REVOLUTIONARY

From THE HARVEST NEWS by Pastor Don Brock

American Christians are dropping out of churches at an alarming rate. Many just don’t have time in their hectic schedules for a Sunday service when the laundry is piled high and the e-mail inbox is full. Others have been wounded or ripped off by church leaders who imposed their personal agendas on entire congregations. Still others just got bored with fluffy sermons or the seemingly endless cycle of fruitless religious activity.

It is called religious burnout. And there is no question that it has become a widespread plague in our post-modern society.

In the midst of this epidemic, a growing group of Christian trend-watchers have decided that the dropout crisis is actually a move of God. They claim that the Holy Spirit is reordering the church and bringing us back to more of a New Testament model, recalling a simpler era when Christians met “house to house” (see Acts 2:46) and did not waste time or money on religious buildings or nonessential church programs.

So now we have a touchy debate brewing. The proponents of house churches have positioned themselves against the “traditionalists,” a category that includes pastors of megachurches, leaders of media ministries, anyone who is a member of a denomination and anyone who attends a congregation that is too big to fit into a coffee shop or a living room.

How far will the revolution go?

Of course Christians do not have to meet in religious buildings on Sunday mornings to “have church.” Of course most ministry should happen outside the church walls. I’ve been saying that for years.

I am 100 percent in favor of innovation, and I believe we must constantly employ creative strategies to reach our generation for Christ. But I do not agree that innovation requires us to discard the need for godly, New Testament authority.

Many of the people who want to see traditional churches closed down and padlocked are the ones who tend to hop from one church to another, sowing discord and speaking against appointed servant-leaders. When these mavericks’ pride or false doctrines are challenged, they move to another church. Are these the kind of people we want to lead a new grassroots movement?

No thanks. Regardless of where my church meets, I intend to hold on to the New Testament principles of healthy, accountable leadership.

Why not have house churches and ministry in the community, functioning under the accountability of the "church," while coming together to celebrate together on Sunday morning?