Beyond the Building

This account is a place for me to organize, record, and seek feedback during my exploration of the "distributed leadership assembly model" (DLAM). Along with the Bible, I have been influenced by F3, CR, and books like "The Starfish and the Spider" and "Paul's Idea of Community."

Should we have church buildings?

I don't accept that baptism is for giving a child to God as a sign of worship. That's simply not scripturally supported. But what really stuck out to me is this idea that a church leader is positionally a better representation of God to a child than his or her believing parents.

What happens when a home church gets too large for the living room? This video gives a strategy for multiplying that keeps things healthy and minimizes the harm of breaking up groups to form new groups. We don't do the classic, split the small group 50/50...that rarely went well. You built a successful small group only to split it up. Not so with home church. There is a better way that once you see the approach, it will make all kinds of sense! Here to you! Would love to hear your feedback - youtu.be/fchKSBc8bZs

@SacrdCowTipping I am convinced there is no such thing as "the church." There are "churches." While God ordains some individual Christian to "high secular power," he never ordained a "Christian theocracy," nor even a single strongly unified "theological system."

In the NT, preaching was proclamation to the lost - not a weekly lecture to the flock. The church devoted itself to mutual edification, teaching, exhortation, & participation - not a one-man pulpit performance. The modern sermon-centered model is post-biblical, not apostolic.

Paul was the opposite of a celebrity pastor. A celebrity pastor isn't just a preacher who everyone knows. Paul refused payment when it might compromise his teaching, worked manual labor when needed to support himself, didn't polish his speaking in an attempt to appeal to more people, and refused to baptize when it might lead to others claiming him as a "brand." In fact, instead of centralizing his authority, he decentralized it, creating leaders, quickly handing his roles over to others, and insisting on the spiritual equality of believers while emphasizing gifts, not paid positions. Double honor doesn't imply a salaried position. We should be generous in charity to those serve well, and they should trust God to meet their needs. While "not many should become teachers" is a warning about the real responsibilities of teaching, the author of Hebrews tells his readers, "by now you should all be teachers."

House churches under a local, wider, umbrella (for accountability) will be the only way to cleanse the mess we’ve made by using entertainment “corporations” to gather the body—and then we call these corporations Church. Money needs to go. And house fellowship and the family model for the edification, discipleship, accountability, and growth of the Body. Just like in Acts.

The early church didn’t have preachers or celebrity pastors who stood up and spoke the whole time. It had a network of elders and deacons who were there to serve and facilitate. Meetings were for fellowship and discussion. Everyone participated. This idea that a man should elevate himself above a group of people and speak as everyone watches him lends itself to these problems. He begins to see himself as “the ministry” Every criticism of him is a demonic attack against the ministry. His judgements are “more sound” than others. This is why Jesus said leadership is service. Not authority and “ruling over” others. A man elevated above others is a target and now prone to the sin of pride Bring back churches in homes

The role of the shepherd is to lead the flock to the pastures. The shepherd is a guide, a protector, and an example, but he can't eat for the sheep. As the author of Hebrews wrote, "For by this time you ought to be teachers..." All saints should be well-versed in personal study.

I wouldn't be surprised if our tradition of preaching from the pulpit is actually part of the reason that so many Christians are not reading the Bible for themselves.

Ironically, these aren’t biblically supported statements.

The church as a distributed leadership model

"For early Christians, the primary symbol of the faith was not the cross, but the table." John Mark Comer with a fascinating look back at the lost NT meeting practice of weekly fasting. youtu.be/aUhTPHvwGpw?si…

Regarding Acts 2:46, meeting in the temple:

Congregational singing is important for our gatherings, but the New Testament doesn’t call that “worship.” Nope, not nada … Just ain’t there. Rather, the New Testament says that living lives of obedient submission and sacrificial service to God … Is true worship. When we say that singing and music are “worship,” however, rather than teach what worship truly is under the New Covenant … We often end up with carnal churches and carnal people seeking a Sunday morning “worship experience” rather than living holy lives in humble obedience and service to God. So let’s encourage one another by joyfully singing God’s praises congregationally together when we gather, as the New Testament commands … While also learning to walk in true worship the rest of the week. Because when all is said and done, the terminology of the New Testament never tells us to gather for a “worship service” … But to gather for mutually building up each other so we can live lives of service, 24/7. ———————— “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship [literally, ritual temple prostration in obedient submission] the Father… God is spirit, and those who worship him [ritual temple prostration in obedient submission] must worship [ritual temple prostration in obedient submission] in spirit and truth.’” John 4:21 & 24 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship [literally, ritual temple burnt sacrifice]. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Rom 12:1-2

Was Jesus low-church or high-church?

We have neither. We have no stage, because worship and remembrance are not entertainment. We have no altar because the once and for all sacrifice of Christ is complete—cannot be repeated. We have the Lord's table. We remember the finished work of Christ that brought us peace.

For example: youtube.com/watch?v=yic37I…

Both the question and the answer misunderstand the church. No one visits "your church" because it's not a place. It's a gathering of believers, for mutual edification.