"Church has changed since you were a kid." This was the slogan of a church plant a mate of mine, Darrell Bierman, planted in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada( www.rivercitychurch.org ). And this church was different. Church has changed! Not the gospel, but the way churches do ministry.
This is also true of one of the newest church plants in the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia, Port Sorell Christian Community Church, Tasmania ( www.portsorellchristiancommunitychurch.org.au ). Under the leadership of Johann (& Mariette) Joubert of the Ulverstone CRC and Ron (& Frances) van Leerdam of the Sanctuary Hill Christian Fellowship of Penguin, this church is attracting many young adults and young couples of the Port Sorell community and surrounding area. The church meets in the Port Sorell Memorial Hall at 11:30 am. But the meeting is unlike many other church worship services. The atmosphere is casual. The meeting is around tables. There are no musical instruments. Contemporary music was played using an Ipod. The message is interactive. In the service I attended, after a volunteer read the Scripture reading for the day, Johann Joubert introduced the subject matter but then invited everybody to respond and interact with the passage. You could say there was not just one preacher, but everyone had an opportunity to contribute to the understanding of God's Word. At the end of the service everyone was invited to the midweek Bible study held in one of the young couples' home. This young couple shared with me that they came to this church simply by seeing an invitation hanging up in the local IGA grocery store. Now they are hosting a Bible study in their home. God is on the move in Port Sorell.
While this gathering of Christians is unlike many church meetings -- I could not help but imagine that this must have been how the early church began meeting. It might have been in the temple courts (Acts 5:42), in a home(1 Corinthians 16:19) , or by a river (Acts 16:13ff) -- the place of meeting did not matter. What mattered is what they did! They met together for fellowship, prayer, and a study of God's Word. Yes, church has changed, but today, by God's grace, a Christian community is growing in Port Sorell committed to seeing the lost found, the found discipled, and the disciples trained to reach out to the lost.
Check out the pictures at http://www.facebook.com/search.php?q&init=quick&tas=0.059753076499565905#!/pages/Ministry-Formation/163436427354