Where do you attend church?

[Kojent]

Howdy folks. In light of the fact that:

1. Conservatively, at least one third of the books of the New Testament are written to churches, and

2. We are told to not forsake the assembling of the saints per Hebrews 10:25, and

3. We are commanded to obey those who have the rule over us (Hebrews 13:7),

Where do you attend church?

To be clear, for privacy reasons I am not interested in the name of your specific congregation, but I am quite interested in your specific “fellowship situation.”

 

[Joleneakamama]

We host a weekly gathering for friends, family, and neighbors. It is on Saturdays....and it is not dominantly religious ....BUT we discuss whatever comes up with no fear of being kicked out. Many people who were coming before we were living polygyny have continued to attend for the last 4 years that saw 3 grandchildren added to those present and more children who were born an aunt and an uncle to my sisterwife.

One friend told me that seeing how our children are tells her everything she needs to know about our family. My youngest daughter is 8, my sisterwife's older son is 10 they get along better than most siblings and have from the very start.

I believe most churches don't want to address the polygyny subject because with all the examples in scripture there is NOTHING that criticizes the practice or condemns those who choose it. We have more scripture on our side by far. According to 1 Tim. THEY are the apostates.

I recently asked a woman on Facebook, since she claimed polygyny was a concession like divorce, if she was as willing to fellowship with polygynous families as she was with those who were divorced and/or remarried. She pretty much evaded the question and answered with "Yes, I believe polygynous families should be allowed in church, like all people of any faith and background are allowed to attend." But that to me is NOT fellowship! That is evangelizing! Christians seen to invariably put you in one of two catagories. 1. People they need to help save, or teach /call to repentance.
2. People they consider their equals. Fellow brothers and sisters in the faith .
The only real fellowship happens in catagory 2. These are those you invite to your home for dinner, or to birthday partlies, or playdays at the park. You let your children go to their home, play with their children.

I suspect that woman has friends and/or family in the divorced and maybe remarried catagory that she fellowships with. ...probably without condemningbthem or constantly calling them to repentance for not sticking with God's "Original intent" and violating Jesus instructions there in Matt. 19 "What therefore God has joined together let not man separate."

So since most churches are apostate and following that private interpretation of Genesis that Jesus somehow changed the meaning of to a monogamous mandate....I really have no desire to go where some self rightous apostates are going to try and "fellowship" my children into different beliefs.

But maybe thats just me.

One advantage of not claiming a "church" is none can kick us out, and we can still claim those members of the body in ALL denominations.

This is "Outwitted"

He drew a circle that shut me out-
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle and took him In!
~ Edwin Markham

 

[MrB]

More importantly how do you define “church” to decide if you actually attended one or if you attended something pretending to be what church should be ?
If it’s not what it was in the beginning , does it still count as a church.?

 

[Kojent]

More importantly how do you define “church” to decide if you actually attended one or if you attended something pretending to be what church should be ?
If it’s not what it was in the beginning , does it still count as a church.?

I suspect we can find good hints about what constitutes a church in the Holy Scriptures.

My guess would be a body of believers (independent of a non-profit or commercial building) that has elders and deacons, evangelizes the lost, disciplines and disciples others, equips them for the work of the ministry, loves and serves one another, worships and enjoys baptisms and the Lord’s Supper, etc.

There are probably other characteristics of a church, or “ekklesia,” but those are the ones that come to mind.

 

[Mojo]

Howdy folks. In light of the fact that:

1. Conservatively, at least one third of the books of the New Testament are written to churches, and

2. We are told to not forsake the assembling of the saints per Hebrews 10:25, and

3. We are commanded to obey those who have the rule over us (Hebrews 13:7),

Where do you attend church?

To be clear, for privacy reasons I am not interested in the name of your specific congregation, but I am quite interested in your specific “fellowship situation.”

You’re going to find much less brick and mortar participation around this forum.

It’s for mostly 2 reasons (there are others)
1) Families have been given the left foot of disfellowship for either making a marriage change or just supporting the idea.
2) Folks don’t see the modern, institutional church as efficacious or even legitimate. They’ve gone independent and don’t see the necessity of an organization.

