For years now we have been trying to do church better? We get more creative about worship or adopt the latest technology. We hire a youth director or sing a few “youth” songs. We jump onto the latest program craze. Some of us have even uprooted our churches and replanted them in a different location. So why does “new and improved” often feel and even look like the same old thing?
We have tried for years to make our church better with all sorts of great ideas and activities and yet, they have been a poor substitute for the genuine spiritual vitality that people are hungering after today. So what will turn the tide for us?
Maybe instead of “going to church” and “doing church” we ought to find a room at the local hotel or maybe a table at Tim Horton’s and take a “Pentecost Sabbath” to pray, waiting for the Holy Spirit to bring about something new. I know, I know…what about our buildings and paying the bills and pastors being out of work? Well perhaps these are the very things that are holding us back from becoming that new kingdom creation Christ is calling us into.
So let’s try it. The worst that could happen is that some of our churches would close down, we’d have some debt and we’d lose some pastors to other jobs. Heh, isn’t that what’s happening already?
PT
What if...? 
I was doing some research on the mustard tree for a sunday school class that I am teaching this Sunday, and came upon your website.
It was interesting to read what Pastor Tim wrote about the disillusionment of never being able to get church to feel right, or in the right place, or the right service. He talked about the difficulties of pastors being unemployed and the whole complexity of “The Church”.
And I thought how many times that I had heard these same thoughts through the years and how I shared with many those who were disillusioned.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul was ordained by Christ (as a resurected being) and his Apostles, to go out and preach Christ’s Gospel. He helped to established Christ’s congregations throughout the Roman Empire, and then he re-visited and wrote letters to give clarification of Christ’s teachings.
To the Ephesians, he wrote: (4:5) One Lord, one faith, one baptism.
(4:11-15) And he gave some, apostles; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things which is the head, even Christ.
And in Ephesians 2:19-20, Paul reiterates the importance of the pure ecumenical structure: Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foriegners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.
And Amos also pointed out that “Surely the Lord God would do nothing , but He revealeth his secrets unto His servants the prophets.
God has always chosen Prophets to lead his people throughout time. The Apostle Paul gave us a definition of Christ’s Church, with Christ being the chief corner stone.
Therefore, I would surmise that if a church doesn’t have a foundation of Apostles and Prophets with Christ as the chief corner stone, that it is a false facsimile of what Christ gave us as a standard to follow.
I would contend that there is only one church on the earth that meets this criteria.
That church has the following:
*Apostles and Prophets who speak with God.
*Lay ministry, where all 14,000,000 members participate weekly in providing sermons, prepared lessons, activities and service to both member and non-member alike.
*Members willingly pay a full tithe (one tenth of their income) monthly.
*Members provide for the needy, by fasting one Sunday a month and donating the equivilent of two meals to young deacons who come around monthly to collect those fast offerings.
*Members also provide for the needy by giving of their time to work in a number of canneries, canning food to be shipped to the many church owned markets around the world to provide free food for the underpriviledged.
*Conferences are provided every six months, where the membership can hear directly from the Prophet and Apostles.
*Over 50,000 young and old missionaries are serving around the world at any given time, for two years with out renumeration, teaching the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
*The Church has over 130 Temples around the world, where members perform saving ordinaces for themselves and for those who have passed on without partaking of those ordinaces (1 Cor.21- 22,29).
* There are youth programs to promote good citizeship and spirituality.
* There are hundreds of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion near high schools and colleges throughout the world to provide gospel teaching to young and old.
* This Church believes in God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and I the Holy Ghost as three separate and distict beings (not the trinity(three in one) version set forth by Constantine)who are one in purpose, which is to “Bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man”.
* This church teaches that we are all children of our Heavenly Father and that His Son paid the price for all of our sins and that we must be baptized and repent often, in order for Christ’s sacriface to have effect in our lives.
Is there any doubt that this is one of the fastest growing churchs in the world? There is so much greater hope and understanding amongst the saints in this church, and we invite all to come and feel the joy of knowing that Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and that he has restored (2 Thes. 2:1-4, Matt. 17:11, Acts 3:21)all of His authority once agian on the earth.
You can try to duplicate what Christ has set forth as His true and everlasting Gospel, and attend a church created by men, and always wonder if you are getting the truth, or you can join the church that Christ himself is the “corner stone” of, and know of a surety that you are doing what Christ would want you to do.