Learning to Live Christ Outside of Organized/Institutional Churches

Are there any specific message boards out there geared toward people learning to live Christ outside of organized/institutional churches? I would like to read others' ongoing experiences and questions of family worship, fellowship in homes, coffee shop Bible studies, etc. I am not interested in discussion centered around any particular organization's material or ideology or of discussion by any seeking to convert others to some kind of agenda or worldview.

Thank you.

You will find only a paucity of help online.

Everyone is an expert on the theory, it seems, and mum on the practice. The closest I have seen is why I love SI and that is brother Greg's Principles book. Although, and I say it with love, the book does not have what you are looking for. I know because it was not what I sought either.

There is no functioning website or forum or anytning online that I know of.

We host a fellowship in our home and have for almost one year. Next week or two will be a year, I think. We didnt mark the date. A year in and we are only still starting to scratch the surface. God is speaking to us, though and we are hard after Him.

At the same time, my little family still attends a Sunday organized/institutional church. We go and we go home, and that is about it. My daughter enjoys their kids church and there is a benefit there for her. So, we are content to keep a "pinky toe" in that water. It is not our church family, we are barely acknowledged, but it is a friendly down home sort of snubbing so we are just fine with it. They are sweet enough.

But, our home fellowship? Another whole different story. Love and submission to one another grows. Yieldedness and earnest desire for one another to be strong in Christ grows. We are agreed, after a word of prophecy given and that we tested Scripturally this last Saturday night, to be in one accord of prayer for a certain matter (to do with God's leading and working in us) and so we are walking in that.

I am finding that maybe why no one has a message board on it is because where people are thriving or growing in this at all, message boards are inadequate or unwanted. I don't know. I just know I have very recently asked for the same resources you are seeking and also found none.

EDIT: Nix that anniversary mention. It was September. Told you we didn't mark the date. But, turns out we did sort of. I found the thread where I shared here about the changes we made in our garage. We started meeting on September 6, 2014.

DanielJ wrote:
Are there any specific message boards out there geared toward people learning to live Christ outside of organized/institutional churches? I would like to read others' ongoing experiences and questions of family worship, fellowship in homes, coffee shop Bible studies, etc. I am not interested in discussion centered around any particular organization's material or ideology or of discussion by any seeking to convert others to some kind of agenda or worldview.

I take ALL kinds of christian music in (about 15 minutes worth since I only have an hour with them), with the words for them. I told them that I wanted to teach them to worship Christ without any denominational strings. He is God and HE loves to be worshiped anywhere, living room, shower, car, home. Then we talk about Jesus and the Word, then I ask if any need hands laid on them. Years ago, they were leery of holding hands with someone praying over them, but now they stand in line for prayer. God works miracles!

It's very hard to find what you are looking for. You will probably have to start something yourself and then keep a tight rein over it to keep it from someone coming in and thinking, "Oh this needs organization! I need to control it!" LOL

I say this b/c this has happened to me at the jail, someone wants to join in but they don't like how we do things so suddenly they have a "bible study" they want to do, etc. And I have had to tell them lovingly that it's not going to happen!! :) :) and then they come up with another idea!!! Yea... But eventually they end up leaving b/c they can't dominate it.

God bless you,
Lisa

Thank you, saints, for sharing your experiences. This is a big encouragement to me. The more I have had these deep realizations recently, the more I have felt isolated (or lonely). Growing up my whole life in the church setting, I am only now coming to some sense that I have focused on profound teachings and good practices, but I have not know HIM. The Lord awakened something in me the last several months to go outside the camp and really know the Lord, love the Lord, and live unto the Lord. I don't know what happened, but it is like everything was all of a sudden turned upside down. It is a scary thought--because we have been (and are) so entrenched. My considerations recently have also been very unsettling to my wife, but she is becoming more and more open and has given herself to learn with me and follow the Lord with me--unconditionally. We will see how He will lead. Thank You, Lord.

Brother Tim, is there a way that I can contact you privately (via email) for more fellowship? I cannot tell if there is a way to do that through the site. Thank you so much.

Daniel my email is in my profile and here: law.shelton at gmail dot com

Hello,

I agree with Brother Tim (dolfan). The book that he mentioned, Principles for the Gathering of Believers, is very good. It is free for anyone with a Kindle or Kindle app.

http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Gathering-Believers-Headship-Christ/dp/1489557318/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

There is a very good website that I think is related to it:

http://biglifeathome.com/

It echoes several of the most basic parts of the book and even includes a search option to find home fellowship groups. I've noticed that the list of fellowship groups hasn't grown too much (the closest to our home is about 30 miles away).

