Subject: Can a small, informal fellowship be a "church"?
Content: Would you agree that the purpose for believers gathering together it is to encourage each other in the Christian walk, to love one another and express that love through good deeds? Seems to me this doesn't have to be done in an organized body... it doesn't have to be a chartered organization with a board of directors and a dedicated edifice... it can be a small, informal fellowship. For two years, while living in northern Japan, my wife and I fellowshipped with a house church comprised of two farming families. Nonetheless, there needs to be accountability of the familial kind. There need to be brothers- and sisters- in-Christ who help to hold you accountable for growing more Christ-like, and for whom you do the same. There needs to be corporate prayer and worship, including observance of the ordinances of Christ (the Lord's supper/the love feast, baptism of new believers). There needs to be ongoing biblical instruction in righteousness. I can imagine all these things happening in someone's living room, but I cannot imagine them happening if you're not committed to a group of fellow Christians. Does anyone here know about the Emerging Church movement? Any thoughts about smaller, informal fellowships that are growing in popularity here in the Western world?
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