churchianity today

adapted from Churchianity Today by Chip Brogden

Chris Brogden: "It is the position of the author that a believer who is standing on the ground of Christ and has seen the body (church) cannot but renounce denominationalism. The reason is because we must receive all whom God receives. If the Life of God is found in them, we will receive them as brethren (family) and not make peripheral issues the basis of our joining or not joining with them.  While we cannot render (give) support to a church or group which meets on sectarian ground, we can and will receive the individual members who desire our fellowship on a basis of Christ.  Jesus is building his church upon

the foundation of himself. This is the only safe ground to build or stand upon."

introduction

It is important to distinguish between God's invisible, universal, spiritual church (ecclesia) and church in the form of a non-profit religious organisation. Sure, religious groups may  assemble, elect leaders, receive money, have membership requirements, and govern themselves in the manner they see fit. This is a civil right.

But is this absolute truth, scriptural, or mandated by God?

And either way, who created the ecclesia (church) man or God?  Was it intended to be an organisation, an organism, or can the church be both?

This aside, whenever we attach spiritual or scriptural significance to cultural norms, religious traditions, organisational structures, and places of meeting we tend to blur the line between what we do and who we are.  This opens us to being spiritually abused and ruled, such as when:

• The pastor of a local church becomes a profession instead of a calling, or
• The church government a democracy or lead by a single pastor or church board instead of being a spirit-led consensus

Read More

costs of being a member

adapted from Churchianity Today by Chip Brogden

Why do people usually join an organisation such as a club?

Usually it is because we can justify the price paid for becoming a member by the benefits we will get by belonging.  However, we need to remember that the organisation itself also benefits.  For instance, a sports club benefits charging and collecting dues from its membership to pay for staff, executive officers, facilities, marketing, other projects, etc.

Likewise, whether realistic, fair, or scripturally justified when we choose to "join a local church"  that church, if operating as an organised religion, will gain from your membership by expecting:

• Financial support       Members are expected to make donations in the form of tithes, offerings, love gifts, fundraisers, pledges, building funds, etc
• Leadership support    Members are expected to agree with the stated mission of the local church and its pastor
• Doctrinal support        Members are expected to adhere to the stated spiritual philosophy and teachings of the church and/or denomination
• Attendance support   Members are expected to be present at a majority of services and functions
• Volunteer support      Members are expected to donate their time and volunteer in whatever capacity is needed
• Also, the church has greater control over its membership by meting out discipline when someone goes astray in one or more of the above areas

THEN, in return for this allegiance, members, the people of the congregation may receive:

• A vote in major decisions (e.g. picking a pastor),
• A say-so in some financial matters,
• The privilege of being in leadership (e.g. Sunday school teacher, worship leader, etc.)

Is getting a small part in the political process of church government a fair exchange for the time, money, cooperation and amount of individual control you must relinquish?

Read More

the gospel according to organised religion

adapted from Churchianity Today by Chip Brogden

REMEMBER: When you consider the spiritual benefits of joining a local church, remember that you are already joined to the Body of Christ, the ecclesia.  As such you already have every spiritual benefit of being a member in God's church. The only requirement for such membership is a new birth (glossary).  There is no responsibility but to abide in Christ.

Joining a church may be good, proper, beneficial, and moral, but it is not a condition of salvation, thus it is not a condition for being a follower of Jesus (christian).

Many believe we are saved by grace because we are unable to achieve it by anything we do.  However, we quickly allow ourselves to be convinced by that we must do things to keep, maintain, or improve, that which is freely ours. For instance, we are instructed to pray, read the Bible, join a church, give to the work of the Lord, witness to people, stop doing so and so, start doing this and that, etc.

These things are not wrong.  However, when the message is to do “X” and don’t do “Y”, the result is people who are trying to please God. We couldn't please God as sinners, so why do we now believe, as christians, it is our duty to please Him.

How easy it is to unwittingly return to a works-oriented faith.

Read More

fellowship apart from organised religion

adapted from Churchianity Today by Chip Brogden

If we are one with the head (Jesus), we are one with the body (church), even if we are not gathered together. But, if we are not one with the head, we are not one with the body, even if we are gathered together. Hence we can have fellowship with one another whether we are attending a church building or not.

Can you meet with people, and even make friends without actually joining a local church?

If you do, are you any less part of the church?

A common term for people who don't join a specific local church is “church hoppe”. They are viewed people who flit between groups, in the hope of finding the perfect pastor, music program, youth group, etc. They are criticised for their unrealistic expectations and lack of commitment. Yes, some are so obsessed with their needs and wants that they will never be satisfied and will forever remain uncommitted.

But is this always true? Ask them of their personal history with churches.

• What are seeking?
• Why are they unwilling or unable to commit to church membership?
• Are they wary of churches generally because of regular spiritual and emotional abuse?
• Are the churches they have visited cold, aloof, or cliquish?

