NON-CHURCH WORSHIP
Posted on February 19th, 2008 by joebib into the joebib writes categoryI just came across this insightful article from the Christian Post that talks about how, according to a new Barna study, a majority of Christians now believe in the validity of worshiping God in non-traditional church settings. It states:
“'Often, people feel as if their worship and ministry are confined to what is routinely done because those patterns have a biblical basis or mandate,' explained George Barna, co-author of the new book Pagan Christianity? Exploring the Roots of Our Christian Practices.'
'But when you research the origins of church practices, and study the practices of the early church, you discover that most of our current church practices have ancient cultural origins, with no biblical basis.'
Six alternatives were considered by most adults to be ‘a complete and biblically valid way for someone who does not participate in the services or activities of a conventional church to experience and express their faith in God.’
Non-Church alternatives include engaging in faith activities at home with one’s family (acceptable by 89 percent of adults); participating in a house church (75 percent); watching a religious television program (69 percent); listening to a religious radio broadcast (68 percent); attending a special ministry event, such as a concert or community service activity (68 percent); and participating in a marketplace ministry (54 percent).
In the past month, the study found that while 55 percent of adults had attended a conventional church, 28 percent of all adults who did not attend a conventional church did, however, participate in an alternative activity to express their faith in God.”
I found particularly interesting the part that mentions how a majority of IC Pastors of Protestant churches remain opposed to house churches, specifically those Pastors who: earn more than $75K per year, are African-American, or are Charismatic/Pentecostal.
I guess these SPs haven't seen Acts 8:3, 20:20; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15, etc. 
Pretty interesting stuff.
The entire article can be read HERE.
-joebib
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February 19th, 2008 at 5:02 am
I haven’t commented here in a while. But, I find myself in this situation of sitting outside the church for the first time. What happened to real worship? Not the form or the style, but a coming together of saints to honor the One who is due all honor. Why is everyone striving for everything but that?
So, out we walk, pulling a Barry Sanders, knowing that where the “team is going” is not part of where we have been called.
There is guilt, anxiety, wonder. I do not have the energy to shop churches, but feel drawn to go. I miss my friends already.
I think I will try one of the extra-church activities Barna mentioned above. We’ll see how it goes.
Broken hearted and wounded.
AW
February 19th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Great post Joebib. I noticed that they included participation in an online forum as an optional form of worship, but only 45% thought it was valid.
Hey, it works for me!
February 19th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Hey, 45% popular support is better than any of the current presidential candidates are getting. I’ll take it.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Ever since I moved away from Portland and left my favorite church in the whole world (a pure grace-centered church that cares nothing about money and position and has real outreach to the poor and neglicted) I have been a church hopper. I now live in Los Angeles where you can find every kind of church imaginable. Problem is, 5 years since I moved and a dozen churches later, I have yet to find a home church. Whether it’s hearing the prosperity message for the 20th time, being told I am not blessed unless I practice my spiritual disciplines everyday, or sitting amoungst people who are fake and hypocritical, I have yet to find a place of true worship were people come together to focus on nothing else but Jesus. The outside church activities as a means of expressing my faith in God has become my norm and my spiritual faith has grown stronger through it. Makes me wonder why any church would be larger then a few hundred people. Walking into these monstrosities filled with thousands of people makes me feel empty and disconnected, and I’ve been a Christian for 15 years. Makes me wonder how the unbeliever feel? No wonder church attendence in America is at an all time low. The American church as it stands has failed its duty to be the bride of Christ.
February 19th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Don, My husband and I can totally relate! We left BT in the late nineties headed to a church in Clackamas we felt we were called to be. After 5 years there and so much pain and disappointment we are out of the IC and can’t seem to get plugged in anywhere. We feel lost. The worst thing about it is our two boys who are now teenagers. What have we done to them? What will happen to their spiritual walk? We feel guilty but after visiting churches over the past 4 years and even attending one for over a year we just can’t get ourselves to attend regularly anymore. It is so disheartening and a definite point of contention and concern in our marriage and family. The guilt is horrible….
February 19th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
For what it’s worth, I’m in much the same situation. I can honestly say, however, that it can be a time of real growth.
So many things have been left out of Christ’s message in the IC. It has been an adventure to discover things, like the Lord’s Prayer or the meaning of baptism and the Lord’s Table, to study them out and begin to share with others, even in my family. Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three have gathered in My Name, there I am in their midst.” Notice He did not say two or three thousand! I like the Apostle’s advice in 1 Thess. 4:11, “and make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you; so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.”
Most of all, it has become paramount to me to learn the things Jesus said to do and what not to do and begin to walk them out in my life. This will lead to the greatest promise I have found in the bible. John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him.” What an incredible thing to have Him disclose Himself to you!
