Our Church Split

I'm keen to relay our experience of brothers and sisters choosing to leave us.   It's an area that many don't publicly comment on because anything that doesn't work out is deemed as failure.  Who wants to admit something has failed?  Er... we do actually! 

The reason people are so guarded or often deceptive about church splits is because they have invested their own identity in the forming and momentum of their gatherings.  We have purposely avoided the idea that any of us have purposed a gathering.  We have simply offered a space and a bunch of songs with simple chords.  We feel it is the Lord's will to have people meet together in a format that allows the Lord to have as exclusive lead as possible.  Within this my role is to lead in the sense of keeping the group within Biblical parameters and protecting what we feel the Lord has sent us to do.  Because we feel we have been led to champion the cause for first century ekklesia, small groups meeting around a meal with open and equal sharing, we are candidates for all sorts of responses.  The idea is over time the group appoints Elders.  This doesn't happen overnight. 

In Christ

It is my observation that those who can gain much following in these times are the ones who are about accommodating the 'whatever' of people's opinions and views.  Our position has been to usher people into not just Biblical practice but also pursue Biblical Doctrine.  To be perfectly clear, we are not about 'doctrinal snap!'  People come to us hopefully with the core Christian beliefs in place.  The non central themes like eschatology or some of the chestnuts of the faith that don't affect our daily walk are all for healthy discussion.  Sadly this is a departing point for many.  We have always set out our terms of fellowship on 'being in Christ together.'  All the rest of our position on XYZ is academic compared with the astonishing awe of being in Christ together.  Tragically this fundamental truth of why we should meet is lost in the rush to be right for being right's sake.

   

Not about self

We believe there are people who want to join us in the pursuit of authentic Biblical practice by readdressing the way the first century ekklesia met and how subsequent historical leaders departed from the Apostolic pattern set by Jesus at the Last Supper and practiced by the Apostles.  In our offer of a biblical model that endeavours to flee the historical church patterns and positions we have and will attract people from many backgrounds.  People are welcome to pursue the non-agenda approach, the unbranded and un heralded gathering.  That some will choose to not flow with this is inevitable well intentioned people will choose not to.  We have been called to an expression of ekklesia, a pursuit of a life in kind that offers little of self.  We offer no platforms, grandstands, eschatological catwalks or self-branding masquerading as spiritual gifts.  We do offer the pursuit of authenticity, a stand against all the powers of the air and an ongoing commitment to walk in obedience to the instructions of the Lord as revealed in the original rendering of the Scriptures. 

The comings and goings

So dear brothers and sisters left us.  The reasons had form.  The overarching principle however was that flawed humans didn't see past self to the glorious phenomena of 'in-Christness.'  This kind of thing is lamentable but is not failure.  For it to be failure to me means the growth of this church is my success.  

If this is the case, my pride needs to be torn limb from limb and nailed to a tree as I have stepped into a position of head of a church and claimed the work of the Lord's to be my own.  

That I should set myself up for attention, applause and adoration because of any Graces afforded me is to my utter shame.  Thus I don't see a church split as failure because none of what occurs here impacts on me personally.   I cannot succeed and I cannot fail.  I simply issue forth that which the Lord wills on earth.  How pure is this?  How Gary-less is this issuing forth?  Should the fruit of Jesus' issuing forth result in growth and Acts-like success?  This is my prayer but for now we are endeavouring for the authentic first century church and rendering ourselves on the daily death list for the Holy Spirit's work. 

The outcome of a small group approach can only do what Jesus' life on earth did... filter those who can bear such a message outworked on earth.  Rejection, rebellion, salvation, healing, murder, attack... the list continues.  What is never did was create a status quo, a plateau, a consensus.   Splits show there is at least an offense.  We feel it was caused by the gospel outworked.  

God has his purposes.  Note the full stop. 

Gary Ward