Public thoughts about the definitions, structures, and roles of Christian assemblies.
Joined February 2025
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This account is a place for me to organize, record, and seek feedback during my exploration of the "distributed leadership assembly model" (DLAM). Along with the Bible, I have been influenced by F3, CR, and books like "The Starfish and the Spider" and "Paul's Idea of Community."
Beyond the Building retweeted
For people still straw manning this:
The reason why it should not be surprising that the body that shared meals with each other was the healthy body, and the others were not, was because every christian need to both minister to the whole body and be ministered to by the whole body - and it must be born out of love and devotion to one another.
If your gathering revolves around 1 giant mouth you don't have a body you just have 1 giant mouth. You don't have love or devotion to one another, you have love and devotion for this one mouth. The more talented the mouth, the more true this is.
Those who think the key to growing into spiritual maturity is finding the right mouth who delivers the best monologues are confused. That is a sure path to an unbalanced anemia. A church that is built up is so because all are devoted to building one another up in love and devotion.
The two most unhealthy churches I was ever a part of were the two with the deepest, most accurate expositional sermons.
The healthiest church I ever was a part of the "pastor" had a stroke, was socially awkward and I rarely knew what he was trying to say. But we all ate a meal together every sunday.
If this is surprising to you or goes against what your theology would predict, possibly your theology isn't as sharp as you assume.
Beyond the Building retweeted
It's not new, but I still wonder if we realize how much the models of corporate America have influenced church leadership/growth, and how utterly opposed they are to the NT model.
Biblical take: There is no office of pastor in the Bible. It's a gift, and the gift of pastoring is never excluded from women. Women can be shepherds, too.
If you're a believer, you already have "church membership." What is important is regular fellowship, accountability, and service with other local members of the Body of Christ. "Edify one another."
Beyond the Building retweeted
Ever considered going to a house church? Here are some reasons they appeal to a growing number of people...what would you add or are curious about? Let's talk! Here are 30 reasons people consider going to a house church.
youtu.be/_asV9J7LTOk
Beyond the Building retweeted
I'm starting a long thread on church order, which I will be adding to as I work through Life in His Body, but this line in chapter one is probably the most important exhortation in the book.
I don't accept that baptism is for giving a child to God as a sign of worship. That's simply not scripturally supported. But what really stuck out to me is this idea that a church leader is positionally a better representation of God to a child than his or her believing parents.
Beyond the Building retweeted
What happens when a home church gets too large for the living room?
This video gives a strategy for multiplying that keeps things healthy and minimizes the harm of breaking up groups to form new groups.
We don't do the classic, split the small group 50/50...that rarely went well. You built a successful small group only to split it up. Not so with home church. There is a better way that once you see the approach, it will make all kinds of sense!
Here to you! Would love to hear your feedback - youtu.be/fchKSBc8bZs
Beyond the Building retweeted
In the NT, preaching was proclamation to the lost - not a weekly lecture to the flock.
The church devoted itself to mutual edification, teaching, exhortation, & participation - not a one-man pulpit performance.
The modern sermon-centered model is post-biblical, not apostolic.
Paul was the opposite of a celebrity pastor. A celebrity pastor isn't just a preacher who everyone knows.
Paul refused payment when it might compromise his teaching, worked manual labor when needed to support himself, didn't polish his speaking in an attempt to appeal to more people, and refused to baptize when it might lead to others claiming him as a "brand." In fact, instead of centralizing his authority, he decentralized it, creating leaders, quickly handing his roles over to others, and insisting on the spiritual equality of believers while emphasizing gifts, not paid positions.
Double honor doesn't imply a salaried position. We should be generous in charity to those serve well, and they should trust God to meet their needs.
While "not many should become teachers" is a warning about the real responsibilities of teaching, the author of Hebrews tells his readers, "by now you should all be teachers."
Beyond the Building retweeted
House churches under a local, wider, umbrella (for accountability) will be the only way to cleanse the mess we’ve made by using entertainment “corporations” to gather the body—and then we call these corporations Church.
Money needs to go.
And house fellowship and the family model for the edification, discipleship, accountability, and growth of the Body. Just like in Acts.
Beyond the Building retweeted
The early church didn’t have preachers or celebrity pastors who stood up and spoke the whole time.
It had a network of elders and deacons who were there to serve and facilitate. Meetings were for fellowship and discussion. Everyone participated.
This idea that a man should elevate himself above a group of people and speak as everyone watches him lends itself to these problems.
He begins to see himself as “the ministry”
Every criticism of him is a demonic attack against the ministry.
His judgements are “more sound” than others.
This is why Jesus said leadership is service. Not authority and “ruling over” others. A man elevated above others is a target and now prone to the sin of pride
Bring back churches in homes
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The role of the shepherd is to lead the flock to the pastures. The shepherd is a guide, a protector, and an example, but he can't eat for the sheep. As the author of Hebrews wrote, "For by this time you ought to be teachers..." All saints should be well-versed in personal study.
Beyond the Building retweeted
I wouldn't be surprised if our tradition of preaching from the pulpit is actually part of the reason that so many Christians are not reading the Bible for themselves.
