Church

Is a small group a church?  Do you have to have a management structure to be a church?  Is church just people without reference to a building?

Our denominational president, Franklin Pyles, has a blog with the following

One of the respondents asked for a fuller presentation of the Marks of the Church. Thomas Oden’s Systematic Theology, Life in the Spirit, Vol. 3, gives an excellent summary. The Reformed tradition identifies Word (true teaching), Sacrament (proper celebration of Lord’s Supper and Baptism), and Discipline. Earlier creeds identified the church by Unity (founded in Jesus Christ – 2 or 3 gathered in his name…), Holiness (set apart from the world), Catholicity (not bound to a particular place or time) and Apostolicity (grew out of and continues the teaching and ministry of the Apostles). Oden combines the two streams into a “consolidating thesis: That ekklesia in which the Word is rightly preached and sacraments rightly administered and discipline rightly ordered will be one, holy, catholic and apostolic.”

This is very important because we have those who say that we should do mission first, that is, simply proclaim the gospel, and not worry at all about what comes out of it, i.e., the church. At first glance this may seem attractive. But in fact the church begins at Pentecost and it begins with the true preaching of the apostles, with baptism and the breaking of bread, with unity, for as the converts scattered they understood their continuing unity in the Holy Spirit, and with holiness.

This is the core. If we recapture it, then we can stop wasting ink telling each other that a church can be a church even if it meets in a cave or a garage and even if it uses a different format and on and on. Of course it can. But, it can’t be the church without the above marks. So I would beg you that when we talk about how the church needs to change etc. that we start here with the historic understanding of what is being talked about when we say “church.” From here the discussion has promise of being very fruitful.

A few days ago, Marge Ingram died.

We had not seen Marge for some years.  We will remember her for her godliness — a true Christian lady.

Marge was married to Ross Ingram, Jill’s pastor and preaching mentor.  My wife grew up with their kids.  Marge kept an immaculate house and passed on a real sense of what is proper.  Fashionable in the good sense would be the way I would characterize Marge.

Ross was officiating minister at our wedding.  Suffice it to say, for Ross the balance of his wife made them a welcome and welcoming couple.  Where Ross could be a little mischievious, Marge could keep order and propriety.  The last few years Ross had cared for Marge as only a devoted husband can — her memory and even some basic abilities were gone.

Truly we can say, “rest in peace.”

OK, so the lilies are still underground.  And not in any rush to emerge.

Which is just the point.  When I awoke this morning the weather suggested a return to the warmth of a duvet.  My wife is fighting a cold so she took up the call of the duvet.  Until 10:00 this morning when the light was bright and all was right in the world.

Except its cold.

Now, a hardy prairie boy shouldn’t complain. 

But I will. 

I sat with another prairie boy this evening.  We had on sweaters and bunny hugs (which designation shows our age!).  The parkas remained on for minutes into our time together. 

All this to say, look out for the deep freeze.  And when you see the lilies come striding over the garden patch, break out the party hats and shed the sweaters — spring is just around the corner.

Yes, I was out.

Out of the house — to join with our club 756.  They are rambunctious kids ranging from Grade 5-7.  They love hard playing, strong singing, and biblical devotions.  One of the fun times of the week.

Tonight we were home by 9:00 and I continued a project of mixdown.  In the audio world that means taking a number of recorded “tracks” and trying to make them sound good.  Last week we “put down” some vocal tracks and today I put them together with instrumentals.  The draft CD still needs a few more instrumentals but its coming.

The time is now 11:13 . . . time to wrap up.  See you tomorrow!