"I'M 'OUT-OF-CHURCH' BUT...."
Quote from Forum Archives on February 13, 2004, 12:56 amPosted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
From: <terryanddebbie@thecooperfamily.freeserve.co.uk>
Date sent: Sat, 31 Jan 2004 22:42:59 -0000I am an out-of-church Christian. I have been a part of 1 or 2
fairly small gatherings of out-of-church Christians for about
15 months now, and I want to flag up a concern I have for all
those who for one reason or another have ended up in this position.There is no doubt that being out of the worst elements of
church is very attractive to many, especially for those who
have suffered at the hands of other churches. You are free
to think, believe and act how you like, and no one can tell
you otherwise - for me, this means not having to hide what
I think on certain subjects, although I have found that
wrong teaching still exists out-of-church...The problem I want to highlight is that for all of us in
principle, and in practice for some of us more than others,
God wants all of us to be part of a body where we (a) are
accountable to someone and (b) are open to input and if
necessary on-course correction from others. In other
words, every Christian should be linked to an elder or
elders so that (a) and (b) can operate in their lives.The reality is that many out-of-church Christians have had
really negative experience at the hands of elders and/or
church and the last thing they are looking for is the
prospect of spiritual abuse from another elder who does not
fit God's blueprint, and who has the position without the
necessary spirituality that should go with it. None of us
though would object to joining a church where we could
guarantee the elders displayed the attributes of Jesus
99.9% (allowing for human failings).However, the only thing that matters to me is what the Bible
says - I don't care what I think or what anyone else thinks -
and the Bible simply does not recognise as legitimate the
concept of a Christian who is not part of a church led by
elders, and who is therefore not shepherded by and subject
to elders. The problem for out-of-church Christians like me
is that, at the end of the day, no one has authority over us.
This is the problem highlighted in Jude 12, where certain
individuals are negatively referred to as "feeding" or more
accurately "shepherding" i.e. eldering themselves. The
danger for out-of-church Christians is that they are, in effect,
their own elders.Where this can especially be a problem is that some people
out-of-church most definitely do need more than others some
kind of ongoing correction, supervision or input - call it what
you will - but no one is really in a position to ensure they get
it, because there is no fatherly authority in place. The danger
is that people can carry on as they are enjoying their freedom
but still entrenched in problems of character or false teaching
which never get tackled.-Terry.
Coventry, UK.
*********************
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
Date sent: Sat, 31 Jan 2004 22:42:59 -0000
I am an out-of-church Christian. I have been a part of 1 or 2
fairly small gatherings of out-of-church Christians for about
15 months now, and I want to flag up a concern I have for all
those who for one reason or another have ended up in this position.
There is no doubt that being out of the worst elements of
church is very attractive to many, especially for those who
have suffered at the hands of other churches. You are free
to think, believe and act how you like, and no one can tell
you otherwise - for me, this means not having to hide what
I think on certain subjects, although I have found that
wrong teaching still exists out-of-church...
The problem I want to highlight is that for all of us in
principle, and in practice for some of us more than others,
God wants all of us to be part of a body where we (a) are
accountable to someone and (b) are open to input and if
necessary on-course correction from others. In other
words, every Christian should be linked to an elder or
elders so that (a) and (b) can operate in their lives.
The reality is that many out-of-church Christians have had
really negative experience at the hands of elders and/or
church and the last thing they are looking for is the
prospect of spiritual abuse from another elder who does not
fit God's blueprint, and who has the position without the
necessary spirituality that should go with it. None of us
though would object to joining a church where we could
guarantee the elders displayed the attributes of Jesus
99.9% (allowing for human failings).
However, the only thing that matters to me is what the Bible
says - I don't care what I think or what anyone else thinks -
and the Bible simply does not recognise as legitimate the
concept of a Christian who is not part of a church led by
elders, and who is therefore not shepherded by and subject
to elders. The problem for out-of-church Christians like me
is that, at the end of the day, no one has authority over us.
This is the problem highlighted in Jude 12, where certain
individuals are negatively referred to as "feeding" or more
accurately "shepherding" i.e. eldering themselves. The
danger for out-of-church Christians is that they are, in effect,
their own elders.
Where this can especially be a problem is that some people
out-of-church most definitely do need more than others some
kind of ongoing correction, supervision or input - call it what
you will - but no one is really in a position to ensure they get
it, because there is no fatherly authority in place. The danger
is that people can carry on as they are enjoying their freedom
but still entrenched in problems of character or false teaching
which never get tackled.
-Terry.
Coventry, UK.
*********************