What really is Christianity?
The Good News of Christ's Birth, Death and Resurrection
1 Cor. 15:1-4 The way the early church viewed the message called the "gospel".
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
The single most important role of the church is to proclaim the gospel. The good news of Jesus Christ. God sent us his own unique son, born of a woman, sinless and perfectly obedient to God the Father.
One of the biggest problems in the wider church today is "nominalism". Christians abrogate their responsibility to "do discipleship" to the local pastor, elder or leader. Churches have adopted -- pragmatically so -- business like structures where a handful of leaders and volunteers bear all the burden. Everyone else fills the pews.
We believe that church membership is not just a status or an "annual vote" on the financial statements of the church. Today churches, through its various leadership programs and pyramidical structures effectively fire their members from all their "Christ assigned" responsibilities to be disciples and make disciples.
Jesus gave every church member an office in the church’s government: to assume final responsibility for guarding the what and the who of the gospel in the church and its ministry. Similarly, Jesus gives leaders to the church for equipping -- effectively leaders are teachers -- the members to do this church-building and mission-accomplishing work.
Therefore we can say the following things about the church.
- Churches should proclaim the gospel each Sunday
- The preaching each Sunday should be verse by verse & chapter by chapter through the Bible
- We should celebrate communion - the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus - each week - certainly very regularly
- Every member is a part of the priesthood of the New Covenant responsible for the gospel
- Every member is a disciple and called to make disciples
- Leaders are servants - their only distinctive role is to teach true doctrine & teach members
Congregationalism is nothing less than Jesus’ authorization for living out his kingdom rule among a people on mission.