When you hear the word 'church,' what comes to mind? Due to the twistings and turnings of 1700 years of history, we usually picture a building in which people gather on a Sunday morning to hear a message from a clergyman or partake of a ritual. This is sometimes referred to as 'cathedral' church. It may come as a shock that Christian gatherings in the first century looked very different and that tens of millions today are rediscovering this ancient truth. So, let's very briefly touch on the three big myths about church today.
Myth # 1. Holy Buildings
Many Christians gather in special buildings for their activities. These buildings are sometimes so revered that they are called the 'house of God'. Even those who know buildings are meant to be functional and are not special in themselves, still expend much energy, time, and money maintaining these structures.
Contrast this with the New Testament way of primarily meeting from house to house (Acts 2:46, 5:42, 12:12, 16:14-15, 20:20; Rom 16:3-5; 1 Cor 16:19; Col 4:15; Philemon 1:2). Even today, it has been said that more Christians worldwide are part of house churches than any other kind of church.
There is nothing evil about buildings and nothing magic about homes. However, the existence of a clear Biblical format that better nurtures intimacy and affords everyone's participation, as well as the practical release of time, energy, and money away from building maintenance toward helping the needy, mutual support, evangelism, and discipleship should challenge us to rethink the current practice.
Myth # 2. Holy Men
Ever hear the one about the priest, the minister, and the rabbi? Well, quite frankly, it's no joke. Today, a typical church in North America has a priest, minister, or pastor who does much, if not most, of the work. Sometimes, they are even thought of as super Christians. There is clearly a huge gap between them and regular folks filing into the pews.
In contrast, the Biblical vision is a priesthood of all believers, in which every person who has encountered Christ has the right and responsibility to utilize their gifts and talents for building up God's kingdom (1 Pet 2:4-10, 1 Cor 12:7-12,27-30). Make no mistake, there is a Biblical pattern of appointed leadership (Mark 3:13-5, Titus 1:5-9), but this never results in others being prevented from using their talents or being ruled over (Mat 20:25-28), which often happens in more traditional church settings.
Many clergy today know it is wise and Biblical to delegate and allow so-called laity to use their talents. This movement forward (or rather, 'back') is to be applauded. This should be carried to it's logical conclusion, which is a shift away from the professionalized, money draining, clergy system, and a return to New Testament forms of local leadership, namely a volunteer team of co-equal elders for each church and traveling apostolic teams that circulate among established churches and start new works in unreached areas.
Myth # 3. Holy Services
The question 'Do ya wanna come to church?' usually means a person is being invited to watch a ritual being performed by a few people up at the front of a church building. The ritual may be exciting or boring, useful or irrelevant, intelligent or non-sensical. However, many times the ritual is a show in which a few designated individuals are performing for an audience. There is a very limited amount of every-member participation and openness.
Line this up side-by-side with the early church, and the differences are obvious. The apostle Paul asks rhetorically, "What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." (1 Corinthians 14:26; see also Col 3:16, Eph 5:19, Heb 10:24-25).
Also, because homes at the time could accommodate at most 30-35 people comfortably, this helped maintain a kind of up-close-and-personal atmosphere. The early Christian gatherings were fully open, participatory, and interactive so that everyone could benefit from everyone else's contribution. Another added benefit to this format was that it became a breeding ground using gifts and training emerging leaders.
Final Thoughts
These three big myths stand in the way of the Body of Christ being all it could be and, as such, need to be discarded. Another reformation needs to happen today, not concerning theology but practice.
Today, some traditional churches are starting to incorporate some 'small groups' into their program for the purposes of prayer, Bible study, discussion, and worship (i.e. church with small groups). Others are taking the next step towards a model that places equal priority on home cell groups and public large group worship (i.e. church of small groups). Still others are taking the final step of dropping the building and reorganizing into a tight network of house churches (i.e. church is small groups). All these efforts will bring a healthy renewal to the Body of Christ and move it closer to the New Testament blueprint for the church. This will prepare us better for a great ingathering of people into the kingdom in the years ahead.
Regardless of whether you agree with everything in this short piece or not, my hope is that you will be challenged and stimulated in re-examining the Biblical pattern and rethinking your own view of church. I welcome any and all dialogue. If interested in more, read "The Global House Church Movement"
