What is the organic church?
The organic church, sometimes also called “simple church,” is an idea that promotes a simpler model of Christian fellowship. It is “organic” in that it is more “basic” and more “natural” than today’s popular church model. The organic church idea counters the modern evangelical philosophy that has led to large programs and buildings, a professional…
What does the Bible say about church hierarchy?
A church hierarchy is a general system of church government that ranks leaders into various levels of authority. For example, the Roman Catholic Church has a hierarchy: laity, pastors (priests), bishops, and the pope, with bishops being classified as bishops, arch-bishops, or cardinals, depending on their appointments and level of responsibility. Some Protestant denominations also…
What are church coffers?
A coffer is a safe or strongbox used to secure money or valuables. In this age of electronic banking, high-tech burglar alarms, and insurance firms that protect against such hazards as fire and theft, it seems unlikely that most churches would depend upon a two-ton, steel-walled safe to protect the congregation’s valuables; however, an online…
Is it wrong to have raffles in the church?
A raffle is a way to make money by selling tickets, or “chances,” to win a big prize. Usually, the tickets are numbered and the winner is drawn at random, so the more tickets a person buys, the greater his chance of winning. Raffles are sometimes used by school groups, civic clubs, and charities as…
Why are church business meetings necessary?
The Bible does not address church business meetings per se. Business meetings in a local church today are largely a matter of practicality. Most churches find there is always “business” to take care of regarding finances, building maintenance, groundskeeping, ministry curricula, etc. In most churches with a congregational style of government, business meetings are a…
Why do governments allow churches to be tax-exempt?
While the U.S. does, not all national governments give churches tax-exempt status. Exempting churches from taxes has been a part of American tradition since the inception of the country, although tax exemption for religious organizations did not officially become law until 1894. The original reasons for granting churches tax-exempt status have not changed significantly over…
What is a Family-Integrated Church, and is it biblical?
A Family-Integrated Church (FIC) is a church where families attend services together rather than children or teens attending their own Sunday school, children’s church, or youth group separate from their parents. The movement toward Family-Integrated Churches began with the idea that Sunday services were adding to the separation of families already fragmented by school and…
What items should be included in a church constitution?
There is nothing about church constitutions in the New Testament. The need for church constitutions arose due to legal issues. Churches may be incorporated, own property, hire staff, pay some kinds of taxes and be exempt from others, and run other ministries that may or may not be similarly tax exempt or have a different…
What is a church supposed to do with the offerings it receives?
Every church receives some type of tithes or offerings. Be it via “passing the plate” or setting a box in the back of the sanctuary or some other collection method, a church needs funds to operate. How the church uses those funds is important, as the church has responsibilities to its members, to its surrounding…
What is churchianity?
Churchianity is a term with multiple definitions. Officially (according to Merriam-Webster), churchianity is “an excessive or narrowly sectarian attachment to the practices and interests of a particular church.” For example, a dyed-in-the-wool Methodist who rejects any practice or belief that is not sufficiently “Methodist” in his view is practicing churchianity. The term is a play…