When You Follow Jesus but You Don't Have a Church

A place to relate, share, care for, and support one another. A place to share about our daily activities and events around the home.
Post Reply
Peregrino
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2016 8:16 pm
Affiliation:

When You Follow Jesus but You Don't Have a Church

Post by Peregrino »

This thread is in response to some of the posts in two other threads active at the moment- this one, and this one.

A number of us find ourselves outside an "official church" as such. This thread is for those people to express themselves, share their stories and experiences, and talk about your journey.

Some questions to (hopefully) get a mutually profitable discussion started.

Are you currently a regular attendee somewhere but not a member? If so, What appeals to you about the congregation and what do you enjoy about attending?

If you are not a regular attendee anywhere, do you do some kind of "home church" with your family? Or maybe an online service, or live stream of some kind? What resources have you found that engage the whole family and feeds everyone's spirits?

If you are not a member or attend anywhere, how do you keep your balance spiritually? This can be especially difficult for those of us who came from very cloistered religious settings where the church was basically your whole world.

Are there any profitable, engaging activities that you have found that take the place of a traditional Sunday service for involving young children? A nature hike, museum, helping at a soup kitchen, simply having a date with them?

Looking forward to hearing your all's stories and learning from each other. If you have a lot of heated opinions for or against church membership, I prefer that you air those in a separate thread somewhere.
0 x
Peregrino
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2016 8:16 pm
Affiliation:

Re: When You Follow Jesus but You Don't Have a Church

Post by Peregrino »

Frank Viola wrote something a while back that really made me sit up, look around, and think about what is happening in the church scene today. Here is a link to his article.

If I understand him correctly, he feels that we are currently in a period where the Spirit is not really moving in the churches of America. That mirrors almost exactly what I have felt in looking at American Anabaptism today. I don't see much happening that looks like a moving of the Living Spirit among us. There seems to be a lot of unease and turmoil, searching for something that nobody seems able to find. Where I do see Him moving is among individuals here and there, scattered shining points of light in the world. Almost all of them are outside the institutional church.
Do you feel the same thing or am I imagining things?
Is it possible that God is preparing the groundwork for a new moving among us, and the institutional church is simply being left behind?
Do any of these feelings of unease with institutionalism play into your current life situation?

Maybe it is too soon in the discussion to introduce some of these questions. Hopefully these questions won't derail discussion of the original questions above.
0 x
Wade
Posts: 2683
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2016 12:09 am
Affiliation: kingdom Christian

Re: When You Follow Jesus but You Don't Have a Church

Post by Wade »

:wave:

There are lots of different sermons we have used and use, Pilgrim Church website, Shippensburg Christian Fellowship website, Followers of the Way website, Australian Anabaptist Mennonite website, we have listened to some over the phone but often ran into problems being able to hear and can't hear the Sunday school audience speak anyway...

I won't lie that it is lonely.

We use the CLP Sunday school with our children on Sunday's. They really look forward to this. And since I was never raised with learning this stuff I really enjoy it too. I miss the Sunday school with other men but I think doing it with the children is more fun...

Singing as a family is always enjoyable.
0 x
Peregrino
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2016 8:16 pm
Affiliation:

Re: When You Follow Jesus but You Don't Have a Church

Post by Peregrino »

:wave: Hi Wade.
Could you post links to those sites so the rest of us lonely folks can find everything in one place here?
0 x
Wade
Posts: 2683
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2016 12:09 am
Affiliation: kingdom Christian

Re: When You Follow Jesus but You Don't Have a Church

Post by Wade »

Peregrino wrote::wave: Hi Wade.
Could you post links to those sites so the rest of us lonely folks can find everything in one place here?
This isn't in any particular order as we have found good sermons on all of these sites.

http://www.pilgrimministry.org/sermons
http://shippensburgchristianfellowship.org/wp/
http://www.followers-of-the-way.org/
http://www.anabaptistmennonites.net/welcome.htm

Some more we have listened to that have been good:
http://halseymennonite.net/Recordings.html
http://pinegrovemennonitechurch.org/sermons.php

