The Importance of Belonging to a "Home Church"
An Email to James Horton - 26th September 2006
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Hello James:
Evolution is definitely not my thing either!
Yes I still consider Surfcity Christian Church to be my "home
church". So that's the church I go to by default, whenever I'm not
called away on assignment by the Spirit.
It's my conviction that we all can benefit from having a "home church".
Kenneth Hagin explains the benefits of belonging to a home church this way:
He cites the book of Acts where it tells us how Peter, after he was
released, "returned unto his own company". A prayer meeting was
being held in the house of Mary, John Mark's mother, for Peter,
because they had heard that Herod had imprisoned him on death-row,
like James. So when Peter was released, he went straight back to
this house where he found everyone aware of his plight, and in prayer
about him.
"Like Peter, we all need to have 'our own company', says brother
Hagin, "it could save your life".
Then I think brother Hagin tells the story of an old lady who was
faithful in her local church - she never missed. But one Sunday she
was missing. It was so uncharacteristic of her to ever miss even a
single service, so some members of her church went to her house to
check-up on her. I think they arrived to find that she had had a
fall, and was unable to get up off the floor.
Some elderly people have remained in that position for days before
being noticed. But this lady, because she had "her own company", was
conspicuous by her absence, and it saved her life!
Like Peter and the elderly lady in this story, having 'our own
company' can save our life, or protect us in many ways.
For that reason, Heritage City Community Church remained my home
church for seventeen years after I was saved there
Then for the past eleven-and-a-half years and counting, Surfcity has
been my home http://www.surfcitynoise.com
I didn't embark on the travelling ministry without my senior
Pastor agreeing to it.
When I first set-out in a travelling ministry, my senior Pastor at
the time (in Ipswich) said, "I believe this is God". The elders
of the church laid their hands on me in front of the entire Sunday
morning congregation, and sent me out, carrying a letter of
introduction from the Senior Pastor. My Pastor said that if he ever
felt the need, he could simply recall me. He never did so.
On top of that, one day the founder and chairman of the
denomination I belonged to at the time, Christian Life Churches
International, told me, "I believe what you are doing is of God,
and I want to encourage you".
It was important to me to have the endorsement of both my local and
my denomination's leadership, and God gave me the assurance of having
both.
It's also important to point-out that even when I am away from town,
every single time I have been away travelling, the Holy Spirit has
been very specific about placing me under a local church of His
choosing in each particular city, and under it's senior Pastor -
for the entire duration of my time there.
Nothing I have ever done has ever been independent of a specific
local church. Both my sending in the first place, and also the work
I do in the places to which I am sent, are inseparable from the
institution of the local church.
Everything I have done whenever I have been away has been done
under, for, part of, and
contributing to, the work and authority of that specific local
church and it's senior pastor's vision - without exception.
This includes the issue of where I have been accommodated. From
memory, I think I
have almost always stayed either in the senior Pastor's house, or else in
the home of one of the assistant pastors, by the will of the senior
Pastor.
I wouldn't even consider going away on a holiday anywhere without
first having permission from my pastor, and then I would place myself
under a pastor of God's choosing, whilst I
was there. (Holiday or no holiday, there's no such thing as coming
out from underneath God's umbrella of godly authority, even just
for a couple of weeks).
I don't find this restrictive - I find it opens greater
opportunities. And there is safety in it.
The way God transferred my spiritual home from Ipswich to the Gold Coast is
worth noting too.
It didn't come from man, but from God - and both pastors - in Ipswich
and here at the Gold Coast - agreed to it
While I was away in the Philippines for 19
months, all my family had relocated from
Ipswich to the Gold Coast - so when the time came for me to return
to Australia, naturally I wanted to be where my family is.
But that in itself wasn't enough of a reason for me to change
churches. The reason was spiritual, and the initiative came from
God, not from me.
When I first met Pastor Richard, he invited me to preach both
services at Surfcity the following Sunday. I phoned the Pastor in
Ipswich from Richard's office to ask if this was ok - and permission
was gladly granted.
During a service at Surfcity, I was sitting in the
congregation when I saw a vision of one door closing and another
door opening - and a vision of Pastor Richard's face.
Right at
that very moment, Pastor Richard called me to the front and announced to
the congregation, "The Holy Spirit has shown me that as a church,
we are to adopt John and his ministry."
In that service Pastor Richard called me an
apostle and "one of the youngest and most Holy-Ghosted
missionaries" and the elders of the church laid hands on me, and I
was received
into the church.
An important part of the transition was that I visited the Pastor in
Ipswich; we had a great talk, and he gladly released me from official
responsibility to the church in Ipswich.
One thing I still needed was endorsement from my new denomination.
It came one day while at a Hillsong Conference. The then State
Director for the Queensland Assembly of God, Pastor John Lewis told
me, "Don't ever let anyone change the way you operate. Keep doing
what you're doing".
Last week I caught up with Pastor Richard to tell him of my recent
travel. In my heart, I needed to know if he still endorses the
lifestyle. He certainly still does, and last Sunday night, he again
laid his hands on me in front of the congregation saying, "Go - go
and do what you do best. Raise him up Lord - and he shall have even
greater testimonies. Receive an anointing."
As you know I've had challenging times in my relationship to both
churches - but in my spirit, I've still known where "home" is.
I think that if where "home" is for us is ever to change, the
initiative must come from the Holy Spirit alone.
I pray the Holy Spirit will show you where he wants you to belong.
Wayne Alcorn's church http://www.brisbanecitychurch.com/site/index.cfm
Another church at Newfarm http://www.rivercitychurch.org.au/
Bless you,
John