CONFIRMATION CLASS

LESSON 9

What is Church and what makes a church a “good church?”

Why are there so many churches that call themselves “Christian?”

The Christian ChurchThe Gospel in all its forms: WORD, baptism, & Lord’s Supper)..

Denominations (& visible churches)1. Does God want all Christians to be united?

I Corinthians 1:10Yes

2. What should be the basis for this unity?Matthew 28:19-20John 8:31bEverything Jesus commanded us and the teachings of Scripture

Denominations (& visible churches)3. What should we do when we find a church which teaches all of God’s Word in truth?

Hebrews 10:23-25I Thessalonians 5:11

God wants us to support/join such a church. God wants us to spur one another one toward love and good deeds, meet together for worship, encourage one another, and build each other up.

Denominations (& visible churches)4. What should we do when we find that a church teaches something other than God’s Word (by adding to it, taking away from it, or changing it)?

2 Timothy 4:3-4Hebrews 13:9Romans 16:16-17Keep away from them

Discussion QuestionWhat is a “non-denominational” church? "Non-denominational" institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with

an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations. Non-denominational congregations may establish a functional denomination by means of mutual recognition of or accountability to other congregations and leaders with commonly held doctrine, policy and worship without formalizing external direction or oversight in such matters. Some non-denominational churches explicitly reject the idea of a formalized denominational structure as a matter of principle, holding that each congregation is better off being autonomous.

Non-denominational is generally used to refer to one of two forms of independence: political or theological. That is, the independence may come about because of a religious disagreement or political disagreement. This causes some confusion in understanding. Some churches say they are non-denominational because they have no central headquarters (though they may have affiliations with other congregations). Other churches say they are non-denominational because their belief structures are one of a kind… (Wikipedia)

Is such a thing a good thing? No. No solid foundation of doctrine.

Zion2011 stats:Total number of communicants: 441Total number of children: 95Total: 536

Average attendance: 191

WELS As a Christian church body, our calling is to nurture the

faith of our members and to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Everything about the way we're organized is designed to serve that dual purpose.

We are the third largest Lutheran church body in America with 1,287 churches; 383,506 baptized members; and 303,130 communicant members.

We support work in world mission fields like Malawi, Zambia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Albania, Bulgaria, Japan, Russia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. We also support mission work in the United States, Canada, and the West Indies.

WELSWorldwide United States

533 congregations 1,287 congregations86,502 baptized members

383,506 baptized members

132 preaching stations 23 preaching stations8 teachers 2,706 teachers146 national pastors 1,349 pastors

17 student pastors  1,239 students training for the public ministry

197 national evangelists  98 staff ministers

13 national vicars 35 seminary student vicars

220 Bible Institute students

22 non-traditional pastoral students

145 seminary students 89 seminary students

WELS WELS President: Pastor Mark Schroeder Our District: Western Wisconsin District

Characteristics of a “good” church1st: Love God above all things2nd: Obey His Word3rd: Teach all of His Word4th: Strengthens people’s faith through regular use of the means of grace (Word and Sacrament).5th: Avoid false doctrine and false teachers.

Church Fellowship See page 5. Read notes 1 & 2.

HomeworkComplete homework section.

Next class time: December 12

Youtube…Koine here on December 5 at 7 pm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFzhdyA3SwA&list=UUIwKN8tbGdFqj_q5pa9--qA&index=17&feature=plpp_video

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