The Narrow Path Ministries

Suzana wrote:- no regular church attendance as a child (parents were 'dis-membered' by the Baptist church on being Spirit-filled), and there was no Pentecostal church in our area.

- independent (Croatian) Pentecostal church with a lay pastor (my dad) for a few years

- AOG (Australian) for next 30 odd years (some as a pastor's wife)

- independent, no official name, home church for last few years, led by our previously AOG ordained pastor.

Are you Croatian? My wife is Serbian/ Hungarian and the church we grew up in was very eastern-European flavored.

Danny wrote:Raised in an atheist/agnostic home.

Became a follower of Jesus in my early 20's through a direct encounter with Christ apart from any church.

20 or so years in Vineyard churches.

2 years in a house-church.

2 years no church, except the Snohomish County Correctional Facility (not an inmate but a Chaplain volunteer).

1 year Quaker.

Is your testimony anywhere on TNP? I'd love to hear it.

Is your testimony anywhere on TNP? I'd love to hear it.

Here it is:
http://dannycolemanstory.blogspot.com

anochria wrote:Are you Croatian? My wife is Serbian/ Hungarian and the church we grew up in was very eastern-European flavored.

Yes, we moved to Australia when I was eleven years old. The Croatian church I mentioned was in Melbourne, and very definitely eastern-European flavoured, and unlike any English Pentecostal church I've ever seen. Think of women wearing head-coverings. No women preaching. Every baptised male expected to preach some time, regardless of whether he had any aptitude for it. Foot washing times. Definitely no dancing, in church or otherwise. Real red wine at communion, passed around in one glass, and yeast-free bread. Etc.

Think of women wearing head-coverings. No women preaching. Every baptised male expected to preach some time, regardless of whether he had any aptitude for it..... Definitely no dancing, in church or otherwise. Real red wine at communion, passed around in one glass...

All of these were true of our denomination, though the particular church I attended was a bit on the liberal side (read: only some people wore headcoverings and we happened to use grape-juice*) except rather than pentecostal we were pretty cessationist I'd say.

So it was quite a change for me to end up going from that to a Foursquare mega-church for a while.

But I bet you can relate to experiencing radically different outward expressions of Christianity.


*If that's liberal, then we've just entered into an alternate universe

TK, by "Brethren" are you referring to the so-called "Plymouth Brethren"? I met with the "Open Brethren" in Winnipeg, Manitoba when I was in my twenties.

Paidion wrote:TK, by "Brethren" are you referring to the so-called "Plymouth Brethren"? I met with the "Open Brethren" in Winnipeg, Manitoba when I was in my twenties.

I am not sure- although I have never heard them use the word "plymouth brethren." I believe that their churches were part of the "fellowship of grace Brethren Churches" which wikipedia defines as "a theologically conservative fellowship of Brethren churches descended from the Schwarzenau Brethren movement of Alexander Mack of Germany."

I know that Grace College where they both attended fell under this "denomination."

TK

Lutheran for 54 years. ALC to ELCA to LCMS

However in practice that includes 10 years in military chapels (generic litergical protestant) and 20 years non practicing. I've lived outside the U.S for 30 years where Lutherans are uncommon.

I've been active in church office and foreign missions for the last 5 years. It has been my experience in doing this that led me to renounce office and fellowship and stop posting here last Sept.

At present I have finished catecism and am awaiting entry into the Catholic Church.

thomas wrote:Lutheran for 54 years. ALC to ELCA to LCMS

However in practice that includes 10 years in military chapels (generic litergical protestant) and 20 years non practicing. I've lived outside the U.S for 30 years where Lutherans are uncommon.

I've been active in church office and foreign missions for the last 5 years. It has been my experience in doing this that led me to renounce office and fellowship and stop posting here last Sept.

At present I have finished catecism and am awaiting entry into the Catholic Church.

Please come back and post here! I like reading what you write.

(Although the other Catholic posters seem to get pretty mad at us.)

TK wrote:I am not sure- although I have never heard them use the word "plymouth brethren." I believe that their churches were part of the "fellowship of grace Brethren Churches" which wikipedia defines as "a theologically conservative fellowship of Brethren churches descended from the Schwarzenau Brethren movement of Alexander Mack of Germany."

That would be different. The so-called "Plymouth Brethren" had their origin at Plymouth, England. Since the denominations in England in that day excluded from communion anyone who was not a member of their denomination, a number of people decided to gather in the name of Jesus alone, rather in the name of Luther, or any other man.

The entire Sunday morning "gathering of believers" is centered around Christ and what he did for us on the cross. The "breaking of bread", "doing this in remembrance of Me" is central. Every hymn, every talk, has the theme of thanking Him for giving Himself for us. There are 9 groups of "Plymouth Brethren" (most do not accept that name as they consider themselves non-denominational). There is no difference in the 9 groups doctrinally. The only difference is in whom they accept for communion. None of the groups have formal church membership. The "open brethren" accept anyone who is a member of the true Church. The elders greet visitors at the door and question them about their position in Christ. If they feel that they are true Christians they are invited to participate fully, not only in the communion, but in sharing verbally (if they are male). If the elders think the person is not a Christian, he is invited to sit in a back bench as an observer. The bread and wine is not passed to him, but neither is the collection bag. The "remembrance meeting" is the only meeting at which a collection is taken. The brethren are very firm in their position not to take money from non-believers. I fully participated the first time I ever attended.

The "tight" brethren allow you to participate in communion, only if you have applied to the elders to fellowship with them in their local assembly.

As for the "closed brethren" --- well, it's almost impossible to participate!

You may have read "George Mueller's Diary". He had started an orphanage under the direction of God, and had taken in the equivalent of over $7million over the years, and never asked anyone for a cent. In fact he refused money if it were offered simply to help the orphans. The donors had to convince him that it was God's will that they give the money. George was one of the early "Plymouth Brethren".