The Church as Congress
The original meaning of ekklesia may provide surprising insights into how decisions were made in the early congregation
Jesus’ Most Neglected Command (The Evidence)
Is your congregation following Jesus’ most neglected command? Most modern churches are designed for spectators, acting more like movie theaters than family gatherings. But when we investigate the ancient manuscripts of 1 Corinthians 14, a “smoking gun” emerges that suggests we might be accidentally disobeying a direct command from Jesus.
What If An Entire City Switched to House Churches (Financial, Missional and Relational Impacts)
What if the congregations spent its billions on the poor and reaching the lost instead of empty buildings?
The Pilgrim “Church”: Groups Outside the Institutional Church
This video documents some of the evidence of the remnant of believers who rejected the hierarchy, claims of authority, worship of Mary, and sacraments of the institutional church that resulted in their persecution.
• The Paulicans • The Bogomiles • The Petrobusians (Peter of Bruys) • The Albigensians (or, the Albigenses) • Why Unity Was So Severely Enforced
Elders of the Ekklesia: The Role of Elders in Early Christian Assemblies
In this 54-minute video, Dr. Wadsworth shares his research as he responds to listener questions about the role of elders (and pastors) in first-century Christian gatherings. Where did the idea of “elder-led assemblies” come from? What did these elders do? What was their relationship to the role of pastors and bishops? How did the idea develop of having a single leader over an assembly? Dr. Wadsworth offers “four key findings” that illustrate a stark difference between first century congregations and modern churches, along with six ideas of “Where we go from here.”
Why They Didn’t Preach Sermons in the Early “Church” (updated)
This Zoom presentation by Dr. Tom Wadsworth was delivered to a house assembly in Tennessee on Oct. 20, 2024. (Tom appears at 02:19.) While it is commonly assumed that “preaching” of “sermons” was common in biblical Christianity, Tom shows how this concept varies with the New Testament evidence. After taking a closer look at the kinds of “assembly speaking” employed in congregational meetings in the New Testament, Dr. Wadsworth identifies three key elements that are commonly lacking in church assemblies today.
“Church” Is Not a Show: Participatory Meetings in the Early “Church“
What if assembly meetings were designed for participation rather than observation? The New Testament describes gatherings where ordinary believers regularly contributed through testimonies, prayer, teaching, encouragement, songs, and spiritual gifts. Discover how participatory meetings helped the early assembly stir up love and good deeds, strengthen believers, and build genuine community.
The Lord’s Supper: Rediscovering the Lost Supper
Has the Lord’s Supper become a lost supper? The earliest Christians celebrated Communion as a weekly meal that fostered fellowship, unity, holiness, and anticipation of Christ’s return. Explore the biblical evidence and practical benefits of recovering the New Testament pattern.
The “Church” That Survived Rome (Hidden History Revealed)
Is the Catholic Church the Original Church? The Roman Catholic Church claims to be the original church founded by the apostles. But is that claim historical? In this video, we examine church history to discover the true remnant church that has existed since the apostles—small, scriptural, and often persecuted.
MODERN Church vs Biblical Church: They Completely Miss THIS! (Scripture PROVES)
1 Corinthians 14 explained: The biblical church meeting model that 99% of churches ignore. What does the Bible say about church meetings? This breakdown shows how church should meet according to Scripture. Almost every modern church ignores Paul’s commands in 1 Corinthians 14 about church meetings. These aren’t style preferences—they’re explicit biblical commands for church meeting order and structure.