Nationwide Gospel Meeting List |
No Additions to Worship ServicesOver the last couple of decades, local congregations have taken it upon themselves to add certain practices to their worship services, of which there is no authority to do so in the scripture. Such practices include things like "priase teams" (that is, a mini-choir that leads singing), women leading services (be it songs, prayers, or even sermons), and instruments of music, to name a few. I know at least the first and the last of those have been debated to no end, and are sadly quite common amongst a growing number of congregations. Regardless of if these are right or wrong, I cannot allow congregations that practice such things to be listed here since a good number of Christians that use this meeting listing service would not attend such services because of perverse forms of worship. I hope that if your congregation is one of such congregations, that you would study why others do not practice such things and talk to them about their approach to Biblical authority. Institutional, Non-Institutional, One-Cup and other labelsIt is somewhat understood that there are divisions today within the Church. As sad as that might be, it is a fact of the current times. I encourage congregations of all groups to list their meetings here, as long as the congregation does not have altered worship services. I only ask that when you sign up, that you indicate which type of congregation the meeting will be at, since some brethren may have an issue of conscience in even assembling for a meeting at a congregation that embraces certain ideas. WhyThese two restrictions have been put here to prevent spreading denominational or "progressive" thinking about worship services, and to encourage members of one type of congregation to attend meetings held by other types, so long as their conscience allows them to. Personally, I would not attend a congregation that has a more liberal application of scriptures than I on a regular basis, because I personally believe their interpretation to be wrong on a few issues. However, I would enjoy attending meetings that such congregations held, so that I could meet fellow brethren and learn more from the Word of God. Similarly, I would hope that those who do claim to have a more liberal interpretation would feel free to attend meetings of congregations that have more conservative interpretations, and meet those brethren and learn more from the Word of God. Also note that these restrictions are not intended to be inconsistent with the hosting restrictions at CofCPages.org. The restrictions there are such since I do not want to support the teaching of a more liberal interpretation of scripture on a site that I own and operate. If congregations want to do that on their own web sites, or in their building, that is their perogative to do so, but I do not want to be responsible for hosting such material on my own site. By the same note, the teaching being done through gospel meetings is done at the congregation's building, not on this site. If a congregation wishes to list their meeting here, they can talk about whatever they want. I only ask that they be honest about the type of congregation they are, and the topic being presented. Hopefully this will encourage attending meetings and getting to know brethren of different types of congregations, and hopefully show that we are all indeed focused on being united. If you have any questions about what has been discussed here, please feel free to e-mail me. Daniel Watt |