How Early Christians Built a Church Without Walls, Rules and Guilt
Unveiling Christianity’s Original Blueprint
As a child growing up in the church, it was easy to assume that the way church services are conducted today is how they’ve always been.
Two songs.
Welcome, and announcements.
Another song (but a slower, more worshipful one).
The Lord’s Supper.
Prayer.
The Offering (a non-negotiable).
Another song.
A sermon with three points on how to do life better.
A prayer while the worship band got back up on stage.
One more song that often included a call to give your life to Jesus Christ.
A benediction.
Amen.
This was the typical order of service for virtually every church service I attended over my four decades in the church. It was always in a dedicated church building, usually with a pitched roof, a steeple, and some stained glass windows. At the front was an enormous lectern, or pulpit, where the preacher would stand, bang his fist, and deliver both great and terrible tales about life, death, and the constant threat of Hell.
