Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Church As Communtiy?

So, one of the things I've really been seeking out here is a church that comes kind of close to the idea that a church is designed not only to be a house of worship but also a community of believers. I had no idea what form this would take, but it's been nice to start to get plugged in at a church called Ecclesia. In my quest over the past 8 months or so, I've been looking back at scripture (particularly Acts) to see how the Lord intended Church to be. The verse that describes this best is found in Acts 2. As you might guess, I was pretty excited to see that this verse is what Ecclesia uses to describe their mission/vision. I've only been there about a month, but so far, it's been a great community. It meets in an old kind of run down movie theater on the Hollywood strip (stars on the sidewalk and all) and it's only about a 20 minute drive from where I'm living. I also enjoy the fact that it's not entirely Fuller students. There are a few who attend there, but it's not like a continuation of my community here. As I understand it, Ecclesia broke away from a PC(USA) church in the area and now runs on more of a non-denom. level. Having spent the past few years in Presbyterian committee meetings trying to see a church that I love embody more of the community described in Acts, it's very nice to be in a place where one doesn't have to convince anyone of this. The church is large, but not overwhelming. Has a "contemporary" style of music, but isn't cheesy. Speaking of music, I also appreciate that the worship band isn't the same people every week and they're kind of set off to the side, not raised up in the front for all to "worship". It's the Cross that's in that location. Funny how that works out.

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