These last two is where we have spent the least amount of time as they are newer to us but it looks like their are some goods one here too:
http://www.bernechristianfellowship.org ... t-main.php
http://charitychristianfellowship.org/sermons/featured

It has taken some time of being on MN but paying attention to hints about blogs and from one MNer sharing with me and searching things out online, we have subscribed to some email lists. It is really nice to read these with the family(enjoyed the one last night ;) ) as well as the CAM newsletters and being subscribed to http://www.plainnews.org/.
0 x
User avatar
Wayne in Maine
Posts: 1195
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2016 5:52 am
Location: Slightly above sea level, in the dear old State of Maine
Affiliation: Yielded

Re: When You Follow Jesus but You Don't Have a Church

Post by Wayne in Maine »

Peregrino wrote:If I understand him correctly, he feels that we are currently in a period where the Spirit is not really moving in the churches of America. That mirrors almost exactly what I have felt in looking at American Anabaptism today. I don't see much happening that looks like a moving of the Living Spirit among us. There seems to be a lot of unease and turmoil, searching for something that nobody seems able to find. Where I do see Him moving is among individuals here and there, scattered shining points of light in the world. Almost all of them are outside the institutional church.

Do you feel the same thing or am I imagining things?
I have been seeing this for decades. The greatest difficulty I see in it is that most churches and individual believers believe they are being led by the Spirit when they are not. This results in a level of satisfaction (a self-deception) that prevents them from growing to maturity and prevents the Kingdom of God from breaking in among us today. At the same time there are indeed individuals that are truly seeking but who are not coalescing into a body, often because of one or another doctrine or belief repelling them from each other.
Is it possible that God is preparing the groundwork for a new moving among us, and the institutional church is simply being left behind?

Do any of these feelings of unease with institutionalism play into your current life situation?
I think we must be careful speculating about what God is doing. I think what God is doing is what He has always done, there just is not now a lot of fertile ground in North America to create a significant harvest.
"Torches Together" is a phrase that keeps popping into my mind.
0 x
Wade
Posts: 2683
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2016 12:09 am
Affiliation: kingdom Christian

Re: When You Follow Jesus but You Don't Have a Church

Post by Wade »

Wayne in Maine wrote:
Peregrino wrote:If I understand him correctly, he feels that we are currently in a period where the Spirit is not really moving in the churches of America. That mirrors almost exactly what I have felt in looking at American Anabaptism today. I don't see much happening that looks like a moving of the Living Spirit among us. There seems to be a lot of unease and turmoil, searching for something that nobody seems able to find. Where I do see Him moving is among individuals here and there, scattered shining points of light in the world. Almost all of them are outside the institutional church.

Do you feel the same thing or am I imagining things?
I have been seeing this for decades. The greatest difficulty I see in it is that most churches and individual believers believe they are being led by the Spirit when they are not. This results in a level of satisfaction (a self-deception) that prevents them from growing to maturity and prevents the Kingdom of God from breaking in among us today. At the same time there are indeed individuals that are truly seeking but who are not coalescing into a body, often because of one or another doctrine or belief repelling them from each other.
Is it possible that God is preparing the groundwork for a new moving among us, and the institutional church is simply being left behind?

Do any of these feelings of unease with institutionalism play into your current life situation?
I think we must be careful speculating about what God is doing. I think what God is doing is what He has always done, there just is not now a lot of fertile ground in North America to create a significant harvest.
"Torches Together" is a phrase that keeps popping into my mind.
Thanks Wayne.
Just to add one more point while agreeing with what I think you are saying: there are few churches compared to the amount of places people live. It looks fairly easy for the individual to move but where does that leave the married that have a spouse that doesn't want to move or can't agree where to move and so rather the other is being forbearing?
Maybe it is too tough of thing to talk about much but married couples with family moving is a big deal, especially people that were raised in the world. Often because of some of that influence still there the husband can have some stubbornness and a wife can be un-submissive. It could be both or just one of them that has the problem... They need the church as a help in them maturing. But they won't get that help unless they move... But they aren't moving because they are not mature enough to work together... Or one is mature enough and rather needs much patience with their spouse?

