Survey Question #6
6. What is your present understanding of local church life, leadership and structure?
Friends and friends of friends in growing relationships, and the willingness to cooperate and do together whatever Father might ask of us. As to leadership, it is simply older brothers and sisters on the journey who are hospitable to others, willing to help others in their spiritual growth, and willing to facilitate what God wants to do in inviting people closer to Himself. As to structure, I’m learning that our attempts to structure gatherings and ‘ministries’ in perpetuity become ritualistic and empty over time. I like structure that facilitates what God is doing in a certain event or season and then lets it go to see what else He might do. So I think structure is important, but we dare not conform to it without that ongoing listening to Jesus. [Wayne J. USA]
Local church life for me could not be simpler. I am blessed to relate at a deep level with quite a number of close brothers and sisters in the Lord. This is in a non-organised way. There is no fellowship group or structure. (There used to be!) This does not mean that there is not a strong commitment to each other and to the Lord but it is based on common friendship and mutual respect rather than loyalty to a religious club. In a non-structured group of friends leadership roles are primarily by God’s appointment and the recognition of that by brothers and sisters. They are functional in much the same way as parents take responsibility in a family through service, love and care. In such a lifestyle it is easy to recognise that different ones are anointed in different ways and each can function under the Head’s control for the good of the whole body. [David R. Ireland]
As I said under question 4, I’ve radically changed my views in favour of relationships between God and the believer, and the relationship between brothers and sisters in Him being the priority – not having the focus on church or structures, but on Him. Not focusing on leadership but on Him. And in letting Him build and structure as He sees fit for just that time; also in letting Him be the one who changes and connects as He wills. [Stefan A. Sweden]
