Which Church Will You Flee To Next?
What a frustrating feeling of ‘betrayal’ that one feels after realizing that the haven they desired and thought they found eventually caved in to the theology of trends instead of standing firm on the Rock of Ages. All because it either ticked the ears or the ‘haven’ felt the sting of the loss of numbers and money to the church down the street that implemented these movements while selling out theology and replacing it with experience. These people are already asking the question of “Where will our next church be?”
They have looked at their past experiences and determined never to go back to the Pentecostal / Charismatic churches again because they appear to be ‘all Spirit and no Word’. Many see the truly reformed churches but do not go because they are ‘all Word and no Spirit’. Many see the old holiness and fundamental churches but do not want to go back to a ‘Levitical Luddite’ mentality of God not changing meaning they never change and still live in a 1885 mentality. Many have seen the independent churches but do not want to go fearing a ‘family business’ mentality of dad = pastor, wife = assistant pastor, son= youth leader, daughter = worship leader, uncle = men’s ministry, aunt = womens ministry, third cousin = outreach director with no outside accountability when trouble brews.
Some are now running to the house church movement. However, there is a ‘stigma’ of house churches being seen by many as:
A ‘place for rebels’ and ‘Christian Conspiract theorists’ (in the vein the government looks at state militias).
The bastion of gross heretical and blasphemous teachings.
‘I can do church better’ attitude.
I will do church because I (speaking on behalf of God) did not get my way and my way is God’s way.
The organized church is apostate and therefore by being in a house church must mean that I am automatically not apostate.
Many are cautiously approaching the house church phenomeon. Many fear that the house church will grow to the point where it eventually ends up becoming an organized church that becomes like the church they used to attend or the leader will end up like the megachurch pastor and be beyond accountability and approach.
Some have looked into the ‘emergent’ movement and found the same stuff repackaged and leaders who are so nebulous with theology and can not answer a theological question straightforwardly to the point that they do not want to be held accountable.
Some have abandoned the concept of church altogether and have found local outreach ministries that they call their church home and support.
Some have found ‘online churches’ and fellowship online in chatrooms, Instant messenger, or a church in another part of the world that they watch live streaming every week. Some download audio sermons of famous late theologians reread by someone else and use them for their church.
Some are ‘bunkering’ themselves further and are going ‘underground’.
Why? Because the churches that they attended that feared persecution by the government may actually be the persecutors of the people who choose to flee and opt-out of the ‘system’.
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