Category Archives: Congregational Autonomy and Mergers

I get emails. Here’s one with a very thoughtful question about congregational autonomy — … According to Josephus, there were 100,000 Christians in Jerusalem at the end of the first century (or so I have heard – I have not … Continue reading →

Just thought you’d enjoy Colbert’s take, as a Catholic, on the Anglican split over gay priests.

The post on Pagan Christianity attracted several questions about what autonomy really means in the modern church world. Here are a few thoughts to add to the mix. * I dont’ really know how the monarchic episcopy evolved so quickly … Continue reading →

I received this email yesterday. I thought it would be helpful if the readers were to weigh in with ideas — I came across your entry while doing a search for “church of Christ” merger. I currently work with a … Continue reading →

Jay,In the article “Imagine a World Without Denominations” you start with the statement that “In New Testament times, the ‘church’ in Ephesus was a series of house churches in which thousands were members, meeting 30 or less to a house, … Continue reading →

The Churches of Christ are falling apart. Actually, we’ve been falling apart for over a century, and what’s happening now is just a continuation of the same problems. We’ve not be able to hold together for a very long time. … Continue reading →

Imagine that a member of a 500-member church wants to evangelize the local downtown singles community. He believes he can best do so through a cell church model, meeting in coffee shops and apartments. Absent some really good reason to … Continue reading →

As previously noted, there are very real, very practical difficulties in trying to merge congregations. The foremost difficulty is our intolerance of doctrinal differences. It’s instructive to see how we behave depending on the options available in our home town. … Continue reading →

I’ve already made one doctrinal point. Larger churches are more effective at ministry to those outside the church–and this is the very essence of Christianity. Read Matthew 25’s account of Judgment Day. Read James’ definition of pure and undefiled religion. … Continue reading →