February 20th, 2008 at 10:59 am
T4C — I understand totally, having been there ourselves not too long ago. I discovered something you might want to consider. We decided to go to a very conservative noncharismatic church. The opportunity came up for our children to take the confirmation class, and so I went with them to the class. It was simply going through the Westminster chatechism, and was taught by a woman who loves the Lord and loves the Word. I realized that for all the hooplah at CBC, my children had never been taught basic systematic theology through the church — nothing! What is the point of church? Learning how to tithe and being “the generation” to do… ???
The youth group at this church is small, but it’s working out for us. My point is that there is much good in the conservative churches. I have had to repent for my pride about them, and am learning to serve in this place.
February 20th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
If anyone is looking for a real church in Portland Oregon, visit The Well in Northeast, right off Broadway and 1st, close to I-5 where the Ford dealership is. It will help you believe in church again.
February 20th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Excellent point.
I often am saddened at the scarcity of biblically literate Christians the average LC is able to produce. Most churches I’ve attended are filled with people who have been taught precious little of the ways and precepts of our God, and would be hard pressed to give a coherent apologetic (1 Peter 3:15) on why they believe in Christ.
Glad I’m not the only one to have come to this conclusion.
-joe
February 20th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
joe said: I am often am saddened at the scarcity of biblically literate Christians the average LC [local church] is able to produce.
joe, 3 weeks ago, i called the bookstore of a mega church in our area. I asked the person who answered the phone if they still carried a certain book I was aware that they carried at one time for new Christians - something along the lines of the traditional title First Principles or Foundations of the Faith. She said they had not carried the book for quite some time. When I asked her why, she simply said, “All books have their market cycle.”
She did not recommend any other titles to me for new Christians! My guess is that they feel that all new Christians need to be grounded in the faith is to attend their own “How to Become a Member of our Local Church” class and read their own in-house manual, which is theologically shallow and purposed to make everyone who reads it into an attending, tithing, giving, volunteering and complying member. To me, this is just putting the church business enterprise over true Christian education and genuine discipleship.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:56 am
That’s a very accurate observation, Dave, and something which begs further analysis.
So much so, in fact, that I think this remark should be made into its own separate post, so that it would receive the proper attention (and input) from further discussion that it deserves. After all, it just might go unnoticed in this thread.
-joe
February 21st, 2008 at 7:03 am
I am often am saddened at the scarcity of reborn and spirit filled Christians the average LC [local* church] is able to produce.
Dave and Joe, when I first went to the LC here, (mainline, non-charismatic), they administered a “Spiritual Gifts Inventory” which we thought was pretty cool since were anxious to be recognized / used for our spiritual gifts at the time … but as we took the test, it was painfully obvious that it was from a non/anti-charismatic perspective and in the end, the test concluded you had the spiritual gifts of:
Teaching Sunday School
Choir Member
Usher
Building and Grounds Keeper (i.e., Janitor)
etc.
So the wife and I penciled in the ‘notes’ section that we had several of the spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, including tongues, interpretations, word of wisdom/knowledge, discernment of spirits. It was just weeks after taking the test that there began a spiritual shift in that church towards us - specifically - the antichrist spirit over that place strenuously tried to expel us. There was no end of the trouble and hatred it stirred up for us.
About the same time, the church which ran a foster home in the area, recognized that some of the kids coming in were demonized, so they brought in a brand (denomination) loyal deliverance minister to train some of the locals who worked with the kids. I was invited along by the chaplain whom I occasionally helped by leading worship music. Several times the deliverance minister said something like “the non-charismatic method of deliverance” … each time he said that, I struggled mightily with myself to keep my mouth shut, but sadly, ‘Scrupe won out and I blurted out something like:
Everyone fell out laughing except the deliverance dude - I left shortly thereafter because the religious spirit there got real ugly after that … the 2 locals who remained got their “deliverance certificate” from the guy, but I never heard another word. Wonder why?
From the mainline/traditional/non-char perspective I’ve experienced for years, it’s not so much that they’ve replaced sound biblical teaching and fundamentals with books on ‘churchianity’, it’s that they’ve expelled the Holy Spirit and embraced another spirit (religion) altogether. It’s the only plausible explanation I can come up with, having been driven out of several churches now for nothing more than speaking Biblical / Spiritual Truth, being a house of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16) and manifesting spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:8-10).
‘Scrupe
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:30 am
The only thing with Barana is that secularly- they really arent accepted as a valid research group. They are just accepted in Christian circle, but thats usually how it is- Christians produce poor quality crap, but we all buy into it…because its Christian.
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:02 am
see: Contemporary Christian Music.