Comments on: The Curse of Monasticism Reborn http://ceruleansanctum.com/2004/12/curse-of-monasticism-reborn.html Looking for the 1st century Church in 21st century America Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:07:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: john umland http://ceruleansanctum.com/2004/12/curse-of-monasticism-reborn.html#comment-3341 john umland Fri, 12 May 2006 23:08:41 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/?p=255#comment-3341 Dan house churches come in all flavors...the Dale's of house2house do house church so that they can get into neightborhoods. they use property already acquired, living rooms. typically, more evangelism happens in new fellowships than establiished ones. and if groups are formed around each new converted family, the kingdom spreads rapidly. house church networks will have network meetings that facilitate larger interactions. its not monastic if it's meeting in the neighborhood and not in a facility that meets the zoning code for religious area and not housing area. all this enables one to invite their neighbor over their home instead of to a church building which can be a high hurdle for many or a good excuse for others. i think you've sold house churches short. i'm a both/and guy. its all good and neither should be discounted for what they don't do but blessed for what their strengths are. God is good jpu Dan
house churches come in all flavors…the Dale’s of house2house do house church so that they can get into neightborhoods. they use property already acquired, living rooms. typically, more evangelism happens in new fellowships than establiished ones. and if groups are formed around each new converted family, the kingdom spreads rapidly. house church networks will have network meetings that facilitate larger interactions. its not monastic if it’s meeting in the neighborhood and not in a facility that meets the zoning code for religious area and not housing area. all this enables one to invite their neighbor over their home instead of to a church building which can be a high hurdle for many or a good excuse for others. i think you’ve sold house churches short. i’m a both/and guy. its all good and neither should be discounted for what they don’t do but blessed for what their strengths are.
God is good
jpu

]]> By: Diane http://ceruleansanctum.com/2004/12/curse-of-monasticism-reborn.html#comment-2344 Diane Mon, 20 Dec 2004 01:00:00 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/?p=255#comment-2344 Your points are well taken. Also, in describing the pastor who had been in the congregation, you have actually hit upon a truth that I had never heard of before until I started to study church organizational structure in the first century. It seems that most of the time, after a church had been around a while, the pastor was selected from one of the elders. Contrast with many denominations today where a pastor serves a church in Maine lets say, and then accepts a pastorate in Oregon. What does he know about Oregon? LOL. Maybe we should rethink this? And perhaps the church could then pay for this person from their congregation to go to seminary or Bible College thus reducing the burden on the student? Your points are well taken. Also, in describing the pastor who had been in the congregation, you have actually hit upon a truth that I had never heard of before until I started to study church organizational structure in the first century.

It seems that most of the time, after a church had been around a while, the pastor was selected from one of the elders.

Contrast with many denominations today where a pastor serves a church in Maine lets say, and then accepts a pastorate in Oregon. What does he know about Oregon? LOL. Maybe we should rethink this? And perhaps the church could then pay for this person from their congregation to go to seminary or Bible College thus reducing the burden on the student?

]]> By: Dan Edelen http://ceruleansanctum.com/2004/12/curse-of-monasticism-reborn.html#comment-2343 Dan Edelen Sat, 18 Dec 2004 20:34:00 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/?p=255#comment-2343 Diane, Thanks for responding. I wonder, though, if we are still doing a disservice to our localities when we go to church outside that locality. There is something to be said for growing where you are planted (and not only in your church, but in your community outside the church. Like I said, when the two thoroughly intesect, something greater is created.) My wife and I just started attending a church in our locality last week after quickly deciding it would be our new church home. The church has been without a pastor for a year after their last one died. Just today we learned that the new pastor will be a man who has been local and part of the congregation for more than twenty years. I was amused by this since it reinforces the ideas I wrote about in this topic just a few days ago. I had no idea that choice would be made, but now that I know, it feels very good. There are plenty of churches out there that are not cutting it. However, I believe that God maintains enough good churches that most of us can find one within a few miles of our home. We may not be able to enjoy all the perks of the megachurch that's a half hour away, but I have found that not all those perks may be worth it when we consider what we lose by going outside our locality. Just my insights. You can take them for what they are worth. Blessings! Diane,

Thanks for responding.

I wonder, though, if we are still doing a disservice to our localities when we go to church outside that locality. There is something to be said for growing where you are planted (and not only in your church, but in your community outside the church. Like I said, when the two thoroughly intesect, something greater is created.)

My wife and I just started attending a church in our locality last week after quickly deciding it would be our new church home. The church has been without a pastor for a year after their last one died. Just today we learned that the new pastor will be a man who has been local and part of the congregation for more than twenty years. I was amused by this since it reinforces the ideas I wrote about in this topic just a few days ago. I had no idea that choice would be made, but now that I know, it feels very good.

There are plenty of churches out there that are not cutting it. However, I believe that God maintains enough good churches that most of us can find one within a few miles of our home. We may not be able to enjoy all the perks of the megachurch that’s a half hour away, but I have found that not all those perks may be worth it when we consider what we lose by going outside our locality.

Just my insights. You can take them for what they are worth.

Blessings!

]]> By: Diane http://ceruleansanctum.com/2004/12/curse-of-monasticism-reborn.html#comment-2342 Diane Sat, 18 Dec 2004 18:09:00 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/?p=255#comment-2342 I agree with you on the small groups. I have studied control and cultism within the evangelical church for over 20 years now and I am seeing some real alarm bells in this small group movement as to accountability and leadership (or no leadership in some cases). I am a huge fan however, of small groups formed BY and supervised by a regular church, especially geographical groups where people in the same area who go to the same church get to know each other and even reach out to non-Christian neighbors and friends as a group. Where I live in So. California, it is quite usual to drive 30 minutes or more away to a church in another town. This makes the geographical small groups within a church absolutely essential as those who don't live int he church's city really have little interest in that city. I had the fortune to be in Jack Hayford's church (Church on the Way) for many years. By the end of my sojourn there it was up to 8,000 with people coming as far away as an hour's drive. The church had the small geographical home groups and each group focused prayer and outreach in their own town. The beautiful thing about these groups was the excellent, but non-controlling supervision so they didn't get "off." I agree with you on the small groups. I have studied control and cultism within the evangelical church for over 20 years now and I am seeing some real alarm bells in this small group movement as to accountability and leadership (or no leadership in some cases).

I am a huge fan however, of small groups formed BY and supervised by a regular church, especially geographical groups where people in the same area who go to the same church get to know each other and even reach out to non-Christian neighbors and friends as a group.

Where I live in So. California, it is quite usual to drive 30 minutes or more away to a church in another town. This makes the geographical small groups within a church absolutely essential as those who don’t live int he church’s city really have little interest in that city.
I had the fortune to be in Jack Hayford’s church (Church on the Way) for many years. By the end of my sojourn there it was up to 8,000 with people coming as far away as an hour’s drive. The church had the small geographical home groups and each group focused prayer and outreach in their own town. The beautiful thing about these groups was the excellent, but non-controlling supervision so they didn’t get “off.”

]]>