              The flag pole thing is done here in the Midwest too.
                              "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Originally posted by KingsGambit View Post
                                The flag pole thing is done here in the Midwest too.
                                OK, I was pretty sure it was a national effort.
                                The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                                Comment

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