Recommended Changes in the Church

Is the church ready for changes?  These recommendations came from many years of involvement in and observation of the church and its current manner of operating.  They were written long before the startling and most disturbing revelations of child abuse by members of the clergy.  That is a whole other issue.  The recommendations made here are firmly believed to have great relevance for today's church.  Church members, lay people and the church hierarchy need to endeavor to bring about positive change that will restore the church to its former rich and glorious past.  Let change begin.

Recommended Changes in the Church Part 1

1.   Preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ from the pulpit, in the schools, in homes, in parish halls, in public places.  Preach not only on Sundays, but weekdays, evenings, and weekends.  The preaching of the gospel should not merely be limited to Sunday mornings

2.  Put much greater emphasis on building biblically Christian communities, establishing cells, chapters, and entire communities; caring, loving, close-knit, spirit filled, biblically grounded, along with active involvement in ministries (establishing with the highest priority true worship of the Lord and a community of believers).

3.  Each member should have an excellent Bible.  A short concordance is recommended.

4.  Each member develops, with the aid of Church leaders, a ministry that meets weekly or daily.  The ultimate goal of this ministry would be to minister to someone or some group.  Each member needs to be engaged in some sort of Christian service.  

5.  Establish cells, small groups of believers, numbering about twelve to twenty.  Cell groups would meet at least weekly in the home of a cell member for fellowship, communal prayer, scripture reading, scriptural study, planning Christian service, and to support one another.  A group of cells would compromise a chapter, a larger body of believers who would meet periodically.  Finally, all chapters would comprise the full assembly of believers of that specific congregation.

6.  Church leaders teach, preach, and make sure all members of the community confirm all New Testament truths relating to Jesus; His birth, His nature, His message, His mission, His suffering and death, His physical resurrection.  Also, make sure the church members confirm the spiritual realities of angels, heaven, hell, call to loving service, call to holiness, and call to sacrificial service of one another.

7.  Church leaders give great emphasis on sayings of Jesus, especially parables, references to Old Testament, and fulfilling Messianic prophecies.  There are many times that from the pulpit we hear so many things not related to Christ's sayings, and so few times his teaching.  Confirm, elaborate on, and insist upon a complete understanding of the doctrine, the reality, and the necessity of being born again spiritually in the Lord, becoming a new creature in Christ.  

Recommended Changes in the Church Part 2

 

 

8.  Church leaders confirm and explain fully the concept of the reality of "in Christ," i.e. living daily in the spiritual reality of Christ dwelling in us.
9.     Church leaders confirm the necessity of true repentance for salvation.
10.   Church leaders reaffirm the doctrine of the fatherhood of God and all that it entails.
11.   Church leaders reaffirm the doctrine of the brotherhood of all people; the importance of seeing Christ in our brothers and sisters.
12.   Establish regular scripture reading and scripture study in every Christian home on a daily basis, or at least, on a weekly basis.
13.   Reaffirm the reality of our Lord Jesus Christ as the head of the church, every congregation, every chapter, every cell, and every family.
14.   Change the phrase so commonly used “saying mass” to, praying mass.   Many changes are needed in the current mass to make it more efficacious, more directed towards God.
15.   Mass should be preceded by pre-worship fellowship, then praise and worship; in thoughtful, prayerful ways with active, sincere participation of this phase of the mass.  This should be followed by biblically based preaching, liturgy of the word, and then consecration.  After mass, efforts should be made to fellowship again, allowing for more interaction of church members.  They may talk about the Lord and his impact on their lives.