Credit: flickr user kohlmann.sascha Source: imcreator.com

I posted recently about leaving church.  Some of the commenters who identified with that post also expressed their frustration of not being able to find people living near them that want to follow Jesus in a deep way and share their experiences.  I have definitely found that it involves taking risks to meet new people, especially to find folks who are following Jesus, but outside of western organized Christianity.

And to find a group of people who want nothing but to explore Christ together is extremely rare.

As I said in the other post, there are many people outside of organized Christianity for unhealthy reasons, so there is reason to be cautious.

Discerning Seasons

Also, I think it is worthwhile to mention the importance of discerning what season the Lord may be leading you into.  Perhaps there are people in your life right now that you could build deeper relationships with who are not following Jesus.  Maybe He is calling you to serve the poor in your area in some way.  It may be helpful to focus on what the Lord is bringing into your life rather than what He is not bringing.

Have you ever looked all over your home for something that you need but it seems to have vanished?  You look everywhere over and over until you are exhausted and you give up, resigning yourself to the fact that the item is lost forever.  And it’s at this point when the item magically appears in plain sight.

Point: Sometimes when you stop looking for something it appears right in front of your eyes.

All that being said, I don’t have the answer to anyone’s particular situation, but I can share a few things from my experience if you are looking to connect with others.

8 Ways to Connect with Others

1. Search for groups on meetup.com.  Sometimes groups or people looking to connect with others will set up a page on this website to find others in their area.  There is a fee for setting up a page, so people who are on the site are willing to make a small investment to connect with others.

2. Look for Facebook groups related to organic/simple/house church in your area and join them.  You can also see what kind of things are posted in the group and get a little bit of an idea if you think you’ll want to try and meet with them.

3. Look for general Facebook groups related to organic/simple/house church that are not location specific.  Post in the group and ask if anyone knows of any groups meeting in your area.  Some of these groups keep a document on the page that lists where many of the members are located.  (You can look up the open group “Organic Church Movements” as an example.)

4. Perform a Google search for “organic church [your town/city/area]”, “house church [your town/city/area]”, etc.  The group that I meet with maintains a basic webpage so local people can find us if they are searching.

5. If none of the above work out, consider starting your own page on meetup.com or Facebook.

6. Start a book club using a book on the deeper life in Christ at your local bookstore, library, etc.  I haven’t done this but I know others who have been able to connect this way and ended up forming a group together.

7. Volunteer at a local Christian ministry of some kind.  Look for an organization that is being the hands and feet of Jesus in the community without judgment towards those they are serving.

8. If you don’t find any groups in your area, search other areas nearby and see if you can visit with those groups or if they possibly know anyone in your area who might be looking to connect with others.

I hope this list provides some avenues for you to try and connect with others.  I have definitely found that this can be a long, slow path to follow.  I encourage you to keep looking, but also to avoid trying to force something to happen.

Do you have any other suggestions?  Share them in the comments.

Follow the Life!

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This?

As part of a group of Christ-followers who meet and live together outside of organized Christianity, I’ve come across the question of whether or not we appoint elders and deacons several times recently.  At this time, we have not appointed any elders or deacons, and I don’t think we have any plans to do so.  Therefore, I’m also asked why we wouldn’t want to do that.

First, let me say that bishop, overseer, and elder simply mean older, more experienced, or mature.  These are ones who demonstrate maturity in how they live out their life in Christ.

Deacon means servant.  These are people who are serving the body in some way.  In Acts, the Apostles chose seven servants to help distribute food and help widows in the church.

I don’t believe either of these were ever intended to be “appointed” as “offices”.  Rather, these are describing functions that the body recognizes people doing to serve the Lord.  Note that the body is recognizing something that is already naturally occurring, not handing out an assignment of leadership or authority.

The question was recently posed in a Facebook Group that I am subscribed to.  Ross Rohde gave an excellent explanation that I am sharing here with his permission:

Elder means exactly what the word implies, more mature. So an elder is someone, male or female, who demonstrates spiritual maturity and therefore is someone who can become an example and who can help people move closer to Jesus (discipleship). Deacons are those who concentrate on serving others and are recognized and respected as such based on their gifting and skill.

Because most of us have never experienced Christianity other than in an institutional format, where titles carry power, control and authority we tend to view these kind of people as positional, which is how the term is used and expressed in institutional Christianity. If, however, we view them organically, such people tend to emerge and are recognized rather than appointed and ordained into a position. I’m aware that Titus 1:5 uses the word “appoint.” This is a translation issues, where the translators assumptions biased the way they chose to translate the word. This could just as easily have been translated “recognize.”

So, in organic Christianity, we recognize and respect those who are mature and can be viewed as examples of spiritual maturity. Such people become examples to us and often disciple us by helping us draw closer to Jesus. We also respect and recognize those who have special calling and/or gifting to serve others, particularly through organizational skill. This calling and ability is recognized, respected and appreciated. In fact, in some contexts it is so necessary that it is sought out, which I believe is what was happening in Acts 6. 

These people don’t have official power over others but rather influence. Power has the ability to control through punishment. If someone doesn’t do what those in power believe they should or have done, or they believe they shouldn’t have done, such a person can be punished through experiencing negative consequences. Even if punishment isn’t used the implied threat is still there. Influence, on the other hand is a gift from the person being influenced. It is also a gift from God because others notice the spirituality of such people and that enlightenment comes from the Holy Spirit. One cannot demand that they are influential nor does it automatically come through position. They either are influential, because of who they are, or they are not.

Positional power can be (and often is) harsh. It doesn’t have to be, but the threat is still there, even if the threat isn’t intended by those who have such power. The mere existence of the power can, and often does wound and harm relationships, even if this wounding isn’t intentional.

This is why, by the way, there is so much talk about “servant leadership” in institutional Christianity based on Luke 22;25-27. Jesus, in this passage, isn’t saying, “As leaders we should serve others.” He’s just saying serve others. We don’t need a position of power to do that. In fact, a position gets in the way, which is why we struggle and talk about servant leadership so much. Jesus didn’t talk about servant leadership at all. He just said serve. The “leadership” idea is introduced out of our institutional context and is not biblical. 

Influence, on the other hand, is gentle and loving. It is often not even noticed. It does not need position or title, merely maturity. It doesn’t need to force or control. In other words, it is an expression of I Cor. 13 love. And, it is a reflection of Jesus behavior. While he had all the positional power in the world, he chose influence. See, Phil. 2:5-11. That’s what eldership and the deaconate looks like (or at least should look like) in organic church.

To add a caveat, in my experience not “appointing” a specific elder(s) or deacon(s) is more healthy for the community because there

Or this?

is not a single person that can fully express Christ by themselves. Each person may be mature in some areas and weaker in others, so the body needs the functioning of all.

One person may be mature in revealing Christ in the Scriptures, while another person may be very mature in counseling people through problems, and another may be mature in drawing non-believers to Christ, and so on.

These attributes are discovered naturally in body life where all are equal and appreciated and free to serve and express themselves as they are led. The Spirit is able to teach and lead the body through anyone depending on the situation.

Functioning together in this way builds up the body and focuses on Christ as Head while humbly recognizing that we all have weaknesses and we need each other to fully express Christ and live together in Him.  

I’m not saying any of this as an armchair observer.  I’ve been part of group that functions in this way for the past five years, so what I’m sharing on this topic is from that experience.

For more excellent discussion on this topic, see chapters 8 and 9 of Reimagining Church by Frank Viola and 58 to 0: How Christ Leads Through the One Anothers by Jon Zens.

Follow the Life!

*****

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