How To Start A New Testament Church

In our last post, we described how to start a church the American  Way, which includes or involves advertising, organization, development, marketing, a building, cashflow, and promotion. 

Using the Book of Acts as our model, we will observe a number of churches as they are birthed by the followers of Jesus as He had told Peter "upon this Rock, I will build my church".   "Church", the ekklēsia, is never a building. It is the people.

The original Christian church began in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, as the disciples waited "for the promise of the Father" as Jesus had instructed them to do.  When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the approximately 150 people, the church of Jesus Christ was brought forth.  So far, most would agree. 
(Scriptures that pointed to this are found in Luke 24:47-49, Acts 1:8, and Acts 2:1-4.)

As we find 3,000 converts on Pentecost and 5,000 added days later, there is no mention of a building project, an ecclesiastical structure organized, HIRED pastors put in charge, or even a fundraiser.  They met in homes, "from house to house", and some of them gathered in the Jewish Temple outdoors to hear Peter and apostles teach.   Acts 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

The believers are told to repent, be baptized, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, those who did were added to the church.

As the disciples numbers increased, a persecution arose and the disciples were scattered, and the gospel began to spread, which meant more churches were established.  

In Acts 8 Philip went to the city of Samaria and preached the true gospel resulting in faith, devils cast out,  people healed, and baptized.  The apostles then came from Jerusalem to confirm them and pray for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit, which happened. 

5 And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ.
6 And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he did.
7 For from many of those that had unclean spirits, they came out, crying with a loud voice: and many that were palsied, and that were lame, were healed.
12 But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

There was no building program, no church board, no pastor was voted in or hired, no denominational hierarchy was involved, no titles, no program, not even any tracts but with great power did the disciples give witness and the people saw and believed the gospel.  This was not your typical dead, formal church of today.

But they were not complete in the faith yet. See why.
14 Now when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit:
16 as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

They did not  mention a building to go put everybody in right away.  There was no special day set for gathering, nothing mentioned about keeping the sabbath, a doctrinal statement, or even the "Apostles Creed" which someone invented a couple hundred years later.  But they were the church.

We find another church planted in Caesarea, Acts 10. 
This one involved a gentile (non-Jew) named Cornelius an Italian soldier, his friends and family.  Peter got a call from God in a vision to go find Cornelius and give him the gospel, which Peter did.  Cornelius, his family and friends were all there and when Peter ministered Jesus Christ to them.
The Holy Ghost was poured out on them (they spoke in tongues like the Jewish disciples did in Acts 2), and immediately they were commanded to be baptized by Peter.

-all this took place in Cornelius' home and afterwards Peter stayed for a few days. Nothing was said of a church growth program, advertising, promotion, Holy Ghost Miracle Crusade, voting in or hiring a pastor from the mother church in Jerusalem.    

Antioch. (not the one in California).
Acts 11: men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number that believed turned unto the Lord.  In vs 24 "..MUCH people were added unto the Lord".

-no building is mentioned to gather the folks  into. There was a "great number",  (a "mega-church)  with NO special building???   No choir, no music leader, no ushers, no sign over the door, no one searching for a meeting hall or Community Center?

A few more important notes about the church (God's people), at Antioch, from Acts 13.
1 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers, Barnabas, and Symeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen the foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

Notice there is no pastor(s) mentioned as being in charge, although we might assume there were pastors among the people (not over them), no tithes or salaries, and there were prophets and teachers. The church at Antioch was not dominated by the one man show, like the churches today. 

2 And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them

Now we see the true evangelistic pattern, the Lord's Spirit directs the church to send Saul and Barnabbas to go out and spread the gospel.  They also had a specific Word from God, as opposed to the modern church in which denominations plant churches, and/or men decide to go out of their own good intentions.  The Word is confirmed by signs and wonders like Jesus said it would be.

From Antioch the gospel went further to places like  Lystra and Iconium. In Acts 14 we get some detail of church growth: 
21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, and to Iconium, and to Antioch,
22 confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.
23 And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed

Notice, in Acts 14, there was no tacky robed bishops or ecclesiastical hierarchy organized, no pastor or priest given sole oversight of these churches, no tithes or salaries. No pope, rosary beads, prayers to statues, worship of Mary, and nothing in the Bible about Purgatory.

No building programs, no rented meeting halls, they sure  did not try to use the Jewish synagogues from which they had suffered persecution.  (verses 1 and 2)
And it came to pass in Iconium that they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews that were disobedient stirred up the souls of the Gentiles, and made them evil affected against the brethren.

