What are the Benefits of Being Independent?

[Pastor Keith]

Originally Posted by Alter Ego

What are some of the benefits of churches/ministers being independent of a larger religious organization?

Do those benefits outweigh the drawbacks of going it alone?

No worried about peer pressure or play the impress each other game, is one benefit. You can do your own thing without people talking about you, you can experiement try new things and not have to worry about the nay sayers.

But not having the ability to make a contribution to a larger group is a loss in my opinion.

[Jehoram]

Originally Posted by Whole Hearted

I am UPC but most of my fellowship is ind. The UPC that I now fellowship I could fellowship if I were ind..

So I can't see the benefits of the org. for fellowship and i would NEVER fellowship a trinny.

Why are you still a part if you feel this way?

I ask sincerely. Is there a reason you hold on?

Like family?

[Apocrypha]

AWCF is the way to go, the nice part about the networks like AWCF, NCO, and if your further on the edge Global Network of Ministries is that you can be part of several of them. Promiseland in Austin has a fellowship in austin also.

[Jehoram]

Originally Posted by keith4him

No worried about peer pressure or play the impress each other game, is one benefit. You can do your own thing without people talking about you, you can experiement try new things and not have to worry about the nay sayers.

But not having the ability to make a contribution to a larger group is a loss in my opinion.

What sort of contribution?

[Whole Hearted]

Originally Posted by Alter Ego

Why are you still a part if you feel this way?

I ask sincerely. Is there a reason you hold on?

Like family?

I have my reason, plus I do still have those who ae UPC that I fellowship and they are good men. They feel as I do and their fellowships also limited among UPC.

[LadyChocolate]

Originally Posted by Alter Ego

Okay, there are already some awesome posts on this thread. It seems as though the greatest benefit is freedom and the greatest drawback is a dearth of fellowship.

How do you handle the lack of fellowship? Are there other independents close by? Do you fellowship Trinitarians?

Several years ago we were independent and our closest fellowship was 8hours away. Now, our preachers would go to some close by but those were not announced to the saints. It was hard for many of us who wanted to go to campmeetings because driving 8 hours away was not an option. The young people had it really rough because even if they met someone at a fellowship they knew that neither pastor would grant them permission to move if they decided to get married....

Even in the lack of fellowship, fellowshipping trinitarians was not and is not an option......

There were many times I would become aggravated because we could have fellowshipped other oneness independents but because their skirts were not as long as ours if the preacher didn't see eye to eye with our preacher, we were not allowed to fellowship.... But as long as I went there, I obeyed and didn't voice my concern..... I may not have agreed, but I did submit myself to that ministry and I did it willingly!

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by Whole Hearted

For one thing not being pressured all the time for offering.

I'd like to know what are the benefits of being in an org.?

I personally haven't seen any

This attitude is likely why some officials made statements that many of those interested in WPF have not been contributing much to the organization anyway in recent years.

[Jehoram]

Has the organization contributed anything into Whole Hearted in the last few years?

Perhaps this is part of the problem. The org thinks its members should serve it instead of the other way around.

Is Hazelwood a Queen Bee and everyone else simple drones?

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by Alter Ego

Has the organization contributed anything into Whole Hearted in the last few years?

Perhaps this is part of the problem. The org thinks its members should serve it instead of the other way around.

Is Hazelwood a Queen Bee and everyone else simple drones?

Say what? I thought it was a way to pool resources in a unified effort to impact and win the world with the Whole Gospel. The fellowship is an added benefit.

[Whole Hearted]

Originally Posted by Alter Ego

Has the organization contributed anything into Whole Hearted in the last few years?

Perhaps this is part of the problem. The org thinks its members should serve it instead of the other way around.

Is Hazelwood a Queen Bee and everyone else simple drones?

I have been at my present church for nearly two years. Not one visit or phone call did I receive welcoming me to the area or to see just how things were going.

I always go to sectional and district conf. This year I was in the bed with the flu during the sectional conf. Not one call to see where I was or how I was doing.

Great fellowship

But is funny they always fine my phone number at offering time.