| Most Traditional Churches | The New Testament Church |
1. The church meets in a special building. This is often considered essential when starting a church or for growing as a church.
| Churches met primarily in homes, yet they still turned the world upside down (Acts 2:46-47; 5:42; 8:3; 12:12; 16:40; 20:7-8; 20:20; Rom. 16:3-5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philemon 2; 2 Jn. 1:9-11). Believers can meet anywhere and still be a church. Jesus is present wherever and whenever two or three are gathered in His name.
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| 2. New converts are added to the existing church to make it bigger. The goal is often to build a big church or even a 'mega-church.' | When the number of believers outgrew a home, a new church was formed. This spread the influence of the church to new areas for making disciples in other places (Rom.16:3-5, 14-15; Acts 2:41-47). Smaller churches are better for cultivating closer fellowship and multiplying leaders too. |
| 3. The Christian church is fractured into hundreds of different sects or denominations. This often contributes to divisive attitudes and 'competition.' | There were no denominations; instead there was one church in each city, meeting in various homes. The church was called to humility, patience, love, unity and peace as one body of Christ (Acts 8:1; 11:26; 18:22; Rom.16:1; 1 Cor.1:2; Eph. 4:2-3; Rev. 2:1; Col. 4:16; 1 Thess.1:1; Rev. 2:12; 3:7; 3:1; 2:8; 2:18). |
| 4. Pastors are usually trained in seminaries and sent out to serve in a congregation which has no real knowledge of his life or character. | Elders were local brothers who arose from within a local church where their life and character were known (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). Their experience and faithfulness as godly workers, husbands and fathers was more important than academic credentials in qualifying them for leadership in the church. |
| 5. The Sunday 'worship service' is usually characterized by passivity among the 'laity' with the Pastor or a select group of leaders providing nearly all the ministry. | Church meetings were participatory and interactive – every member had a function and contribution to make (1 Cor.12:4-27; 14:26; Eph. 4:15-16; Rom.12:3-8; 1 Pet. 4:10-11; Heb. 10:23-25; Rom. 12:15; 1 Cor. 12:26). The meetings resembled festive family holidays which included the children. |
| 6. The Sunday morning worship service is characterized by a predetermined and usually inflexible 'order of service.' | Church meetings were characterized by informality, flexibility, and spontaneity (Acts 20:7-12; 1 Cor. 14:26-31). This included planning and preparation, too, but not to the exclusion of practicing mutual edification in an open meeting. |
| 7. The goal of the meeting is worship, listening to a sermon or evangelism. | The goal of the meeting was mutual edification (1 Cor. 14:3, 4, 5,12,17, 26; Eph. 4:11-12,16; Heb. 10:24-25). Worship happens, too, as people pray and express thanksgiving, joy, repentance and faith toward God. But not as a religious 'ritual' or auditorium 'presentation' to a mostly passive audience. |
| 8. The church is led by the Pastor (or Senior Pastor in a large church). | The church was led by a plurality of co-equal elders (Acts 14:23; 20:28; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 4:17; Heb. 10:17; James 5:14; 1 Pet. 5:1-2). |
| 9. The Senior Pastor is seen as set apart from and over the other pastors and elders. | The church was cared for by a team of pastors who were accountable to each other and the church; they were also known as elders or overseers. No one elder functioned as the head of the church (Acts 20:28; Titus 1:5-7; 1Pet.5:1-2). Christ alone is Head of his church, not only in name but in the way the church operates: walking by faith, not by sight or worldly persuasion. |
| 10. The Pastor is paid a salary by the church. He often has little significant experience in the workaday world as a faithful businessman or worker. Most young pastors do not have much experience as husbands or fathers either. | Some elders might be financially supported, but they were usually self-supporting or bi-vocational (1 Tim. 5:17-18; Acts 20:33-35). Faithfulness and seasoned experience in a man's business or employment, family life (including his devotion to the word of God), and daily witness in the world was the primary focus of his qualifications for being an elder overseeing God's household. |
| 11. The church is comprised of both 'clergy' and 'laity.' | There was no clergy-laity distinction in the church – all the members comprised a fully-functioning priesthood (Heb.13:15-16; 1 Pet. 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6). Everyone ministered like a priest as they offered up spiritual sacrifices, taught and admonished one another, and served in love. |
| 12. The Lord’s Supper is observed monthly, quarterly, or annually. | The Lord’s Supper was observed as often as the church regularly gathered and was the stated purpose for their meetings (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:18-20,33). |
| 13. The Lord’s Supper is usually observed with a piece of cracker and a sip of juice. | The Lord’s Supper was observed as a full meal (Acts 2:42,46; 1 Cor. 11:20-21; Jude 12). It was a family feast of remembrance and celebration, similar to the Passover meal which preceded it. |
| 14. The Lord’s Supper is usually observed in a solemn funeral-like atmosphere as the worshippers reflect on Christ’s sufferings and death. The believer’s vertical relationship with God is emphasized. | The Lord’s Supper was observed with glad and sincere hearts as the church not only reflected on Christ’s death, but also on the future marriage supper of the Lamb which it depicted. This fellowship meal nurtured the believer’s horizontal relationship with other believers, as well as his or her vertical relationship with God (Acts 2:46; Luke 22:15-18,30; 1 Cor. 11:26; Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 10:16). |
| 15. A new believer must go through membership or instructional classes before he can be baptized. | New believers were baptized as soon as it was humanly possible (Acts 2:37-41; 8:12; 8:36-38; 9:17-18; 10:45-48; 16:31-34; 19:5). |
| 16. Baptism is performed by the clergy. | Baptism was performed by any Christian (Jn. 4:2; Acts 8:12; 8:36-39; 9:18; 22:16; 1 Cor. 1:17). |
| 17. The church must be present when someone is baptized. | The church was not always present when someone was baptized (Acts 8:12; 8:36-39; 16:31-34). Baptism was not a 'church ordinance' or 'sacrament' which had to be performed by 'ordained' people. |
| 18. Pastors deliver monologue lectures or sermons with no opportunity for questions or input from the other members of the church. | Various brothers taught the church. Other members of the church had the opportunity to question them or add their own insights (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 14:29-35). The entire church, not just its leaders, is the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15; cf. Col. 3:16). |
| 19. The church allocates the great majority of its finances for overhead (salaries and building expenses). | The church gave primarily to relieve the poor and assist Christian workers, often beyond their means; they had very little if any administrative expenses (Acts 2:44-45; Gal. 6:9-10; 1 Jn. 3:17; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 Cor. 9:6-14; 2 Cor. 8:3; Phil. 4:15-18; Lk. 12:33-34; Eph. 4:28; James 1:27). |
| 20. Believers are often urged to tithe; that is, they are taught to give a minimum of 10% to the church or they are accused of being unfaithful or "robbing God." | Believers gave voluntarily as God had blessed them and they purposed in their heart. Tithing was not carried over into the New Testament church, because the New Covenant replaced the Old Covenant (2 Cor. 8:3-4; 9:7; Heb. 8:6-13). |