Baptism and Communion
Baptise: The Bible teaches that when we become Christians we should be baptised to show publicly that we living a new life. Baptism is a simple, symbolic act where the believer is immersed in water. To learn more about baptism why not order this booklet from our friend Richard Baxter.
Or watch or listen here for a short talk on Baptism …
Share Communion: In a similar way, communion is another symbolic act but whilst we are only baptised once, we are encouraged to shared bread and wine together regularly in order to help us to remember and focus on Jesus’ death for us. Communion does not need to be complicated with lots of ritual and liturgy. All you need is some bread and some wine or grape juice to share together. You can learn about what communion is and how to share it together by reading 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.
Additional Support and Advice
Safeguarding -children and at risk adults
It is important to be aware as you gather of the risks that exist and where a fledgling church may be vulnerable. These are the things that we don’t like to talk about but it is important to think up front about these risks.
There are risks because sadly predators will see church gatherings as vulnerable and may seek to target your group. At the same time, there are risks that arise from false accusation. Finally, there are risks because we can simply make mistakes when we haven’t looked ahead and planned to mitigate risk.
So, even for a small church gathering, it is wise to have a Safeguarding policy in place describing how you will care for children and adults at risk.
There will be specific guidelines and laws in place in different countries. You should make sure that you are familiar with them and cover them in your policies.
Here in the UK you can get advice and support from Thirtyone:Eight
You as the hosts/leaders and anyone who will be working closely with children should arrange to have a DBS check. You may wish to link with another church initially to benefit from their support.
Spiritual Safeguarding
As well as practical safeguarding against predators and abusers, we need to be aware of spiritual dangers too. The Bible warns us that wolves will come in to attack the church. They will do this is by encouraging false teaching but also by using abusive and bullying tactics.
One way in which you can guard against false teaching is by having a Statement of Faith. This provides a summary of the essential truths that the Bible teaches and that Christians are united on.
One good example that you could adopt is provided by the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC). You can find it here
The Evangelical Alliance have a similar statement
In order to encourage healthy church plants, I’ve produced this resource: Planting Safer Churches. As well as the pdf book with discussion questions to look at as a small church or core team together, you can also make use of the video series on YouTube designed to provoke further reflection.
Alternatively you can listen in to the podcast series here.
Contact us
If you would like more help as you begin to start to worship together please get in touch.
Faithroots 