It is with a sad heart that we at One United Body write this article, but we felt that the leading of the spirit is to share God’s heart to return to a pure ecclesia, modelled in the heavenly realms.

We saw a hard heart when contacting over 750 churches, where few showed any openness to consider what they were doing despite figures of 65 million people in America alone being done with church, but in love with God. Australia now has only 5-15% committed Christians. When a critical mass is lost I assert making change in society needs accelerated methods with greater governmental authority.

Are we often keeping Christians busy thinking they are learning about God and serving Him in Church rather than seeking dominion in society, obtaining our heavenly authority, operating with real authority and restoring, “as it is in heaven?”

Here are a few that we could see:

•  We need to go to a church in one fixed location for years – organic expressions constantly changing and morphing was the OT and New Testament model.
• We need to protect the sheep so pastors screen material. I contend Sheep are better to learn to discern right from wrong and protecting them makes them weak.
• Church is face to face otherwise it is not real discipling.
• Real ministry is done in church not in everyday life so our calling is not that important as we are serving church vision.
• If we question anything in church it is not honouring – debate was part of early church and is healthy to stop heresy.
• The bible is the be all and end all. We say Jesus is the word of God and to fully hear from God we must know how to recognise the Father’s voice. We can make the bible say many things by using it out of context. A lot of teachers only know what they were taught in college.
• We support the pastor’s vision. We say look for the heavenly blueprint in agreement with benches going in for encounters.
• We must give 10% all our money to the local church. NT is giving from a generous heart and it was used for the poor in the early church. We are free to give to wherever we are led. The church should not govern where your money is used.
• Paying pastors salary is biblical – helping the poor was the main use of money not buildings in the NT. I subscribe to the model of no paid clergy.
• We need someone to take us into the courts or we just take our prayer requests into the courts of heaven.
• Bringing people into a local church is the best form of discipling. We are the Ecclesia. We don’t go to church.
• We look to the fruit of people’s lives – (we are to love not judge others lives).
• Worship is singing songs written by others – worship is being a living sacrifice. Praise and thanksgiving should come from our own lips from genuine reflection on the goodness of God like the cherubim over the arc.
• Finances are private in churches. Accountability and excellence are biblical models.
• Boards of business men or young elders over a church is biblical. We see boards as a modern day concept. Elders gave input but never decided the direction exclusively.
• You submit to the leaders. We see Mutual submission is biblical.
• The Pastor is the head of a church. We see Jesus is head of the church and we need no covering.
• You need to be ordained.

We see no evidence that ordaining is biblical and has a place in a fluid all equal priesthood of believers.