If you can't find one on that website, you could mention your geographic area here. Someone might have a good suggestion. I would also consider other options too -- like searching through Craigslist, Yelp, local Topix forums or other websites. Of course, you'll have to sift through the crazies.

I would warn you about websites like Reddit -- because they are largely populated by anti-Christian critics who will reject any church that doesn't align with a secular world view. Still, I suppose that it is possible that you might be able to start a discussion on some of those websites (including Reddit) and maintain a civil discourse.

I'd like to say that I am drawn to less conventional meetings of believers. That is not necessarily to say that I don't enjoy fellowship in a "organized" or "institutional" church too. I enjoy the encouragement that comes with fellowship with (and worshiping the Lord alongside) believers...period.

However, the purest feel of what a "church" is meant to be included my trips to the Tarahumara in the Sierra Madre Occidental of south-central Chihuahua, Mexico, as well as our "dorm fellowships" -- Bible studies, prayer meetings and times of worship -- with believers (students, professors and staff members) while attending a "secular" college. In regard to the Tarahumara, I enjoyed worshiping the Lord with them where they would meet together beneath a tree.

I thank God for brothers and sisters that are seeking true worship and fellowship with other believers.

Many of us have tried following certain patterns of meeting, including trying to imitate the early church.

I have been blessed from what I have read from the book "Principles For the Gathering of Believers".

It does not take a good deal of organization to start a home fellowship. It also does not require a lot of people to begin the meetings. You can begin with two or three that have a desire to worship the Lord, be led by the Holy Spirit, and share the Word of God.

When we were in an AOG Church years ago, we were cell group leaders. We did not follow the format that they gave us, but trusted the leading of the Holy Spirit. The result was that the presence of God was manifested in such a way that many stayed late into the night.

I believe that the time is coming in this nation that we will be meeting primarily in homes. There will be many organized churches that will be shut down. People will be so hungry for the Word and presence of God that they will seek out those that have Spirit led meetings in their homes.

I believe that the time is coming in this nation that we will be meeting primarily in homes. There will be many organized churches that will be shut down. People will be so hungry for the Word and presence of God that they will seek out those that have Spirit led meetings in their homes.

Amen! Brother Mike.

Chris, one of the men in our fellowship has been to Mexico as a missionary to the Taramuhara and is passionate about them.

Hi dolfan,

That is interesting! Do you know where they specifically traveled to or with which missionaries?

There aren't as many missionaries who travel to the Tarahumara as there should be. Given the primitive conditions in that region (in most places, it is like going back a thousand years in time), it seems like there are only a handful of men and women willing to make the effort to bring Christ to many of the various tribal communities. I suspect that I may have been to some of the same villages and locations as this man in your fellowship.

It is passion-inducing! I think that I saw more about what the church should be like among the tribes in those journeys than I have seen in a lifetime in the United States.

I am not sure Chris. Not sure how long he was personally there, but he remains very interested in them. He is connected with a mission organization in southern Cal, but he lives now in Alabama. He is in his early 70s. Has lived in many states.

Read Wayne Jacobsens, Finding Church. A MUST MUST read for every Christ follower. Imo.
He has a great website with insightful perspectives that will resonate with someone wanting to "find church" :)

Thank you, everyone, for your responses. It is sweet to have fellowship with all of you here. In the last six months, something has changed in me. It is like my whole outlook has changed. I don't know what happened. My wife and I are young and have been married for the past year and a half. Since marriage, we have opened our house for a weekly home fellowship that has around 15 regulars, including a good number of middle school and high school students. This home group is closely tied to our local church. We do enjoy our time together, but I find it more and more limiting as my view of the church, the body of Christ, is being expanded to encompass all genuine Christians and not just those in my group or network of churches.

Recently, I have had a deep longing to transcend all of the barriers and distinctions and have fellowship and prayer based on the Bible and the Spirit's leading and not based on any agenda to convert others to a way of doing things. God has shown me that in the book of Revelation, there were overcomers called out of all seven of the seven churches. This means that God is calling us to overcome on a personal basis, and our overcoming is not contingent upon our operating in a particular church concept or church situation.

I have a deep longing to pray and fellowship and seek God's face apart from all of these distinctions. However, it seems hard to find others with a similar feeling. Some I have opened to have considered my desire to be an indication of independence or a lack of faithfulness.