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I left CoC because of how much they claimed that they were the one and only true church and that everyone else were on their way to hell, lost. the church of christ is all those who have repented and have believed on our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not a building!

Jesus gives Elders as gifts to the church, to protect and guide His people. He is not giving them to this denomination. Maybe because He isn't there.

I've been trying to study my Bible more often and also with more conviction, and this way of thinking about the NT might really help me out!

Growing up in the CoC, I would conclude that having "pulpit ministers" who are not also elders is an unsustainable model. It definitely gives congregations the idea that ministers are just hired guns they can fire if they don't like how they perform rather than spiritual leaders who they need to submit to by default. I saw it in my youth, and it wrecked my church (that and no clear delineation of what our beliefs were). In fact, the idea of a paid full-time minister not being also an elder is not seen in the NT, while an elder gifted in preaching and teaching being worthy of pay is discussed in 1 Timothy 5. From there, the lack of organization among CoC congregations and the denomination as a whole does not lend itself to having widely recognized or supported seminaries or preaching training so that students have a clear path to a preaching career, nor do congregations have clear sources of preaching candidates to look to when hiring. A CoC preaching career probably involves going to an expensive private CoC college without a clear pipeline to a career that wouldn't pay much thereafter.

"Schools of Preaching" (can't use the word "Seminary" because that smacks of the denominations!) and Bible departments in colleges have traditionally done a very poor job of teaching what life is like as a preacher. Expectations and reality are two very different things. It would be like educating teachers without any classroom management classes or student teaching!

As a former CofCer and a long time evangelical, I see a similar issue in both traditions: if the church is to survive, it must stop fighting fights that no one cares any more about, and fight the fights that matter. There are many such topics, and the key is this: If the emphasis is placed on the old fights, the new ones do not get attended to. A church that does not teach about personal identity as a child of God and the glory of being washed of sin is condemned to suffer gender related issues (because they are deeply related). A church that does not teach about the beauty and deep value of famly life and mutual commitment of marriage will suffer divorces (because they are deeply related). A church that over emphasizes authority and scripture to the exclusion of any open discussion will suffer attrition due to a lack of any freedom of discussion or development of personal conviction regarding God's sovreignty and love for the individual (because one is a waste of time that should be spent on the latter). A church that gets tangled up in the fine points of Christology and the Godhead will inevitably weaken the faith of those who are seeking a Savior and a Lord in their lives rather than a high Christology and a firm understanding of trinitarianism. Fight the fights of faith and set your sights on the development and the salvation of souls, not on the development and growth of a church. One happens to be far more important, and is, ultimately, that upon which you are judged as a minister of the faith.

Here am I

There are many reasons why, but what we have now began decades ago. People, esp. young people, turned their minds away from not just reading, but studying, the Bible, and gave more and more of their time and attention to watching TV or movies, listening to music, and on and on... they traded principles for pleasures. We can drive up to a window and have our dinner handed to us, change the TV channel without ever getting up out of our chair, and talk to somebody on the other side of the world with a device held in our hand. I believe Hos. 13:6, as rendered by the NIV, sums up what has happened not just to cause a shortage of "ministers," but a tremendous drop in overall church attendance, and a decline in Christianity in America, itself: "When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me." So many people's primary concern in worshiping God now, is to please themselves, rather than the LORD Himself ("God is spirit and those who worship Him * must * worship Him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24) And one other thing, I've noticed over the years that many who are called, "legalists," are only doing what we've all been warned to do, and that's "not to go beyond what is written," 1 Cor. 4:6. Those are the kind of people I want to worship with.

It will also hopefully help to set many people free if they read...Christ Rescued the Thief's Testimony from the "Church of Christ" by Lee Anne Ferguson, for it reveals what the CoC has been hiding for centuries concerning these crucial issues.

When will figure out the way church is being done is carnal. Brethren please check out building your own house church the way the early church. Then egos, intrigue, greed, false doctrine won't have ample incentive and opportunity to flourish. When will we figure this out? Lord wake us up from our sleep and blindness.

Just listened to Discovering The Word bible study regarding this mystical happening and though I have always understood it, it helps to hear others discuss the subject. Always enjoy Con and his work for RBC. His videos In Pursuit of were immensely satisfying. Shalom

I scrolled through comments, I read many by people who have left the church of Christ. I’m just exploring church of Christ during my relentlessly unsuccessful church to find a biblically sound church term. I would love to hear from people as to which denomination they have found such a home.