Why do we turn the fact that they are even attempting to connect somewhere into something negative?

Among growth-oriented churches the goal is to persuade you to join the local church because attendance is the next logical step. However once you do join, the honeymoon is over. The list of expectations, rules, regulations, and by-law appear. You are educated in what is considered acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, and your performance is  measured in terms of dollars contributed, services attended, and hours volunteered.

This is not suggesting there is a conspiracy, only how easy it is for the generally accepted attitudes, traditions, rituals and practices of organised religion to quickly deteriorate into something other than what God has in mind for a community of believers.

In short, the way we go about “doing” church is far removed from what “being” the church is all about. Church as most people know it today has become a business, social, or legal arrangement, not a community or family.

Read More

the way out

adapted from Churchianity Today by Chip Brogden

The one right way to leave is by way of Christ.

To leave because of hurt, bitterness, dissatisfaction with the status quo, rebellion, or anything short of seeing Christ is to be in a precarious situation. If our experiences drive us into a depression and unforgiveness, then all meaning and purpose for the experience is lost. On the other hand, if our disenchantment, disillusionment, and despair drive us deeper into Christ, we will find healing through Him and we will be enabled to extend grace to those who persecute us.

To stop attending church services, or to stay, apart from revelation, apart from seeing Christ and his body, based only upon the word of some man or group, no matter how true, is not sufficient to escape.  Others may bring us out, but they cannot bring the institutional lifestyle out of us.  This is God's work.

With an awareness of the Body, fellowship is no longer restricted to time, place, church, or denomination, thus opportunities for fellowship abound. But with no consciousness of the Body, only an awareness of our personal pain and harsh treatment at the hands of a few, our defense mechanisms will prevent us from seeking out fellowship or risking further hurt by engaging other believers.

When we enter this Body consciousness we will not find it necessary to stand guard continually and purposely resist all attempts to institutionalise us in the name of God. We don't have to fear what man may do to us. When we have seen Christ and his church, anyone attempting to lord over, corral, enclose, intimidate, manipulate, unlawfully influence, or exert his or her spiritual whims on us is rebuffed with a calm, quiet spirit.

This experiential knowledge of Christ will also enable us to recognize him in others, and call upon us to enter into fellowship with brothers and sisters of all backgrounds. We will not be overly critical or unnecessarily suspicious. The anointing will teach us and lead us into proper relationships with others in the Body. No more will we judge others or restrict ourselves to our little home group, church, or denomination. Our basis for fellowship is Christ, and with him as our common ground we will not be uncomfortable or threatened by people of different philosophical or doctrinal nuances. Either the life is present, or it is not. If it is, we must not call unclean whom God has called clean.

Read More

institution is a lifestyle choice

adapted from Churchianity Today by Chip Brogden

To truly come out of organised religion requires more than deciding to meet in homes or resolving to do away with the external trappings of Churchianity. Many claim to have escaped because they no longer attend church services.  But the reality is they are still living an institutional lifestyle. They have only exchanged one form of religious bondage for another.

Freedom cannot merely be reacting to the obvious wrongs perpetuated in the name of God by organised religion. It is quite possible to be out of the system but still be bound by it, still chained by bitterness and fixated with all that is wrong with the body.

Our whole goal should be to look beyond the external characteristics of how and where people worship. The only way to do this is to have an all-consuming revelation of Christ and the ecclesia, the Body, his church. Once we see that, we will understand that the external accessories of organised religion can neither help nor truly hurt.

Perhaps the fear is that once we are escaped from Churchianity we may be deceived again.  Not so with the one who has seen Christ and his church. Anyone who attempts to lord over, corral, enclose, intimidate, manipulate, unlawfully influence, or exert their spiritual whims upon us will be rebuffed with a calm, quiet spirit. Knowing the truth means seeing through the false.

Do you know something is wrong, but are unable to express what it is?

Rejoice!  This is alright.  God is not silent when something is said or done in his name that he doesn't support (e.g. a televangelist begging for more money, pastors who treat people with contempt, or prophets who speak out of personal imagination).

Are you a member of a local church and accept all that goes on there without being troubled?  Are you able to shrug it off or lightly dismiss it?

Sorry, you are far gone.  Your heart is hard.  Your ears are dull. You are blind like the Pharisees.  Your christianity may be nominal at best.  Even if you are part of a perfect local church, sorry.  The fact the church is isolated from all the others indicates a level of dysfunction.

Are you troubled by all that is proclaimed, confessed, bought and sold, taught, prophesied, promoted, and prayed about these days in Jesus’ name?

The Lord does not take it all in stride, or shrug it off. The responses of Jesus to the organised religionists of his day were many and varied. We find him ...

