An Old Idea for a New Time !

Observation: Have you noticed that the larger your Sunday Service is, the less noticed the average person becomes (whether they go, don’t go, do something, don’t do anything) ?

There could be 100 people in your “small church meeting” but one teaches, a few (or one) sing or play, a few may host or welcome. That’s about it.

  • How many out of just those 100, for example, did not have any opportunity to exercise any of their gifts?
  • How many were never encouraged to use their gifts?
  • How many have never even been encouraged to find out what those gifts are?
  • How many will not read the bible for themselves, understand what is says, or be able to be able to give an intelligent response to their claims of faith when asked but can only say “that’s what my pastor says?”

I’m not saying that church is about each of us; it’s certainly about God. What I am saying is that it’s also supposed to be about God working through each of us, reaching out to each of us through each of us with the gifts He has given to each of us. (and while loving each other is certainly not supposed to be about who gets noticed, it IS supposed to be about being able to exercise our gifts in the process of loving one another)

Why bring this up?

Cause: Most of us don’t even get use those gifts in the average Sunday service/fellowship usually because there are simply too many people for that to happen. (It could also be simply that many don’t even know what their gifts are or how to exercise them, which is a matter of discipleship).That’s why most large assemblies use small groups to keep people alive, growing, feeling connected, discipled and using their gifts.

What if it could be different, better ?

  • Too many attenders are not growing.
  • Too many attenders are not being discipled.
  • Too many attenders think that going to a Sunday service makes them a christian.
  • Too many think that church is the building they meet in.
  • Too few understand that the body of believers IS the CHURCH.

 

Solution: What if, rather than a church with small groups, it was a church of small groups ?

What if the small group was the service ?

Do you really want to grow as a Christian?  Really want to be part of something where you see God using you to help others ? Let’s go back to what the body of Christ was doing 2000 years ago when it grew and could not be stopped by the anything.

 

clarificationI am not saying there is no place for preaching the word to a group of people (saved or unsaved), but AM expressing a concern that, for too many, there is no small group involvement at all as long as the presentation mode is available. To put this another way, as long as the model exists to simply show up and be told what to believe, many do not bother to check the scriptures themselves, or spend time with God through his Word, allowing His Spirit to give us understanding, or to learn to love one another, developing their spiritual gifts in the process. (they take the easy way out and personal growth is stunted)

This model of fellowship and gathering is already being implemented elsewhere in the country with great results.  I am not promising anything but looking for some adventurous followers willing to try following God in a different way that may not match up with 200 yrs of New England tradition but does align with the Word of God.

 

 

Application: I’m talking about (and have started) a small community of believers that really love one another (and when we reach critical size, we will split into two groups, and those then split, etc). It’s about community, discipleship, and following the great commission even when it means stepping out of our comfort zone (and our tradition zone). (leaders are discipled, given opportunity to grow, so that when it is time to split, there are enough leaders to keep all the groups on the same page and “soundly founded”).  Communion is a weekly celebration (and a rotation schedule is kept so that each member gets to take a turn presenting communion to the rest of us).

let us know if you are interested. “Agape Home Fellowship”

We started this on February of 2019 and it works !

(fellowship at 10AM, music and bible time at 10:30AM, done by 12 noon)

click here to watch a video recording of our first meetings.

(click links here for extra details, reasonings, and videos behind this idea)

weekly notes from our meetings can be found here.