However, there are guys like me who still attend small congregations and submit to an authority structure (Im actually part of the leadership). My fellowship is Berean enough that when I have opportunity to teach, I don’t explain away polygyny or make excuses. If it’s in the scriptures, I teach it and usually show how it was ordained of God, not a bug in the system. My pastor has been verbally accosted because he dared to teach that David or Elkanah’s multiple wives were not sinful. Unfortunately, he generally follows it up with a standard, “But God was perfecting his ideal…or…it was allowed to promote large families to work the fields and raise their own family protection, etc”. He’s basically in the camp that it was cultural and necessary for survival (not a win, but not a loss).

 

[FeministVampireQueen]

Even though I'm not Mormon, i've fellowshiped with multiple groups of Mormons online who support plural marriage. I attended a LDS church in person before we moved to a rural area. I just find them some of the easiest, most down to earth people to get along with.

 

[Joleneakamama]

Even though I'm not Mormon, i've fellowshiped with multiple groups of Mormons online who support plural marriage. I attended a LDS church in person before we moved to a rural area. I just find them some of the easiest, most down to earth people to get along with.

Most of my family are mormons. They don't treat us badly or pressure us to join their church, and they accepted my sisterwife from the start. I always felt I was loved unconditionally by that side. They that love are of God. I don't agree with mormon doctrine, but like many aspects of the lifestyle.

 

[Mojo]

but like many aspects of the lifestyle.

Yep. Disagree on their teachings but I’d want them as neighbors.

 

[paterfamilias]

Enjoying the polls

For myself and family, we do not go to church. My priors that bring me to polygamy are a bit different.

 

[MeganC]

Where do you attend church?

Our fellowship quit the United Church of Christ a few years back. They were poly tolerant but they were also tolerant of all sorts of blasphemy, apostasy, and heresy.

Myself, I stopped attending fellowship after one of the men grabbed at me one too many times and I went nuclear on him. That's been a while now.

 

[Kojent]

Our fellowship quit the United Church of Christ a few years back. They were poly tolerant but they were also tolerant of all sorts of blasphemy, apostasy, and heresy.

Myself, I stopped attending fellowship after one of the men grabbed at me one too many times and I went nuclear on him. That's been a while now.

Oof. I'm sorry you had that experience, Sister, and I certainly hope that if it pleases the Lord that you all would be able to find some other sources of adequate fellowship. It's interesting that you mention the UCC, I know a Sister in the Lord who is Presbyterian and pro-polygynous. She was part of a German Reformed group that used to have their liturgies in German, out in the PNW. I believe the UCC may have their roots in that tradition, but could be wrong.

 

[MeganC]

Oof. I'm sorry you had that experience, Sister, and I certainly hope that if it pleases the Lord that you all would be able to find some other sources of adequate fellowship.

Thank you. For now I am not looking anywhere. I am weary of people who want to play church and engage in pointless power struggles over this or that bit of nonsensical trivia. I am weary of people who lack humility. I am weary of people who call themselves "Christian" in fellowship and then cut me off and flip me off on the road the next day.

I am definitely done with Churchianity and getting caught up in minutiae about musical preferences or what kind of snacks we'll put out for the kids. Why are we in church? Hmmmm. Yeah, pass the cookies please.

 

[Kojent]

Thank you. For now I am not looking anywhere. I am weary of people who want to play church and engage in pointless power struggles over this or that bit of nonsensical trivia. I am weary of people who lack humility. I am weary of people who call themselves "Christian" in fellowship and then cut me off and flip me off on the road the next day.

I am definitely done with Churchianity and getting caught up in minutiae about musical preferences or what kind of snacks we'll put out for the kids. Why are we in church? Hmmmm. Yeah, pass the cookies please.

You’ve endured some heavy things, Sister. I grieve with you just reading this. Our family has our own set of wounds from church folk, some more fresh than others. But it is good to not forsake the assembling of saints together, all the more as we see the day approaching. I’m reminded of how many problems the early church had, and yet the verdict given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit was never to withdraw from the body. A tooth can survive for a while in milk if it departs from the body, but what about a finger, or an ear, or an eye?

I trust that the good gifts our Heavenly Father has given each one of us will edify the body as much if not more than they will edify the homestead.

Grace and peace. Praying for you!