My Gripes about the House Church Movement
Living in community is not easy. I remembered back to an excellent article that Andrew Jones had written called, "My Gripes about the House Church Movement."
In this article Andrew says, "First and foremost, house churches have no sex appeal. There is nothing to look at. No big event. No climactic happening that makes people snap pictures. Except people crying on each other. Hugging on each other."
We have been involved in 'house church type' communities for about the last year and a half and I agree there is no sex appeal! When something goes wrong, boy does it go wrong. There's nothing to hide it. No clever cover ups by a waxed stage crew and a clever preacher. Sometimes you can leave a meeting and you think to yourself, "What was that all about!?"
As someone who has been 'in' ministry for the last 12 years, I am constantly fighting my need to have a 'successful' meeting...and what I mean by successful is good fellowship, good worship, good teaching/discussion (and good attendance). There you have it, nice and simple. I don't know why I expect this, real life certainly isn't 'nice and simple'.
Paul's rebuke to the Corinthian Church: "your meetings do more harm than good." (1 Corinthians 11:17). Absolutely! Let's not kid ourselves, if your meetings are destructive well then, you probably need to sit down and assess a couple of things.
Today in our meeting in the midst of coffee, kids, singing, lunch and loads of good wholesome talking and fun, there were some 'issues' that cropped up between a couple of people - not big enough for everyone to notice, but they were there. This is life in the kingdom, this is where the rubber hits the road, this is where our nice Christian cliches get put to the test. Are we willing to walk the road of community through all one another's 'dark' moments and into all that God desires for His Church? I am willing, but oh my is it a lot of hard work.
"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)
Nice and Simple? No, gritty and real.
I think I need to go and sleep now.
In this article Andrew says, "First and foremost, house churches have no sex appeal. There is nothing to look at. No big event. No climactic happening that makes people snap pictures. Except people crying on each other. Hugging on each other."
We have been involved in 'house church type' communities for about the last year and a half and I agree there is no sex appeal! When something goes wrong, boy does it go wrong. There's nothing to hide it. No clever cover ups by a waxed stage crew and a clever preacher. Sometimes you can leave a meeting and you think to yourself, "What was that all about!?"
As someone who has been 'in' ministry for the last 12 years, I am constantly fighting my need to have a 'successful' meeting...and what I mean by successful is good fellowship, good worship, good teaching/discussion (and good attendance). There you have it, nice and simple. I don't know why I expect this, real life certainly isn't 'nice and simple'.
Paul's rebuke to the Corinthian Church: "your meetings do more harm than good." (1 Corinthians 11:17). Absolutely! Let's not kid ourselves, if your meetings are destructive well then, you probably need to sit down and assess a couple of things.
Today in our meeting in the midst of coffee, kids, singing, lunch and loads of good wholesome talking and fun, there were some 'issues' that cropped up between a couple of people - not big enough for everyone to notice, but they were there. This is life in the kingdom, this is where the rubber hits the road, this is where our nice Christian cliches get put to the test. Are we willing to walk the road of community through all one another's 'dark' moments and into all that God desires for His Church? I am willing, but oh my is it a lot of hard work.
"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)
Nice and Simple? No, gritty and real.
I think I need to go and sleep now.
posted by Shane at 10:41 pm
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