Revisiting "church"
Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 10:28 am
My wife and I left the CoC a long time ago. I am still solid in my faith in Jesus the Christ, but I have recently gotten to the point that I am "done" with "church". Google it, and you will find that there are many of us. So many, that we have been give names, such as the dechurched or the dones.
Anyway, I am ready to challenge the whole way that we "do church". And along those lines, I have joined a different kind of group that provides for me much of what I was not able to find in church (of any denomination or style).
Let me go a little further with this. If any of you find this interesting at all, I would really appreciate some good discussion on this topic. I guess it's kind of my "new path".
I recently joined a "coaching" group. The idea is based on Napolean Hill's "mastermind group" from his book "Think and Grow Rich" (I need to actually read that book I guess). Anyway, this coaching group is based on coaching people in my particular entrapranuerial profession/business. The founder is a very successful businessman. And he's also a solid Christian. Anyway, this man became very successful in this particular area of business, and he was also teaching/coaching others on how to do this business. He made a lot of money but got to the point that his life sucked - too much stress, too many hours working, etc. So he changed his coaching model. He still coaches the nuts and bolts of the business, but he focuses on "life coaching", with the business being secondary.
I recently joined one of his groups. And, for me, it provides many of the things that I have always been missing in "church". I don't have the time to list all of the book/chapter/verse at the moment, but all of these things are Biblical principles. Such as:
1. Community/fellowship
2. Sharing one another's burdens
3. Praying for one another
4. Support and encouragement
5. Vision
6. Planning
7. Action
8. Improvement
9. Accountability (I know, this may throw up a red flag to some of you)
10. Older teaching the younger (or in this case, the more experienced teaching the less experienced)
11. And I'll probably think of more later and may come back and edit this.
We also have the opportunity in these groups to participate in what he refers to as a "faith call" (since we are a small group of people located all around the US, much of our stuff together is done by conference calls, group emails, (and one-one-one calls and emails) and webinars. (see, there's what I'm talking about with revisiting the "structure" of church and how we do it). Anyway, the faith call is sort of like a sermon I guess, where our lead coach discusses a Biblical topic, but it's much more interactive and responsive than a tradition church sermon. There are also many other phone calls available where people discuss various topics - some are business related, some are "life" related. We also have the opportunity to give financially and to go on mission trips together if we choose to (these mission trips are typically more service oriented). And we all meet together quarterly (again, we are scattered all around the US). And everything is voluntary. No one has to participate in any of the calls or the mission trips or giving.
Anyway, so far, I have made improvements in my own life in the following areas. Again, all (or most of them anyway) are things that could or should be happening in any given church. Biblical stuff. Christian growth kind of stuff.
1. Dealing with a difficult situation in my family and our marriage.
2. Supporting and helping my wife more as she deals with that difficult situation - serving her.
3. Improving my health (eating better, exercising more, losing weight) - my body is a temple.
4. Spending more time with my daughter and trying to improve our relationship.
5. Serving others (I have done several phone calls with other members of the group to help them in their businesses).
6. Spiritual - my personal coach is also a Christian and he is helping me to deal with an addiction that I need to overcome.
7. And probably others that I will think of later.
rehabber7
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2015 9:01 pm
Anyway, I am ready to challenge the whole way that we "do church". And along those lines, I have joined a different kind of group that provides for me much of what I was not able to find in church (of any denomination or style).
Let me go a little further with this. If any of you find this interesting at all, I would really appreciate some good discussion on this topic. I guess it's kind of my "new path".
I recently joined a "coaching" group. The idea is based on Napolean Hill's "mastermind group" from his book "Think and Grow Rich" (I need to actually read that book I guess). Anyway, this coaching group is based on coaching people in my particular entrapranuerial profession/business. The founder is a very successful businessman. And he's also a solid Christian. Anyway, this man became very successful in this particular area of business, and he was also teaching/coaching others on how to do this business. He made a lot of money but got to the point that his life sucked - too much stress, too many hours working, etc. So he changed his coaching model. He still coaches the nuts and bolts of the business, but he focuses on "life coaching", with the business being secondary.
I recently joined one of his groups. And, for me, it provides many of the things that I have always been missing in "church". I don't have the time to list all of the book/chapter/verse at the moment, but all of these things are Biblical principles. Such as:
1. Community/fellowship
2. Sharing one another's burdens
3. Praying for one another
4. Support and encouragement
5. Vision
6. Planning
7. Action
8. Improvement
9. Accountability (I know, this may throw up a red flag to some of you)
10. Older teaching the younger (or in this case, the more experienced teaching the less experienced)
11. And I'll probably think of more later and may come back and edit this.
We also have the opportunity in these groups to participate in what he refers to as a "faith call" (since we are a small group of people located all around the US, much of our stuff together is done by conference calls, group emails, (and one-one-one calls and emails) and webinars. (see, there's what I'm talking about with revisiting the "structure" of church and how we do it). Anyway, the faith call is sort of like a sermon I guess, where our lead coach discusses a Biblical topic, but it's much more interactive and responsive than a tradition church sermon. There are also many other phone calls available where people discuss various topics - some are business related, some are "life" related. We also have the opportunity to give financially and to go on mission trips together if we choose to (these mission trips are typically more service oriented). And we all meet together quarterly (again, we are scattered all around the US). And everything is voluntary. No one has to participate in any of the calls or the mission trips or giving.
Anyway, so far, I have made improvements in my own life in the following areas. Again, all (or most of them anyway) are things that could or should be happening in any given church. Biblical stuff. Christian growth kind of stuff.
1. Dealing with a difficult situation in my family and our marriage.
2. Supporting and helping my wife more as she deals with that difficult situation - serving her.
3. Improving my health (eating better, exercising more, losing weight) - my body is a temple.
4. Spending more time with my daughter and trying to improve our relationship.
5. Serving others (I have done several phone calls with other members of the group to help them in their businesses).
6. Spiritual - my personal coach is also a Christian and he is helping me to deal with an addiction that I need to overcome.
7. And probably others that I will think of later.
rehabber7
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2015 9:01 pm
