When the music fades...
Here's the essence of what I think about when I think "church". Sample from link:
(With all the recent blackouts, I wonder if electric-dependant mega-churches might also be thinking along these lines! :) )
If the electricity went out, and your walls fell down, and your biggest givers died, what would you have left? Would you have a community of people still seeking after the heart of God? Would you still worship even without a band? Would you still be able to learn about God even though you can't show a video or a PowerPoint slide? In other words, what you have when everything else goes away is what your church is really all about.
(With all the recent blackouts, I wonder if electric-dependant mega-churches might also be thinking along these lines! :) )
posted by Michelle at 12:52 pm
7 Comments:
So, are you envisioning this ideal church in order to be able to better find a church like that, or are you thinking about starting one up that is like your vision?
This is the planning blog for a start-up, eventually. It's something that's been coming a LONG time, which I've been resisting doing because I don't feel worthy, qualified, spiritual enough - the excuses are endless. One of these days I'll run out of excuses though.
And then this will be more than just the planning!
God doesn't call the qualified--He qualifies the called.
---Said to me, now I'm passing it on---
Yeah, Patch is right. It isn't about what you've got, in terms of formal training and all that (though God gives what will be required for His work, and often that includes formal training of some kind).
Planting a church has to be a Calling, and if you receive it, you have to follow it, regardless of what you think about yourself and what you might or might not have to offer.
If it's a Call from God, it has to be done. If it isn't God's calling, it won't work.
At the moment it's more a hunch than a calling I'm afraid. I'm in no position to start something right now, but I'll at least gather thoughts, inspiration and advice here until the time is right. Thanks.
It's a good place to be~ creating a vision for what you need, spiritually. This will be interesting!
I can encourage you with a reminder: a church can start with only a couple or a few people, gathered together in someone's home to worship God.
You could start small, just by asking a friend to come and pray with you, maybe share a meal, and talk over the issues that you're going through, right now, and study the bible to see what it has to say, or just pray.
I know of one group that grew because the leader would bring up the issues that others wanted to talk about~ the difference in traditional church vs. the new kind of Christian.
When people are looking for answers, that kind of talk is invaluable to them!
Thanks Christine. I need to sit down with the people I know need something new, and find out from them what they need - perhaps that will give this whole thing a lot more direction.
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