• Driving the merchants out of the Temple with a scourge of cords
• Engaging in public rejections of the Pharisees, holding them up as shining examples of what not to do
• Being silent, hiding or departing

 

Read More

financial support

adapted from Churchianity Today by Chip Brogden

Financial support ... establishes the right to expect members to make donations in the form of tithes, offerings, love gifts, fundraisers, pledges, building funds, etc

The motivation for all financial support should be “as the Spirit leads”, not as the rules of membership dictate. That sort of giving cannot be legislated, no matter how hard you try, through teachings on tithing, “sowing and reaping”, “love” offerings, “faith promises”, etc. Yet this is precisely what organised religion attempts to do.

Ours attitude should not be “I don’t owe you anything”. But once our freewill support is legislated or expected as a condition of membership it ceases to be spiritual and philanthropic.  Instead, we are giving in order to receive or maintain the privilege of membership.

In addition, anonymous giving should be encouraged, for if not someone in authority will have access to the information may use it against you if necessary. For instance, when you’re being considered for a leadership position, or when the church board wants to determine the active voting membership. Of course, if you aren’t a member, none of that will matter. But it again demonstrates that your value as a church member is being measured in dollars and cents.

Jesus did not advocate anonymous charity in order to make us paranoid or fearful of being caught doing a good deed. He did it to liberate us, to enlarge us, to help us experience the pure joy of a no-strings-attached gift, to ensure we would not become proud, and very importantly, to prevent others from rewarding, manipulating, regulating, or expecting us to give to them on a continual basis apart from His direction (see James).

Read More

leadership support

adapted from Churchianity Today by Chip Brogden

Leadership support ... creates the right to expect members to agree with the stated mission of the church and the pastor

Support of the pastor and his vision cannot be mandated.  Either the Holy Spirit bears witness with what is happening or he doesn’t. Authority based on perceived rank, status, charisma, spiritual gift, or popular appeal is a fantasy.

The philosophy of organised religion is to maintain the distinction between clergy and laity.  This is achieved by inserting the pastor (or priest) as the spiritual head of the church. As a result pastors often see the local church as an extension of their own personal ministry and calling, causing the congregation to be made in their image.

And yet, God’s people belong to Christ alone, no one else.  Moreover, the church is his church, not ours. All authority is given to Him, and whatever influence we as individuals have over others is due to our depth of knowing Christ and our willingness to love and serve one another. Hence elders are just that: those who are older and more experienced in the things of God, more conformed to his image and are thus gentle, loving, kind, and able to instruct and encourage the younger.

In contrast, leaders of organised religion are those who have been elected to fill leadership positions.  Surely there is something wrong with a process in which a pastor can be voted into and out of the position of spiritual leader by a certain majority of the congregation.

Spiritual processes and God’s holy call and selection cannot be reduced to search committees and paper ballots. Once the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, they stopped drawing straws and started praying towards a consensus. The Spirit made it evident who He wanted.

Finally, in most local churches, there is no mutual submission. Instead, submission is a one-way street from bottom to top. Indeed, calling attention to one’s supposed “authority” is a sure sign of an absence of  authority. Real authority doesn’t have to announce itself and demand others be subject to it. God’s authority never defends its rights or demands capitulation. Real authority is a steward, not and owner, of what God has given.

Read More

doctrinal support

adapted from Churchianity Today by Chip Brogden

Doctrinal support ... generates the right to expect members to adhere to the stated spiritual philosophy and teachings of the church and/or denomination

When it comes to doctrine, denominations tend to make big things out of small issues. We agree everyone who names Christ as Lord should agree on major tenets of faith (e.g. fall of man, inspiration of the Scriptures, deity of Jesus, His resurrection, etc). Yet tracing the histories of the thousands of denominations reveals most began by emphasising one doctrine, method, or means of grace to the exclusion of all others. It is inappropriate to claim one particular expression of faith as the outcome of Christianity and make it a condition for salvation or a prerequisite for fellowship. This is sectarianism, a thing which God has expressed a passionate hatred for.

Examples of this include believing:

• People are unsaved if they don't join your particular fellowship or adopt your particular nuance of Biblical interpretation.
• Christians who don't regularly attend church services are either not truly saved or backslidden.  (Thus going to church is the de facto standard by which the spiritual lives of people are judged. As such, a good Christian is faithful in some institutional church capacity. This is nothing more than salvation by works).
• People who give views independent to those of the pastor have a rebellious spirit needing to be bound or cast out, or, have have some hidden, unconfessed sin holding them back.
• People who don't respond to altar calls are "not serious about God.”
• Anyone who is on the cutting edge of what God is doing will come on board with the latest revival, movement, or spiritual teaching.

To therefore threaten a spiritual result or consequence for failing to live up to the expectations of the group or the leadership, when in fact no such spiritual consequence exists, is a blatant abuse of religious authority.  Examples include: “If you don’t pay your tithes God will not bless your finances" or "Your love of God is reflected by how regularly you attend church services."

Read More