A Reformed and Reforming Church Plant
This Sunday will be our church plant's sixth Sunday to worship together however this is the first time I have publicly and specifically addressed it. I am going to start sharing some thoughts on the foundations of the church in the hopes that it may bless, encourage and challenge my brothers and sisters in Christ.
First I must start with....I am in way over my head which, I can only imagine, is where God wants me. Not only have I never done anything like this before but I am choosing to do it in a non-mainstream, reformed kind of way.
What is one way that we are different? Well let's start with the most obvious if one were to visit. If you walk into our worship service you will see men and women and children, but not just children over the age of 12. We worship together from infant to elderly. You would see and hear infants, toddlers, young men and women and full grown adults worshipping together. In fact so far in our church the adults are incredibly out numbered and we do not utitlize a nursery or childrens church. If your asking yourself why the answer is simple. Reform.
The definition of Biblical Reform is to take something back to it's original biblically intended purpose or model. In scripture we see a clear pattern of families worshipping together instead of the modern method of age segregated worship.
Several passages of Scripture indicate the biblical model for corporate worship is one of age integration and for families to be together. Noah led his family in worship in a culture that rejected the gospel (Genesis 6-9; 2 Peter 2:5). Abraham led his family in worship (Genesis 22). Job also led his family in worship (Job 1:5). The Israelites worshipped together as families (Ezra 10:1; Nehemiah 12:43).
Families worshipped together in the New Testament as well. Both Ephesians 6:1 and Colossians 3:20 address children, who were present in the worship service, to obey their parents in the Lord. There is no text of scripture which describes or prescribes age segregated corporate worship. When families are together for corporate worship they have a common spiritual vision to walk in, grow in, and be held accountable to. All members of the household can discuss the worship time together and benefit from each others experience in a way that is difficult if each family member has been to their own age-graded worship service. Household leaders can then continue the study and application of the text that was preached throughout the week within their family, enabling the family to better learn and apply what they learned in the corporate worship experience together. The family integrated model of corporate worship best supports and encourages household leaders to fulfill their Biblical mandate for home discipleship.
First I must start with....I am in way over my head which, I can only imagine, is where God wants me. Not only have I never done anything like this before but I am choosing to do it in a non-mainstream, reformed kind of way.
What is one way that we are different? Well let's start with the most obvious if one were to visit. If you walk into our worship service you will see men and women and children, but not just children over the age of 12. We worship together from infant to elderly. You would see and hear infants, toddlers, young men and women and full grown adults worshipping together. In fact so far in our church the adults are incredibly out numbered and we do not utitlize a nursery or childrens church. If your asking yourself why the answer is simple. Reform.
The definition of Biblical Reform is to take something back to it's original biblically intended purpose or model. In scripture we see a clear pattern of families worshipping together instead of the modern method of age segregated worship.
Several passages of Scripture indicate the biblical model for corporate worship is one of age integration and for families to be together. Noah led his family in worship in a culture that rejected the gospel (Genesis 6-9; 2 Peter 2:5). Abraham led his family in worship (Genesis 22). Job also led his family in worship (Job 1:5). The Israelites worshipped together as families (Ezra 10:1; Nehemiah 12:43).
Families worshipped together in the New Testament as well. Both Ephesians 6:1 and Colossians 3:20 address children, who were present in the worship service, to obey their parents in the Lord. There is no text of scripture which describes or prescribes age segregated corporate worship. When families are together for corporate worship they have a common spiritual vision to walk in, grow in, and be held accountable to. All members of the household can discuss the worship time together and benefit from each others experience in a way that is difficult if each family member has been to their own age-graded worship service. Household leaders can then continue the study and application of the text that was preached throughout the week within their family, enabling the family to better learn and apply what they learned in the corporate worship experience together. The family integrated model of corporate worship best supports and encourages household leaders to fulfill their Biblical mandate for home discipleship.
“While I believe the vast majority of those who shepherd segregated portions of congregations are well meaning and would never presume to replace parents in their biblical role, I believe the modern American practice of systematic age segregation goes beyond the biblical mandate. I believe it is a product of the American educational system, and in some instances it actually works against families as opposed to helping them pursue multigenerational faithfulness. The church’s emphasis ought to be on equipping parents to disciple their children instead of doing it on their behalf...there is no biblical mandate for the current approach.”
Dr. Voddie Baucham
Theses statements are not intended to "villainize" the traditional church in America. The point is to critique the traditional model and stimulate thinking toward reform to a more Biblical approach. I believe following a Biblical model for worship and obeying the Biblical mandate for home discipleship will ensure our faith commitment finds root in the lives of the next generation and the next generations to come.
This would be the first thing a visitor to our service would notice but I will tell you as I believe most of our charter members would that while the family integrated model is definitely a first impression it is not the priority of what the church is about, but I will save some of those facets for the next post.
I will have to say this before I post this and my readers would jump to the conclusion that we have a bunch of like minded individuals whose children must be saints in order to sit through a family integrated service. This may be the model we see in scripture however that does not mean that it is easy. All of our church members are what we call first generation reformers including yours truly. So family integrated corporate worship is new, daily family worship is new, home discipleship is new and so many more things are new and yet I found out they are very old. Biblically old. We just have left them behind in Christendom and I'm afraid that the state of the family, the state of the state, and the state of the church are a clear result of us leaving those Biblical principles. I hope that those who read this will not see this as judgement from me for I am as Paul said (but in my opinion so much more than he) the chief of sinners. I hope instead it will be a thought provoking, spirit wrestling write up of things others may think and read and pray about.
Until the next dip in the well....
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