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:
- A Brief Overview Of Churches
- A Sincere Appeal By Carl Ketcherside
- Church Attendance
- Church Buildings, Sermons, & Worship Services
- Church Is Not A Spectator Sport
- Church Leadership Issues
- Church Meetings Should Not Be A One-Man Show!
- Church Membership
- Considerations On The Nature And Unity Of The Church Of Christ
- Disturbing 501c3 Corporate Church Report
- Doctor Or Brother?
- Fake-ianity – Counterfeit Christianity For Modern Man
- Going To Church?
- IRS Double-Talk About Incorporating Your Church
- Issues Pertaining To Church Elders
- Legalistic Or Antiseptic?
- Lessons From Louisville
- Pastors: Shepherds Of Flocks Or Egotistical Control Freaks?
- Players Or Spectators?
- Reasons To Unincorporate Your Church
- Reverend Who?
- Segregation Of The Saints
- Should unmarried men serve as church leaders?
- Some Advice For Running A Church Biblically
- Some Church History
- Still Looking For True Christians In Dead Churches?
- The Biblical Pattern For Local Church Leadership
- The Clergy System By Carl Ketcherside
- The Incomplete Reformation
- The Left Foot Of Fellowship
- The Litmus Test For Churches
- The Notion Of A Clergyman
- The Real Church
- The Root Of Modern Christian Ignorance
- The Royal Priesthood By Carl Ketcherside
- The Table Of The Lord – The Purpose Of Communion
- The True Church
- Things They Never Told Your Pastor In Bible College Or Seminary
- U.S. Christian Camp Loses Tax-Exempt Status
- Unbiblical Incorporation Of Churches
- Unincorporate Your Church – With Care!
- What Exactly Is A “Worship Service”?
- What Most Churches Don’t Teach Their Members
- What The Bible Says About Tithing
- What’s Wrong With The Church Of Our Day And Age?
- Where should believers meet on the Lord’s Day?
- Why So Many Kinds Of Churches?
- Why You Should Not Trust Your Children To A Youth Pastor
- Wrong Reasons Why Men Enter The Preaching Ministry
Featured Materials About House Churches
- Biblical Patterns For The Local Church
- Bizarre Teachings Of The Roman Catholic Church Regarding Eucharists
- Church Meetings Should Not Be A One-Man Show!
- Going To Church?
- House Church Resources
- Mariology – Official Roman Catholic Position On The Person And Work Of The Virgin Mary
- Rethinking The Lord’s Supper
- The Biblical Pattern For Local Church Leadership
- The Immaculate Conception Deception
- The Lord’s Supper, A Study of 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
- The Only Kind Of New Testament Church
- The Real Church
- The Royal Priesthood By Carl Ketcherside
- Why Meet in Homes?
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?