Acts 16: Philipi of Macedonia.
14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, one that worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul.
15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide

This is also where the Philipian jailer gets saved and baptized at midnight, along with his house. (16:31-33).  And this is the very church Paul later writes to as the epistle to the Philippians.
"Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus that are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons".  

In that epistle to the Philippians, no pastor is mentioned, nothing about the nice building they were meeting in, nothing about fundraisers, no tithe reminders from Malachi, no church board, choir, or music minister, no asisstant pastor, church board, or special day to meet on, no fancy titles, no Reverends, and not one reminder to keep the sabbath day or go back to the law and ordinances of the Old Testament.

Phil. 3:9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith:.

Acts 17, Thessalonica.
It began here with Paul going into a Jewish Synagogue (what we might call a "church"), for three sabbaths, (the Jews met on the sabbath as found in the Old Testament). A few Jewish converts were made and many gentiles: 4) And some of them (Jews) were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude

The epistles of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians were written to these disciples, both Jews and Greeks who believed. Paul never reminded them to tithe or keep the sabbath, asked about their building, or mention the pastor, other than exhorting ALL of them to work with their hands.

Acts 18 The next major church planting was in Corinth (there were others, but few details given).
As was Paul's custom, he usually went to the local synagogue to start with the Jews because they needed to hear the gospel as the law could no longer sanctify them. As usual, the hardest people to serve the gospel to were the church people who were happy to follow their traditions.

18:6 And when they (the Jews and proselytes) opposed themselves and blasphemed, he shook out his raiment and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

Their complaint? 13 saying, This man (Paul) persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.
(Paul preached we are saved through faith by grace).  So Paul stayed with the Corinthinans for 1.5 years and wrote them two epistles.  He never mentioned the pastors or priests running the church, sending him their tithes, encouraging their building program, setting up a youth ministry, worship team, or a church deacon board... 

 He did encourage them to continue in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, love, giving to meet the needs of the brethren, and to walk in holiness and repentance from immorality, covetousness, and drunkeness. 

Our last church planting of note was in Ephesus, Acts 19.
A lot of details are included and we might take careful study of them. Paul spoke to them in Acts 20 also, as he had a leadership meeting with the overseers.
Chapter 19
1 Paul ... came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples (converts of John the Baptist):

2 and he said unto them, Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye believed? And they said unto him, Nay, we did not so much as hear whether the Holy Spirit was given.

3 And he said, Into what then were ye baptized? And they said, Into John`s baptism.

4 And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him that should come after him, that is, on Jesus.
5 And when they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
7 And they were in all about twelve men.
10 and this continued for the space of two years; so that all they that dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
18 Many also of them that had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds. (repenting)19 And not a few of them that practised magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all;  (they cleaned out ungodly "stuff", like our modern day movies, magazines, and what TV promotes)

So the Ephesus church is planted when 12 repentant men are baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking in tongues and prophesying.  In this related article, Paul spoke to the elders and overseers with some good instruction, and that is good reading from Acts 20. Here is our article about that chapter.

Here is the gospel that when believed, brings about the power for us to become a son of God:

1Cor 15:1 
Now I make known unto you brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye received, wherein also ye stand 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 and that he was buried; and that he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures

Jesus said to go and preach the gospel. When the gospel is freely preached, Jesus said in Mark:16

16: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.
17  And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues;
18  they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Unfortunately for our generation, most churches substitute community works, a Sunday entertainment program, classes, some parts of Old Testament Law, and the things we spoke of in Part One instead of the real gospel.

  Is it any wonder so many are leaving the whitewashed tombs called "churches" with a softball version of the gospel, focus on scheduled, programmed meetings, getting or building a comfy church facility, and the Sunday monologue called a sermon?

Study the churches in Acts, how they began, what they did, the results they got. Church is not a building, nor is it always a  group of people that claim to be Christian.  And the majority of them today bear no resemblance to the ones in scripture. 

If they are not producing the fruit the early church had, it is a church in name only.

It is better to stay home, pray and read your Bible, gather with those that God has spoken to you to assemble with.  If you do not hear from Him who to  meet with, wait upon the Lord until you do and avoid presumtuous good intentions. 

The churches raised up in Acts preached a gospel that was confirmed by God with signs and wonders, believers believed the Word and were quickly baptized.

 They were FILLED with the Holy Spirit and met mostly in homes without any hired preacher.  The preachers (apostles, evangelists, prophets, teachers, and pastors) were ordained and sent by God, not the Bible colleges or denominations, and they lived the faith of Jesus Christ of scripture, not their denomination or peer group.

They preached the gospel freely, without feeding their own ego and need to be esteemed by the world.  Most of them worked and supported the needy rather than make a living from them and striving to build a nice church facility.

The blueprints for church are found in the book of Acts.