💗 Church without Walls Fellowships

A New Revelation Regarding Church Without Walls Fellowships

No matter the size of a church—whether it is a megachurch with 5,000 attendees or a smaller church with only 100 members—small groups that gather together outside the church building strengthen the Body of Believers. In many ways, they are more in line with the early church model. Being like-minded, sharing a passion for the things of God, and getting to know one another personally strengthen His Church without Walls.

So why should Restoration Fellowship, a Church without Walls, be any different?

The revelation was that these groups are already essentially established through our language communities. English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch—each of you already has the opportunity to meet with others and communicate in your own language. That is a tremendous advantage when it comes to bringing people together.

Adding a shared purpose by studying a Book that everyone is passionate about would be ideal.

Another thing my Husband and I discussed was posting on Love at Last for Books on that website or Hope at Last Book —after all, that is where many people find true love at last or hope for their marriages, so this is where these fellowships should reside, and where the blog posts keep everyone updated. Perhaps each fellowship could post the day before its gathering and include a picture of the book being studied in that language. *AND, instead of using English, attract your nation, tribe, and tongue and use the correct cover for your language book.

Then, the key to their success is to take that invitation to social media—to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and other platforms. Reach out with warmth and kindness, inviting those who follow your ministry to join your fellowship.

Along with the invitation, share brief comments about what is happening within the group. When I read even a simple statement from someone about what they are learning or experiencing, it makes me want to join. Those small glimpses into the fellowship are powerful. So why neglect them?

If you don’t have a group, it’s easy to start one. Simply find one other person who shares your passion for a particular book and speaks your language. That simple approach is exactly how this ministry began.

My first ePartner, Sue, and I absolutely loved reading God’s Word together. We would open different Bible versions and compare what they said. Interestingly, I am recording this on Father’s Day, which makes me think of a testimony I’d like to share.

Testimony
It was Father’s Day weekend when we pulled out all our different Bible versions—at least half a dozen of them. We wanted to know what we should do about Father’s Day. It was the Friday before the holiday, and we weren’t sure whether we were supposed to celebrate it, ignore it, or do something else entirely.

As we searched the Scriptures, we found beautiful passages about fathers and children, like the importance of the hearts of the father being turned towards their children. Through those verses, we both sensed that God was leading us to honor the fathers of our children by teaching our children to respect and appreciate them.

So I helped my children make Father’s Day cards, while Sue took her teenage daughters, who were not yet driving, to the mall to pick out a small gift. Our financial situations were very different, as were the ages of our children.

Nevertheless, as we sought God’s wisdom and read those passages together, we became excited with each new discovery. We even opened our concordances (that are now online!) because the Bible study where we met had taught us to go back to the original Hebrew and Greek words and study their meanings to gain a deeper understanding of what God was saying.

All of this is possible from your own home, meeting with someone who is like-minded and who wants to study God's Word—you can open your phone, computer, or tablet and help something grow and branch out, just as Sue and I did years ago. We met every Friday in a fast-food restaurant that was absolutely freezing (in Florida, they keep the air conditioning very cold to offset the high humidity outside). But today, the wonderful thing is that your fellowship does not have to be local. You don’t need childcare. You can meet with women from all over the world who speak your language and share your passion for God’s Word, just as Sue and I did. An ideal small group.

I hope this encourages you to stop doing what you used to do and branch out—grow!

For those of you who are MOMs with ministries of your own, I encourage you to work together and coordinate your fellowship days. Observe how others are leading their groups and learn from one another each time they post—which means you each need to be transparent and make your blog posts meaningful and inspirational. And if no one shows up, post that, see if anyone might join you next time, or LET IT GO.

Imagine if you were to share testimonies from the previous week? Maybe something you discovered that helped your group grow? Did you find a way to encourage greater participation or deepen relationships within the fellowship? Any insights you share can help others with their small groups, and the heart of helping one another is something that brings great joy to God the Father.

TIME ZONES

One final thought: I found myself overwhelmed and confused by all the different time zones being listed.

If I were searching for a fellowship, I would look for the time in the country where the meeting is being hosted. For example, if the fellowship is in Colombia, list the meeting time in Colombia. [I'd also find a way to get all the RF information on fewer pages—combining information: Registration. Are you still using the RFM# List?] Interestingly, I was not able to find the list of times and books other than a Fellowship blog post, but it was helpful to see that it's impossible to see what language it is and how much better to SIMPLIFY the process with the correct language cover and just a brief explanation to know how to ask AI—specifically ChatGPT—what time the meeting would be where I live. Recently, when I was meeting with Anastasia on WhatsApp regarding a website entry code, I simply asked my Husband and He led me to ask ChatGPT, and I instantly knew—so can everyone else!

It’s that simple.

There is no need to list multiple time zones. Just state the local meeting time and country location, then provide a sentence people can copy and paste, such as:

“What time is 7:00 PM Sunday in Colombia, where I live?”

People can quickly find the answer.

Security

You should also discuss with your Husband how to verify the identity of people you invite and any other practical considerations. Each person should first discuss these matters with their own Husband. Then, if coordination among groups is important, coordinate together. Otherwise, simply begin posting and supporting one another.

As you observe what others are doing, bring ideas to your Husband and discuss whether they would be beneficial for your fellowship. If you see a post that could be improved, offer your thoughts with kindness and love. Encourage one another and contribute to each other’s success.

May I say that I am very excited about this new direction for Church without Walls Fellowships—reigniting the posts on two more websites, watching all of you studying meaningful books together each week, and witnessing these fellowships grow and flourish. Please comment with more ideas you and your Husband have discussed to make Church without Walls Fellowships a success!!!