Some Christians are very protective about their church denomination, be that Anglican, Baptist or any other label. The USA has 100 different denominations and one type of cheese; France has one denomination and 100 types of cheese. Church in Taiwan was Baptist-flavoured, but it was the friendships we formed there that kept us going. I loved and respected our first pastor because of his character and example; it didn't matter to me if he was Baptist or anything else.
When choosing our first UK church, I hoped for another friendly church but one which was much less predictable in its services. In the main, the preaching and worship at Grace Baptist Church were good; the services just didn't allow for any variety or contributions from the congregation. Having experienced a different style of worship in Newfrontiers churches - great music, but the room for prayer, prophecy, testimony and spontaneous singing - I longed to experience that in my own church. Joelle had visited a couple of Newfrontiers churches on visits to the UK and was comfortable with the idea.
North Kent Community Church (NKCC) had much of the above, but was greatly influenced by Bethel Church in California. This meant that the church, its leaders and ministries were referenced in almost every meeting. We developed some strong friendships there and the leaders were all good people; however, as time moved on, we became more uncomfortable with the lack of 'meaty' preaching. Most of the talks were pretty short and lightweight, and they referenced testimony and personal prophecy more than the Bible. Some Sundays had no preaching at all... The church split with Newfrontiers in the summer of 2010, and by October we'd decided to leave.
Breaking this news to Pete Carter, the lead pastor, was difficult. He is a wonderful man who loves Jesus and is passionate about helping people break free from illness and the many other things that hold them back. He was very humble in his response, praying for us and making sure we left the church on good terms. Our new 'home' Dartford Community Church had absorbed quite a few former members of NKCC and seemed a much better 'fit'. The teaching is good, the worship is good and it tries to strike a balance between structure and spontaneity. It's far from perfect, like all churches, but it's a place where Joelle and I have found such support and encouragement, especially during the past year or so. That's what church is all about, really. Yes, we worship Jesus and learn about Jesus, but how do we model his love to others? By loving them, encouraging them and helping them when they hit difficulties.
Our weekly home group has modelled this so well. It includes a builder, a plumber, a hairstylist, an accountant, an audio technician, three teachers, a marketing manager and three housewives! All of them have helped and encouraged us as I've been out of work. I hope I'll have the opportunity to be such a help and encouragement to them in the future!
When choosing our first UK church, I hoped for another friendly church but one which was much less predictable in its services. In the main, the preaching and worship at Grace Baptist Church were good; the services just didn't allow for any variety or contributions from the congregation. Having experienced a different style of worship in Newfrontiers churches - great music, but the room for prayer, prophecy, testimony and spontaneous singing - I longed to experience that in my own church. Joelle had visited a couple of Newfrontiers churches on visits to the UK and was comfortable with the idea.
North Kent Community Church (NKCC) had much of the above, but was greatly influenced by Bethel Church in California. This meant that the church, its leaders and ministries were referenced in almost every meeting. We developed some strong friendships there and the leaders were all good people; however, as time moved on, we became more uncomfortable with the lack of 'meaty' preaching. Most of the talks were pretty short and lightweight, and they referenced testimony and personal prophecy more than the Bible. Some Sundays had no preaching at all... The church split with Newfrontiers in the summer of 2010, and by October we'd decided to leave.
Breaking this news to Pete Carter, the lead pastor, was difficult. He is a wonderful man who loves Jesus and is passionate about helping people break free from illness and the many other things that hold them back. He was very humble in his response, praying for us and making sure we left the church on good terms. Our new 'home' Dartford Community Church had absorbed quite a few former members of NKCC and seemed a much better 'fit'. The teaching is good, the worship is good and it tries to strike a balance between structure and spontaneity. It's far from perfect, like all churches, but it's a place where Joelle and I have found such support and encouragement, especially during the past year or so. That's what church is all about, really. Yes, we worship Jesus and learn about Jesus, but how do we model his love to others? By loving them, encouraging them and helping them when they hit difficulties.
Our weekly home group has modelled this so well. It includes a builder, a plumber, a hairstylist, an accountant, an audio technician, three teachers, a marketing manager and three housewives! All of them have helped and encouraged us as I've been out of work. I hope I'll have the opportunity to be such a help and encouragement to them in the future!
Comments