Lancaster House Church Network

[HondurasKeiser]

Often groups adopt practices to authenticate their faith identity. Plain Mennonites put a lot of thought and energy into extending cultural and lifestyle practice, when that is missing maybe charismatic expression fills the void. I have a friend from the Young , Restless and Reformed movement of the early 2000's and he talks about the fascination (addiction) to theology and certainty with little or no interest in discipleship or spiritual discipline.

This seems right. I've noticed that among the formerly plain-ish folk of LMC that often they justify their leaving behind cultural and lifestyle practices because such things are legalistic and dead. They've found life and spiritual freedom and the charismatic expression is an example of that.

[Josh]

Sometimes I wonder if they'd be open to hearing from people who grew up in charismatic circles and understanding the legalism and dead traditions that people who grew up in it, like myself, feel we did.

The most heartbreaking thing for me is that very few of the people I grew up with are still Christians at all anymore, and the few who are are mostly nominal. I wish people who want to leave a plain faith for "greener pastures" would listen to us and try to understand that about us, when we tell them the grass is not any greener.

[HondurasKeiser]

Sometimes I wonder if they'd be open to hearing from people who grew up in charismatic circles and understanding the legalism and dead traditions that people who grew up in it, like myself, feel we did.

The most heartbreaking thing for me is that very few of the people I grew up with are still Christians at all anymore, and the few who are are mostly nominal. I wish people who want to leave a plain faith for "greener pastures" would listen to us and try to understand that about us, when we tell them the grass is not any greener.

I think that’s why I have such a strong aversion to so much of charismatic expression in worship and evangelicalism. I saw so much of it in the LMC congregation I was raised in. The explanation for why we shed so much of our Mennonite identity was that we were freeing ourselves from legalism and tradition and embracing the moving of the Spirit. There was much that was good in our church and much that was still very Mennonite but we were so concerned about both avoiding legalism and being seeker friendly that we became dogmatic and legalistic in our rejection of tradition. For years, we deliberately avoided singing hymns. It became a near rule that hymns would not be sung and all in service to avoiding legalism and dead worship.

You’re right too about rates of attrition to the world. Most of my generation from that church have either gone Catholic, towards a more post modern expression of Christianity or left the Faith altogether.

[Jazman]

Sometimes I wonder if they'd be open to hearing from people who grew up in charismatic circles and understanding the legalism and dead traditions that people who grew up in it, like myself, feel we did.

The most heartbreaking thing for me is that very few of the people I grew up with are still Christians at all anymore, and the few who are are mostly nominal. I wish people who want to leave a plain faith for "greener pastures" would listen to us and try to understand that about us, when we tell them the grass is not any greener.

Yes, that's the irony... the charismatic, especially the extreme variety also has its form of legalism, empty repetition and trying really hard through human strength to get/have/make enough 'faith' to cause the signs&wonders etc to happen. It just tries to pretend otherwise (freedom in the Spirit!) but it burns a lot of people out eventually and they often swing hard the other way.

[Jazman]

Sometimes I wonder if they'd be open to hearing from people who grew up in charismatic circles and understanding the legalism and dead traditions that people who grew up in it, like myself, feel we did.

The most heartbreaking thing for me is that very few of the people I grew up with are still Christians at all anymore, and the few who are are mostly nominal. I wish people who want to leave a plain faith for "greener pastures" would listen to us and try to understand that about us, when we tell them the grass is not any greener.

I think that’s why I have such a strong aversion to so much of charismatic expression in worship and evangelicalism. I saw so much of it in the LMC congregation I was raised in. The explanation for why we shed so much of our Mennonite identity was that we were freeing ourselves from legalism and tradition and embracing the moving of the Spirit. There was much that was good in our church and much that was still very Mennonite but we were so concerned about both avoiding legalism and being seeker friendly that we became dogmatic and legalistic in our rejection of tradition. For years, we deliberately avoided singing hymns. It became a near rule that hymns would not be sung and all in service to avoiding legalism and dead worship.

We haven't quite banished some hymns, but a few of us seem to be motivated by this, "The explanation for why we shed so much of our Mennonite identity was that we were freeing ourselves from legalism and tradition and embracing the moving of the Spirit. There was much that was good in our church and much that was still very Mennonite but we were so concerned about both avoiding legalism and being seeker friendly that we became dogmatic and legalistic in our rejection of tradition." But people have different experiences and I have to recognize the reaction impulse in people... because I wrestle with the same impulse, just pushing towards other directions. Presently I think we're enough of a mixture that we balance each other out a bit, but as more of the older generation passes on, the scale will probably tip towards those who want to put what they perceive to be legalism/tradition in the coffin too. (HK, I will pm you some more personal details sometime soon. Thanks for your interest)

[Judas Maccabeus]

But wait, there's more!

The Lancaster Network of Microchurches recently joined the Rosedale Network of Churches (we may eventually be a network of networks). As far as I can tell, it's not one of the ones previously mentioned, but I don't know much about it otherwise.

Is Rosedale ok with that kind of stuff? Every time I have seen it in my former circles it turned out badly, especially if one of the leaders consider themselves a prophet/apostle.

Just to be clear, this is different than either the plain group running Lancaster house churches and also different than the charismatic ex-Mennonite group running Lancaster house churches.

It appears that anyone seeking a micro church, house church, nano church, or megachurch in Lancaster is going to be well-served. They can choose from plain, ex plain, formerly known as CMC, or ex-not plain Mennonite.

It is interesting to see the old chestnut of “house churches” finally becoming a fad again in Anabaptist adjacent circles. This was a popular fad with evangelicals in the mid 90s/2000s; my family suffered through several from 1992-2002 or so. My experience is microchurches eventually turn into a monadchurch with a membership of one.

Especially if "Bill Gothardism" is involved.

[Judas Maccabeus]

Sometimes I wonder if they'd be open to hearing from people who grew up in charismatic circles and understanding the legalism and dead traditions that people who grew up in it, like myself, feel we did.

The most heartbreaking thing for me is that very few of the people I grew up with are still Christians at all anymore, and the few who are are mostly nominal. I wish people who want to leave a plain faith for "greener pastures" would listen to us and try to understand that about us, when we tell them the grass is not any greener.

It is the same for me. Out of my former church of 300 at its peak, less than 1/3 of the ones I have kept in touch with are still in a church of any sort.

Of my daughter's youth group, as far as we can tell, she is the only one left standing. The evangelical world is a mess. Many lost faith after the last election.