When many speak and share in a meeting, community comes forth. Church is called to be community, not an audience.

In a traditional church service, there is one person speaking on the platform and everybody else is in the audience watching.  In organic church, everybody is on the platform and Jesus is the audience, watching and directing the meeting as He prompts people to praise, share, and testify.

If only we would stop ignoring Jesus at our side in church meetings and instead would encourage everybody present to listen to His voice and then to say or do what He tells them to in the meeting, we would experience the living Jesus Christ working in our midst in powerful ways through ordinary men and women!

Is participatory, organic church an “ancient ruin”?  The prophet Isaiah said:  “They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated.”

In 1st Century church meetings, ordinary believers ministered to one another and everybody was free to speak out in meetings, as prompted by the Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 14:26) However, that form of church meetings was soon abandoned and became a ruin — a place long ago devastated.

Perhaps the early 21st Century is now the time to rebuild and restore participatory, organic church meetings!  (Experience organic church with us on Sunday mornings @ 10:45, 225 Berry St., Nashville 37207 at The Salvation Army Berry Street.)

“Church can’t be a place where we feel like a visitor, or somewhere we’re afraid to allow others to see our messes. It’s got to feel like home.” ―Ross Parsley