Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Custom and Command’ by Stan Firth (Charisma Publications, 1996, reprinted 2007).

This is a remarkable book in which the author sets out to understand and explain why so many Christians today find traditional church structures and activities no longer adequate for their faith and discipleship. These believers are not backslidden or rebellious; they simply no longer ‘go to church’ – instead, they live an ‘unstructured church lifestyle’.

Initially, on coming across such believers, the author didn’t know what to make of this. So, rather than be critical, he decided to investigate from a biblical standpoint. He concludes that not only is such a Christian lifestyle biblically valid and fully in accordance with Scripture, but that in many ways these Christians were ‘being Church’ far more effectively. As a result, he decided to embrace this lifestyle himself.

Loose Associations

The book is carefully put together to help the reader go through the same process of re-evaluation as the author did. How does ‘unstructured church’ work in terms of worship, teaching, leadership, outreach and the general command to meet together regularly?

Each topic is considered via many biblical texts and the result, perhaps surprising to many, is that all these can be fulfilled outside what is usually considered to be a ‘normal’ church-going life, provided (and this is important) that certain conditions are met.

Firth concludes that an unstructured church lifestyle can be biblically valid and practised in full accordance with Scripture.

One such condition is that believers do not isolate themselves. Rather, they become part of several different Christian communities which overlap within their existing lifestyles, for instance at work or in their own neighbourhood. Wherever you meet other Christians, that is where you ‘do Church’. These ‘loose associations’ provide opportunities for a more fulfilling Christian experience than merely taking part in what local churches offer.

Re-thinking Key Aspects of Church

Worship, for instance, should be spontaneous and arise continually out of walking with God, not just restricted to ‘times of worship’ led by someone with a pre-planned song list that you are meant to follow. Such corporate worship can be uplifting but also far less than God deserves. As for teaching, we need far more than pre-prepared lecture-style sermons, where one person speaks and everyone else listens, unquestioningly. Rather there must be ‘comments in the course of life’ instruction, teaching which occurs through meeting other Christians in a variety of situations and sharing, talking and learning together.

What about leadership? This is still important, but Christians will find true leadership in many ways and through many people, not just those ‘put in charge’ of a church and paid to be a career churchman. Leaders will emerge who you can look up to and follow, perhaps low-key but clearly gifted in certain areas. It may be the Christian down the road whose walk with God is stronger than yours or whose evangelistic gift you desire for yourself.

Associating with those to whom God has given leadership gifts may grow you more quickly than attending church services or programmes. You will soon spot who they are - their authority and humility will make them stand out.

One condition for an unstructured church lifestyle to work is that believers do not isolate themselves.

A Church of Living Stones

The author has a section dealing with reservations and objections from those who still maintain that only through standard church practices can we produce strong and mature Christians. He admits that such ‘life support systems’ may still have a role to play, but asserts that true fullness of life requires more.

He does not say church membership or attendance is wrong. Standard church meetings can be embraced as part of this wider approach, but not uncritically followed as though these will provide all you need.

Rather, you should see yourself as part of the ‘Church of living stones’, the house of God that you take with you wherever you go. As you meet other believers and join with other living stones then something wonderful can happen. These ‘loose associations’ become fulfilling times of meeting with God and seeing what he is doing.

Informal does not mean less effective. Unstructured does not mean disorganised. Instead you will uncover something beautifully prepared and integrated by God.

Custom vs Command

As the title suggests, this process is about seeing the difference between our customs and God’s commands. What has God actually commanded in Scripture? Even in the newer church movements, such as the charismatic movement and house churches, customs soon take over. We become accustomed to doing things a certain way. Corks go back in the bottle. Christians become ‘bottled up’ again.

The author drives home his point by stressing another major condition for this unstructured church lifestyle to work: an ‘inner drive of discipleship’. This is the personal engine which should propel you forward. Christians often become ‘church-propelled’, or institutionally dependent, which creates a particular type of Christian rather than a fully mature and motivated disciple of Jesus.

Traditional church structures may still have a role to play, but true fullness of life requires more.

Firth sees the church as often laying down tracks for us to follow, like a train that has to go where it is told. Instead, we need a runway from which to take off and fly. Our engine is a jet engine with potential to go anywhere and everywhere for the Lord.

A Move of God?

The author accepts that the Church has been so organised for centuries that it is difficult for Christians to think of it in any other way. But ‘organising’ Christians is not its real task. All through the book the author argues that the unstructured church approach is well within biblical guidelines, and not just an alternative for dissatisfied Christians.

He believes this may be a stepping stone for the future, a move of God to re-form the Body of Christ for what he has planned next. He wonders if what is happening here is a “logical follow-on from the Charismatic Renewal which, for a season at any rate, seemed to demonstrate that if you ‘keep in step with the Spirit’, rather than follow various human patterns, great things come about” (p87).

This book is small but mighty. If nothing else you will be intrigued by its message and arguments. It is not expensive, and won’t take you long to get its main points whether you agree with them or not. The result should be that you will become less critical of those who have ‘left the structures’ and less likely to dismiss what may be part of a vital move of God.

Custom and Command (88 pages) is available from lulu.com for £2.77. It can be downloaded for free as an e-book from Stan Firth’s website.