"Pagan Christianity"

"Pagan Christianity", by Frank Viola and George Barna has to be one of the best historical accounts of the church that I have read in quite some time. In general, it tries to answer the question, "have you eve wondered why we do what we do in church?" If you have ever asked yourself that question, this is the book for you. You can also check out the website here.

Topics covered are: The Church Building, Order of Worship, Sermons, Pastors, Music, Baptism, Tithing, Christian education, and others. In each topic, the authors give an exhaustive account of the origination, as well as, historical progression to the present day.

My main issue is that the book seems to take on a "holier than thou" approach. Even though the authors are quick to point out that the vast majority of Christians are good, God fearing, compassionate individuals, they still tend to make it feel like if you are not doing it their way (i.e. home church), there is something wrong with you. It should be noted that the authors do differentiate between small groups that meet in homes versus actual home churches. Again, this is an excellent reference book for the history of the church.

Gospel According to Judah....
I am very cautiously of the opinion that a larger body of believers is able to do more good than a much smaller group. Obviously home churches have an advantage in that they do not have to pull from their tithing (sorry giving) to pay a mortgage, pastor, light bill, etc. However, it has been shown historically that getting a vast number together, with a common focus, can have a huge impact on an objective. To me, this is where the current corporate worship settings have a huge advantage. I believe why our congregations' effectiveness are going down hill is mainly due to no accountability with the flock (besides other reasons obviously). Churches allow too much of the pew sitting type to flourish in a congregation. Our focus should be on moving people from "just get them in the door" (evangelism), to "get them involved" (ministry), and finally to "showing others Jesus" (discipleship). Unfortunately, this takes a little bit more accountability than I believe most are willing to answer to.

Problem is, the corporate worship of today is also suffering from an overload of ministries. Churches should cut back on the number of programs and just accept the fact that most of them are not beneficial for their particular congregation. This is very difficult for most to do. Imagine telling an overseas missionary that you are no longer supporting them, so as to allocate resources? Or telling a soup kitchen that since no one has signed up consistently over the last 6 months to volunteer, we will no longer be providing volunteers officially? Stopping a ministry is hard, but no congregation can do all ministries. Churches should take an accurate assessment of what types of ministries the congregation is interested in, as well as, understand the needs of their local community. Volunteer ministries work best when the people that are leading them are passionate about them. This assessment should be done regularly, to see if needs and/or desires have changed.

I think what amazes me is seeing first hand how "different" (new) ministries show their effectiveness, but can not get the proper funding because "their is no room in the budget for it." Other ministries that have been "grandfathered in" tend to get the money, even though they may or may NOT be effective. Again, churches should be regularly assessing their congregation and community, thus adjusting their ministries to fit the needs that are out there. To me, this is a very important purpose of corporate church.

The reality is, a combination of corporate worship where members are expected to be involved, and the use of small groups is an excellent balance. Congregations tend to get the best of both worlds. Churches can distribute money that supports local benevolance, local evangelism, overseas missions, etc. I don't believe anyone can argue the benefits of a corporate worship setting done right. Small groups allow for better spiritual growth forChristians, and an environment that is more favorable for people that Christians are trying to reach out to (non-believers). It is a proven fact that small groups have benefits for both, Christians and non-Christians.

Its blatantly obvious that doing the same thing over and over when it comes to church just isn't bringing non-believers to Christ like it used to. Christians should be looking at new ways to spread God's word, live like Jesus, and worship God in ways that do not go against biblical foundations (Jesus is the son of God, and He died for everyone). We can not be afraid to change.