Just some thoughts why these people exist as they do.
0 x
User avatar
Bootstrap
Posts: 14438
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:59 am
Affiliation: Mennonite

Re: When You Follow Jesus but You Don't Have a Church

Post by Bootstrap »

Peregrino wrote:If I understand him correctly, he feels that we are currently in a period where the Spirit is not really moving in the churches of America. That mirrors almost exactly what I have felt in looking at American Anabaptism today. I don't see much happening that looks like a moving of the Living Spirit among us. There seems to be a lot of unease and turmoil, searching for something that nobody seems able to find. Where I do see Him moving is among individuals here and there, scattered shining points of light in the world. Almost all of them are outside the institutional church.

Do you feel the same thing or am I imagining things?

Is it possible that God is preparing the groundwork for a new moving among us, and the institutional church is simply being left behind?
I feel the same way. I'm looking for this:
  • For true evangelical faith is of such a nature that it cannot lay dormant;
    but manifests itself in all righteousness and works of love;
    it dies unto flesh and blood;
    destroys all forbidden lusts and desires;
    cordially seeks, serves and fears God;
    clothes the naked; feeds the hungry;
    consoles the afflicted; shelters the miserable; aids and consoles all the oppressed; returns good for evil;
    serves those that injure it; prays for those that persecute it;
    teaches, admonishes and reproves with the Word of the Lord;
    seeks that which is lost;
    binds up that which is wounded;
    heals that which is diseased and saves that which is sound.
    The persecution, suffering and anxiety which befalls it for the sake of the truth of the Lord, is to it a glorious joy and consolation.
I think that's in keeping with Mennonite understandings and traditions. I don't find that in most Mennonite congregations. Some of the ones who do really well at consoling the afflicted and sheltering the miserable aren't that great at destroying all forbidden lusts and desires. Very few are equally good at (1) righteousness and (2) works of love. Our understanding of Scripture is often way too superficial all across the spectrum.

I don't think the solution is to look for a church that is more plain or less plain. I really think God wants to do something new. Maybe he can do that with our existing churches, maybe they will be left behind as others realize this vision today.
0 x
Is it biblical? Is it Christlike? Is it loving? Is it true? How can I find out?
User avatar
TeleBodyofChrist
Posts: 96
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2017 10:20 am
Location: Traveler
Affiliation: Christian
Contact:

Re: When You Follow Jesus but You Don't Have a Church

Post by TeleBodyofChrist »

Are you currently a regular attendee somewhere but not a member? If so, What appeals to you about the congregation and what do you enjoy about attending? No, we travel quite a bit to be able to settle anywhere.

If you are not a regular attendee anywhere, do you do some kind of "home church" with your family? Or maybe an online service, or live stream of some kind? What resources have you found that engage the whole family and feeds everyone's spirits?

Yes, we do home church, and watch youtube videos of sermons of different churches. Sometimes live. The churches we watch are churches that family attend or some I remember from years ago. The way we feed our spirits is to watch different styles of preaching I suppose. I have found that sometimes we need encouragement and sometimes we need the old style of preaching. It always works out that whichever church we watch that sermon and style is just what was needed.

If you are not a member or attend anywhere, how do you keep your balance spiritually? This can be especially difficult for those of us who came from very cloistered religious settings where the church was basically your whole world.

Well, when it comes to fellowship it can be difficult. Obviously, we do fellowship with one another, but I do think having relationships outside of the family unit is important as you get to hear different ways of thinking about things. Plus, as someone with children you want them to have a community to grow with. I worry about who they will marry, etc.. I know that God will provide for them though so, I try to stop that. Right now what I am doing for fellowship outside my unit is in my signature. I am introvert so, putting myself out there is not easy however, I think it is good to hear other people's thoughts.

Are there any profitable, engaging activities that you have found that take the place of a traditional Sunday service for involving young children? A nature hike, museum, helping at a soup kitchen, simply having a date with them?

We actually, do Sunday school using youtube videos, books, and games. My children are young so they love the bible games. I also home school, so we do interactive learning spiritually and education wise.
0 x
Let’s read the whole bible together in 30 days!
If interested you can view my profile and go to my website.

2 Tim. 3:16-17
Post Reply