I recently went to a church of christ and had several conversations with the pastor and he admitted I knew more than him. Not good. He was not very good at greek or the history behind prostylte mikvah and baptism. It is very dangerous to not only reject the spirit's direction as if he doesn't exist, but also to reject knowledge about the bible. It is shameful for pastors to not be experts in the greek, Hebrew and aramaic. Do not teach God's word if you do not even know it. You'll lead people to hell. The English translation is not the bible.

I maybe wrong but. I did not hear one major problem. Multitude’s of people not wanting to go to church. That would be directly related to preachers. No people in the church no one to want to be a minister. Hosea 4:6.

Many problems are due to lack of funds. People are having a hard time just surviving. Preachers are paid by Church goers. Another issue so many want to bring the world into Church. Those of us know how God wants His Church to be run. Going by scriptures. Not a perfect Church but trying to do what our Lord wants.

You do realize this whole thing is just a made up fairy tale, right? No amount of rationalization can change that.

Was raised CofC, for 25years. Born again in November 2008, and was lead out in early 2009. Dogmatism, moralistic therapeutic deism, and dead religion ruled the body I was lead out of. When the traditions of men are elevated above the Gospel and new birth, there is no life, it is a form of godliness that denies the power of God.

The ministers are having their eyes open to the Grace of GOD and learning how to rightly divide the word of GOD👏👍😀

I like the kjv

Paul told Titus to, "Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you." (Titus 2:15 -- ESV) It seems that the preacher has a lot of authority, Paul telling Titus he had ALL authority.

Because of 2 of the reasons mentioned, Im a self supporting preacher (not evangelist).

Imagine if this robot was your dad or spouse.

The churches of Christ have been in decline for years now and continue to go that direction. The churches of Christ members were also know for knowing their Bibles which is not true any more. Their children are not remaining in the church and leaving by greater percentages. Churches rely too much on a preacher to tell them what is in their Bible and are unable to guard against divisive hobbies. Most churches grow as a result of sheep moving to another group and not because a church is growing by reaching the lost.

Big fan of MasterSamwise! Loved this conversation.

NLT and ESV are my favorites

Wow, what a find. Some really good points raised here. This is certainly the case in the Caribbean right now.

Doesn’t the CoC believe that a person will burn in hell for worshiping God with a musical instrument?

I found out the churches of Christ are really brazen and belligerent about things they are absolutely sure of, but when it comes to the Book of Revelation and their Amillennial beliefs, which are a direct heritage from their Presbyterian background, which inherited it from the Roman Catholic Church, makes the churches of Christ extremely cautious and very unwilling to let their eschatology and their understanding and interpretation of the Book of Revelation follow anything resembling the CENI rubric. They excommunicated me out of their church in 1983 and it was like a ton of bricks was taken off my shoulders and I spread my wings and flew away from them. Every now and then I will visit a church of Christ, but their appeal to me is completely gone and shall never return as long as I live.

Great talk! I feel like we could’ve been more heavy on our use of scripture to defend the ideals of Libertarianism. I feel as so the Old Testament could give us plenty of material for such.

Elect are drawn to faith and Repentance without any Minister preaching Ones own testimony Salvation came first Then doctrine!

It's because preachers are soft. There is no more manly preachers out there. You have feminized boy preachers. A k a youth ministers do nothing but taking the Lord's money

God is so good!❤

Cool interview, can you have interview with Craig Keener or Witherington, but on unusual topics that they've written?

Wow. Common sense. It's about time.

Bring some guitars and tambourines inside the church and you will find some new followers that will stick around. Sunday has become a show and you can't compete.

Thank you for your work in this podcast.

The COC is known for division splits and mistreatment of ministers

Because they are DEAD spiritually due to their denial of the indwelling Holy Spirit and other heresies!!

I am a member of the C of C and there is no such thing in the NT about calling in a negotiating a salary for a man who is given the task of being the church CEO while the so-called elders sit on there hands. Get rid of these "preacher/pastor" "one -man-band" hirelings.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 ”For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.“

Well said

So pathetic...fairy tales

Great observation

uh, too many suicides...

"God won't give you more than he can handle."

The Greek word for temptation is trial

Amen

Wanna know what else is not in the bible? Anyone speaking English. It would be unbiblical to think Jesus understands what anyone is saying.

Taking on more than we can handle is how we learn to handle it