About The Church I Visited Today...

[Jermyn Davidson]

There were flags. There were pastel blue flags. That is all.

[Jermyn Davidson]

Just kiddin.

I enjoyed the worship part of the service and the sermon. It was a very positive experience. However, it is a bit of a drive out of the city and I was trying to live close to the church I joined.

Also problematic is that I didn't realize this church was a stand alone church-- not part of any kind of governing body.

I generally avoid those churches on purpose.

I went to a Bible study at an Apostolic church last week and it was a decent experience but, well anyone who knows me knows the deal there.

[shazeep]

um, why do you avoid those churches?

[Jermyn Davidson]

Originally Posted by shazeep

um, why do you avoid those churches?

Well if God has ordained human government, then it is no stretch to believe that God has ordained church government.

A Pastor needs to be held accountable to somebody and I prefer that somebody to be a local church board and a HQ's type governing body.

[CC1]

There are independent Pastors who hold themselves accountable to either a group of Elders in the church or a group of other ministers. In my case our pastor is held accountable by a group of Elders in the church who are not "yes men". They see all of the books, know all of the finances, can ask hard questions about both church operations and personal matters.

However I do know there are a lot of independent churches who have no accountibility in place and I agree that is bad.

[Jermyn Davidson]

Originally Posted by CC1

There are independent Pastors who hold themselves accountable to either a group of Elders in the church or a group of other ministers. In my case our pastor is held accountable by a group of Elders in the church who are not "yes men". They see all of the books, know all of the finances, can ask hard questions about both church operations and personal matters.

However I do know there are a lot of independent churches who have no accountibility in place and I agree that is bad.

I kinda liked the church I visited today and plan to visit it again next week. But it is far from me and they only hold services on Sunday mornings. If it were up to me, there would be Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evening services-- with prayer rooms open and hour before each service.

I don't know if they don't have a prayer room, but I know they don't advertise a time of pre-service prayer. So maybe I won't make the drive all the way out there again for a church that doesn't make corporate prayer a priority. Maybe I can start it, but again, they are so far.

What I might have to do is join an Apostolic church (Cleveland has a TON of them-- small to large), sit in the background, and don't say anything to anyone, don't participate, etc. It's been too long since I've had physical fellowship and accountability.

So then, once I start to fellowship with them, they will ask questions, I will be honest and I will probably cause confusion-- which is one of the main reasons why I left my last Apostolic church that I loved.

Maybe since they won't know me, if I join plainly stating up front that I disagree with them but need to be a part of a body of believers, maybe they will tolerate me, knowing where I stand, and keep the new converts away from me.

I don't want ANY interaction at all with a new convert to an Apostolic church!

Millstone necklaces are not my style.

[JRK]

May I ask why being a part of a Apostolic church is a issue?

[shazeep]

Originally Posted by Jermyn Davidson

Well if God has ordained human government, then it is no stretch to believe that God has ordained church government.

A Pastor needs to be held accountable to somebody and I prefer that somebody to be a local church board and a HQ's type governing body.

you do know that God ordained human government only because of man's hardness of heart, right? God wants you to live by the direction of the Holy Spirit.

And why did you quit an Apostolic church, if you liked it?

[Jermyn Davidson]

Originally Posted by JRK

May I ask why being a part of a Apostolic church is a issue?

Originally Posted by shazeep

you do know that God ordained human government only because of man's hardness of heart, right? God wants you to live by the direction of the Holy Spirit.

And why did you quit an Apostolic church, if you liked it?

Doctrinal issues, I've spelled them out before and I mentioned them in the recent "Vetting Failure" thread.

[shazeep]

you strike me as someone who is not really going to be happy until they are following Christ as best they are able; and that is a lonely road, JD. No church teaches that.