Church – What It’s All About

A Look At House Churches Versus Conventional Churches

Introduction:

 
Ecclesiology is the study of how the biblical church should function and operate and be structured. Basically, the church is the assembly of believers who truly belong to God. Having a correct and in-depth knowledge of ecclesiology is vital to understanding God’s purpose for His people, as they live out their lives for the Lord Jesus Christ. On this page you will find many articles about church practices, church leadership, denominations, communion, membership, incorporation and what believers should be doing when they gather together.

 
What is the function or purpose of the biblical Christian Church? What are believers in Christ supposed to do when they gather together each week or however often? What are they to do when NOT gathered together – regarding things such as discipleship, evangelism and ministering to each other? – These are some of the many questions you will find answers to in the materials referenced on this page. May the Lord richly bless you as you seek to worship Him in spirit and in truth. — RM Kane
 

A good place to start would be this article:

 
The Clergy System by Carl Ketcherside
 

Index To Posts About Doing Church:

• Church Is Not A Spectator Sport
• Considerations On The Nature And Unity Of The Church Of Christ
• The Notion Of A Clergyman
• What’s Wrong With The Church?
• Pastors: Shepherds Of Flocks Or Egotistical Control Freaks?
• The Biblical Pattern For Local Church Leadership
• Lessons From Louisville
• Church Meetings Should Not Be A One-Man Show!
• Things They Never Told Your Pastor In Bible College Or Seminary
• The Root Of Modern Christian Ignorance
• Wrong Reasons Why Men Enter The Preaching Ministry
• Going To Church?
• IRS Double-Talk About Incorporating Your Church
• Some Advice For Running A Church Biblically
• The Royal Priesthood By Carl Ketcherside
• Still Looking For True Christians In Dead Churches?
• Why You Should Not Trust Your Children To A Youth Pastor
• Segregation Of The Saints
• The Incomplete Reformation
• The Table Of The Lord – The Purpose Of Communion
• The Real Church
• The Left Foot Of Fellowship
• Unincorporate Your Church – With Care!
• Reasons To Unincorporate Your Church
• Players Or Spectators?
• Legalistic Or Antiseptic?
• Church Attendance
• Church Membership
• What The Bible Says About Tithing
• U.S. Christian Camp Loses Tax-Exempt Status
• Unbiblical Incorporation Of Churches
• Fake-ianity – Counterfeit Christianity For Modern Man
• Church Buildings, Sermons, & Worship Services
• Where should believers meet on the Lord’s Day?
• The True Church
• Should unmarried men serve as church leaders?
• Issues Pertaining To Church Elders
• Reverend Who?
• Doctor Or Brother?
• The Litmus Test For Churches
• Church Leadership Issues
• Disturbing 501c3 Corporate Church Report
• Some Church History
• Why So Many Kinds Of Churches?
• A Brief Overview Of Churches
• What Most Churches Don’t Teach Their Members
• What Exactly Is A “Worship Service”?
• The Clergy System By Carl Ketcherside
• A Sincere Appeal By Carl Ketcherside

Featured Materials About House Churches

• The Biblical Pattern For Local Church Leadership
• Church Meetings Should Not Be A One-Man Show!
• Going To Church?
• The Royal Priesthood By Carl Ketcherside
• The Real Church
• Why Meet in Homes?
• The Lord’s Supper, A Study of 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
• House Church Resources
• Rethinking The Lord’s Supper
• The Only Kind Of New Testament Church
• Biblical Patterns For The Local Church

Additional Materials About How Churches Should Operate

• What is the Regulative Principle of Worship?
• “HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD PASTOR” Making a Mountain Out of a Myth
• How should a church be led?
• The Nicolaitans

The False “Church System” Deception

Videos About House Churches And The Clergy System

• Is It In The Bible? – The Pastor Deception
• What Is The Church?
• Stop Calling Yourself “Pastor”
• Is Your Church A Family Or A Clique?
• The False Church System
• Who Should Christians Follow?
• The New Testament Organic Church Model – Frank Viola
• The Pastor is NOT Biblical – Frank Viola
• Pagan church Practices vs the Organic Church – Frank Viola
• Pagan Hierarchical Church Leadership – Frank Viola
• Rethinking Church – Frank Viola
• It’s Time to Rethink Church: Part 1 – Frank Viola
• It’s Time to Rethink Church: Part 2 – Frank Viola
• The Problem with Seminary
• Reimagining Church – Frank Viola
• What Constitutes A Real Church?
• Are Today’s Churches REALLY Churches?
• Is Today’s Church Leadership Backwards?
• New Testament Restoration Foundation (NTRF) house church videos – Michael Clarke
• Exposing the false “church-system”. you NEED to see this…
• The House Church – Simple Church Gatherings
• House Churches – Steve Atkerson
• House Church, the New Testament Pattern – Steve Atkerson
• Churches Are Tax Exempt-PERIOD!
• How to start an Unregistered Church
• Training Ordained House Church Movement Leaders – Henry Reyenga

On-Line House Church Forums:

• Home Church Discussion List (HCDL): HCDL is an internet discussion forum about home churches.
• New-wineskin: (recommended… lots of discussion on this forum) The New Wineskin is a community of house church folks who seek fellowship centered around Jesus Christ alone. We believe that the place most conducive for gatherings is in the home setting. We hold to the view that Jesus instructed His disciples to model servant leadership through an attitude of humility and service. We reject the modern hierarchal model of church, which creates division within the Lord’s body. We don’t believe in official titles or positions that create a clergy/laity division within the Body of Christ. This community is a place where unorthodox views are shared and discussed
• Virginia Home Church Network: (not a real active forum but its here to let you know about region-specific groups) The Virginia Home-Church Network is an email group designed to connect believers in SE Virginia who are seeking to know their Lord Jesus in a real and personal way, and who believe He is best found within a community of believers rather than an institutional church setting

House Church Publications:

• Rethinking The Wineskin (on-line book on home church theology)
• House Church Network (on-line newsletter/magazine on home churches)
• Toward A House Church Theology (on-line book about house churches)

Directories Of Actual House Churches:

• Christ Fellowship Of Kansas City
• Simple Church – A New Testament House Church Network
• Christian Home Church Online
• House Church Central
• House Church Connect
• House Church Directory at meetup.com
• House Church Directory at findahousechurch.com
• King James Bible House Church Directory
• New Covenant Living
• NT Restoration Foundation (house church ministry)
• Present Testimony Ministry
• Searching Together
• The House Church Network (network of house church ministries)

Video: Are Church Members Just Customers Now?