What is an attractional church?
The attractional church seeks to reach out to the culture and draw people into the church. Attractional churches design their services and programs in such a way as to “attract” attendees. A primary focus of an attractional church is to attract congregants to worship services. The attractional church model, using the seeker-friendly approach, is often…
What is the simple church movement?
The distinguishing factor of the simple church movement is an emphasis on house churches. A simple church might also emphasize lay leaders, a family atmosphere, and reproducing more house churches. A “simple church” can meet anywhere. They may or may not have trained leaders, formal liturgy, programs, or structures. A simple church is usually a…
What is the purpose of church by-laws (bylaws)?
Most churches have a doctrinal statement, a document which condenses and systematizes the church’s tenets of faith. A doctrinal statement is valuable in ensuring conformity to the Word of God and preventing the church from being “tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14). In addition to the articles…
Should the church accept money if it is obtained in an ungodly manner?
The short answer is, no, a church should not accept money knowing it was obtained in an ungodly manner. However, it is important to define what ungodly means in this context. For example, a church certainly should not accept money obtained through theft. Doing so condones or accepts an action that is both immoral and…
Is ecumenism biblical?
Walter A. Elwell, in The Concise Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, defines ecumenism as “the organized attempt to bring about the cooperation and unity among Christians.” On an international level, the World Council of Churches represents ecumenism when it states its purpose this way: “The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches which confess…
What is the Moses model of church leadership?
The Moses model or Moses principle (sometimes called the “Moses-Aaron” leadership style) is a church leadership structure based on the example of Moses’ leadership in the Old Testament. The Moses model could be considered a pastor-rule or elder-rule style of church polity, but it is definitely not congregational rule. The Moses model is usually associated…
What is the Tangible Kingdom Movement?
The Tangible Kingdom Movement is described in a book titled The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community, written by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay. Halter and Smay refer to themselves as “a somewhat jaded pastor” and mentors, consultants, and church planters. There is no indication that the authors have any biblical or seminary training, nor is…
What are the different forms of church polity?
Church polity (church government) refers to how a church’s leadership is structured. While there are many variations and nuances found within individual churches (and these are too numerous to list), essentially all are variations of one of the following: episcopal, presbyterian, and congregational. (The subject may be complicated by the fact that there are denominations…
What is the five (5) fold ministry?
The concept of the five-fold ministry comes from Ephesians 4:11, “It was he who gave some to be (1) apostles, some to be (2) prophets, some to be (3) evangelists, and some to be (4) pastors and (5) teachers.” Primarily as a result of this verse, some believe God has restored, or is restoring, the…
What is faith promise giving, and is it biblical?
Faith promise giving encourages believers to give beyond what they think they can give in order to increase world missions. Many churches and parachurch ministries use the model to promote sacrificial giving. Faith promise gifts differ from regular offerings in that a faith promise requires the giver to commit to giving what he or she…