What is the emerging / emergent church movement?
The emerging, or emergent, church movement takes its name from the idea that as culture changes, a new church should emerge in response. In this case, it is a response by various church leaders to the current era of post-modernism. Although post-modernism began in the 1950s, the church didn’t really seek to conform to its…
What is latitudinarianism?
Latitudinarianism, as it applies to religion, refers to a “broad church” approach that downplays strict conformity to doctrine, church structure, or liturgy and places higher emphasis on reason, morality, and unity. Latitudinarianism can be seen as a tolerance of those with differing religious opinions or doctrines. The term latitudinarianism was first used in the criticism…
Is a home church a true biblical church?
Churches in the New Testament era were indeed small assemblies that met in homes (Acts 2:46; 20:20). So, the practice of attending a home church, or house church, is biblically allowable. There also seem to be some good reasons to have house churches as opposed to large gatherings: greater intimacy, stronger relationships, single-mindedness, etc. The…
Should churches be seeker-friendly?
Of course churches should be friendly toward seekers. We are to be friendly to seekers no matter the location. But, being friendly, even welcoming, to seekers, is not what the seeker-friendly church movement is all about. Many evangelical church leaders these days have redesigned both their church buildings and their services in an effort to…
What is a benevolence fund?
Benevolence is the desire to help someone or a feeling of goodwill toward others. Benevolence can also refer to an act of kindness or charity. Today, many churches maintain a “benevolence fund,” that is, a monetary reserve kept in order to help those in need. Often, a benevolence fund is used to aid families with…
Are mono-ethnic churches, churches that focus on a specific race or ethnic group, following a biblical model?
In some contexts, a mono-ethnic church is to be expected. Some countries and communities are mono-ethnic, and a church in that country or community will reflect that homogeneous composition. We can’t really expect a church in a mono-ethnic culture to be multi-ethnic, unless they somehow import people from other cultures into their country or community.…
What is a Bible church?
Bible churches are those which profess to adhere to the Bible as their standard of faith and practice. However, they are of no particular Christian denomination (non-denominational), so there is no formal prescribed belief system to govern them. Any church in any denomination, as well as any non-denominational church, can use the words “Bible Church”…
What does the Bible say about selling in church?
The first Scriptures that come to mind in regard to selling in the church are Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46, and John 2:13–17, all of which describe the incidents (there were two) when Jesus “cleansed” the temple. When He saw the kinds of activities that were being carried on in His Father’s house, He…
What does the Bible teach about church structure?
There are four basic forms of church government in existence today. They are episcopal, presbyterian, congregational, and non-governmental, but it should be noted that those terms are by no means restricted to their corresponding denominational name (e.g., some Baptist churches use a presbyterian form of government). Although these forms are not specifically laid out in…
What is mission drift?
Mission drift is a pressing reality for many organizations. Mission drift can be defined as “a move away from the goals established in an organization’s purpose statement.” Formerly focused, single-minded organizations become distracted, inefficient, and unable to meet their stated goals. Mission drift is a widespread phenomenon that can occur in any organization. Examples of…