Frequently Asked Questions


WHAT ABOUT MY CHILDREN? HOW DO THEY FIT IN AND LEARN THE BIBLE?

This is one of the most frequent questions we are asked. The short answer is that children of all ages fit right into the center of everything! Younger children are encouraged to play in a nearby room, or even in the same room as the meeting. Because this is a family gathering, it is expected that kids will sometimes interrupt the flow of things or cause distractions.
It is our belief that it is primarily the responsibility of parents to raise their children up in the faith. By and large, parents have a far greater opportunity (and responsibility) than any youth leader to raise their children to know God.

For this reason, we strongly encourage parents to model healthy devotional practices and to expect their children to read their bible and pray daily. Additional resources and guidance will be provided to parents to help them become better acquainted with discipling their children. A good resource is the Parent Cue app and Sunday at home, both linked on the Parents and Children page.

Additionally, the children’s presence and participation in the weekly gatherings is very beneficial to all gathered as we strive to be the family of God. 

HOW IS WORSHIP DONE IN A SIMPLE GATHERING?

Each gathering may handle this a little bit differently. If a group has a gifted musician and/or song leader present, then music might be used (some of the time) for worship.

Groups that do not have musically inclined members can take some time to pray out loud a prayer of adoration and praise, do a responsive reading, read through a psalm together, etc. Remember: Worship is not about music; it is a condition of the heart and a posture of the mind. Consider other options such as playing a worship music video that someone felt moved to share as part of their contribution to the gathering. The Restoration Fellowship Network app provides worship music with lyrics which can be streamed to your TV for small groups to sing along. An often overlooked option is acapella, voices only. Here is a link to an Apple flashcard app you can download, then add the following files for over 50 lyrics to songs easily sung acapella. (Apple App) (Files:  Index,   A,   B,   C-G-H,   I,   M-N-O-P,   R-S,   T,   U-V-W-Y,   Christmas)

At the periodic network gathering where all regional groups meet, a more "typical" worship experience might be included. Groups who do use singing and music for worship should provide printed lyrics to the songs so that all can participate.


WHAT ABOUT TITHES AND OFFERINGS? HOW DOES THAT WORK?

A Simple Organic Christian Community is designed to enable believers to make the best use of the money that God has given them. Because the simple gatherings meet in homes and have no paid leaders, we do not have most of the expenses found in traditional church settings.

Because of the differing priorities this approach to ministry allows, we can invest more money in direct opportunities locally, nationally, and globally than could be done in a traditional church.

Each group should find suitable ways to use God's resources for the good of the kingdom locally and worldwide.

Members are encouraged to give directly to others, rather than giving as they normally would in a traditional church. Our model flips the usual budget by trying to spend 90% directly on others outside of our network, and only 10% on our internal functioning needs. 

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