The origin of the term organic church goes back to T.A. Sparks.
Frank Viola’s Early Testimony
(Republished)
From the ages of sixteen to twenty-three, I traversed the landscape of evangelical Christianity. I became part of the following denominations: Southern Baptist, Independent Baptist (a completely different species from the Southern Baptists), Mennonite, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Church of Christ (non-instrumental), Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Assemblies of God, Church of God, and countless stripes of charismatic Christianity, including Word-Faith, Third-Wave, Open Bible, and Vineyard.
Granted, it’s a queer mix. But it gave me a broad view of the existing theological terrain. And it furnished me with some rich ground for future spiritual exploration.
In addition to the litany of denominations I sampled, I was part of five parachurch organizations at the University that I attended. In addition, I (along with some other students) created our own parachurch organization.
Why had I moved through so many different Christian organizations? The answer is that I was on a journey. I was looking for more of my Lord. And although I didn’t realize it back then, I was on a quest for the church after God’s own heart.
My journey followed a consistent pattern. I would find Christ in one group, but as time went on, the group couldn’t take me any further into Him. The experience quickly wore out, and I was left hungering for more of the Lord. So I would join another group that held promise of teaching me a new aspect of Christ. But as time went on, that new adventure grew perfunctory. This cycle continued unabated for years.
I was a desperate young man wanting to learn Christ in all of His depths. It was this desperation that led me across the Protestant landscape. When I was twenty years old, however, something was placed into my hands that gave me hope that my cycle of church hopping would one day come to an end.
It was June of 1985. A friend of mine handed me a book by a Chinese Christian named Watchman Nee. The title of the book—The Normal Christian Life.
I devoured it. It was unlike anything I have ever heard or read. I found Nee’s remarkable gift for presenting spiritual truth in a clear and practical way to be extremely refreshing and challenging. But there was something more that I discovered in reading the book. I tasted that for which I had hungered. “Deep was calling unto deep,” and I connected with some intangible element that I was searching for in the deepest parts of my being.
I didn’t know it then, but Jesus Christ was ministered to me through that book.
Indeed, The Normal Christian Life proved life changing for me. It introduced me to an uncommon insight into the Lord that I didn’t know existed. (Many years would pass before I read more of Watchman Nee’s books.)
That book left a deep imprint on me. It brought me face-to-face with a new dimension of spiritual life and understanding. One that would mark the rest of my Christian life.
Discipleship Training
“God’s Favorite Place on Earth” Hits Bestseller List
Frank Viola & Brandon
I was a student of author Frank Viola at Brandon High School in the 90s. His class was my favorite of all. I took psychology from him and joined the Interact club which he sponsored. I also was part of the Fellowship of Christian Students that he sponsored.
Viola led me to the Lord. He did the same with other students also, baptizing some of them too.
I was one of the people who attended his Friday night Bible study group. I remember it was over 50 students in a crowded living room in Brandon. Students came from all over the area, not just from Brandon, but from other counties too. We’d sometimes stay at his house until 1am as we talked about the Lord, prayed for each other, worshipped. We worshipped a lot. It was an awesome time of many ‘aha’ moments and life changing events.
It was hard finding a spot on the floor because the couches and chairs were all taken up. The whole experience was amazing to me.
Responding to Criticism of Pagan Christianity & Reimagining Church
Pagan Christianity Response Page
Audio Interview with George Barna and Frank Viola (35 min.)
Audio Interview with George Barna and Frank Viola (68 min.)
Print Interview with George and Frank: 1
Print Interview with George and Frank: 2
Print Interview with George and Frank: 3
Print Interview with George and Frank: 4
Scholarly Debate I: Jon Zens. vs Ben Witherington III
Scholarly Debate II: Frank Viola vs. Ben Witherington III
43 Endorsements by Scholars, Historians, Pastors, and Teachers
Pastors Weigh-In on Pagan Christianity
Discussion Guide to Pagan Christianity
Sample Chapter of Pagan Christainity
Sample Chapter of Reimagining Church
Audio Chapter of Pagan Christianity
Audio Chapter of Reimagining Church
10 Straw-Man Myths About Pagan Christianity & Reimagining Church
Why I Love the Church: In Praise of God’s Eternal Purpose
A Word to Authors – Aspiring and Actual
The Cost of Challenging the Status Quo
The Disconnect Between Eastern and Western Medicine: An Analogy
Responses
Note: Author Frank Viola doesn’t run this blog.
Click here to read Frank Viola’s responses to questions.
If you have a question for Frank that doesn’t appear on that page, email it to TheDeeperJourney @ gmail.com
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King David
King David is honored in Scripture as being “a man after God’s own heart” Acts 13:22. This has puzzled many Christians because David’s life was riddled with so many failures. I suspect the reason why the Holy Spirit regarded him to be a man after God’s own heart is because David caught a glimpse of the Lord’s ultimate purpose. And he was willing to pay any price to fulfill it. En. David was occupied with building a house for God (2 Samuel 7:2ff.; 1 Chronicles 29:3; Psalm 132:3-5).
As I look back on my Christian life over the past 32 years, I can sum up my entire spiritual experience in one sentence: I’ve been on a quest to find the church after God’s own heart.
What exactly is a church after God’s own heart? Well, it’s certainly not a church that is void of failures and shortcomings. King David teaches us that lesson quite well. But he also teaches us that the church after God’s own heart that has caught a glimpse of the Lord’s ultimate purpose and is willing to pay any price to fulfill it.
In March of 2006, I was invited to speak at a conference for Christians who gather outside the traditional church. The conference was held in Portland, Oregon. It wasn’t terribly large. Approximately 120 people attended. More than 20 simple churches and house churches were represented.
It was the most unique conference in which I had ever spoken. The audience was unique. The messages I delivered were unique. And the group interaction was unique. (By “unique,” I mean it differed from any public event I’ve attended before or since.)
What is contained in these pages is the heart of what I shared during that conference. It also includes some related thoughts that have been on my heart for many years, but have never been put in print. All of it is best captured by the phrase, “the church after God’s own heart.”
One man, a former pastor from Spokane, Washington, described the event like this:
“This gathering was a turning point in the lives of many of us who attended. We were deeply challenged. Our understanding of the ‘glory and the gore’ of growing to know Jesus together was deepened, as Frank shared out of his 20 years in intimate church life.
In the course of the weekend, our eyes were opened to see that New Testament Christianity is nothing less than the corporate pursuit of the Person who is passionately pursuing us. With a burning heart and great Scriptural clarity Frank explained that, ‘We live by the Lord, who dwells in our brothers and sisters, and the Body of Christ is a real thing that we must actually experience.’ Relating rich and unforgettable stories drawn from his experience in true Body life, Frank taught us that “the divine nature is biological in that, when we meet Jesus as the Head, we still need to meet Him as the Body. We must have the other half of Jesus Christ.”
As Frank Viola described how this can actually work, he made us hungry to experience the real expression of the corporate Christ in a Biblical, unreligious setting, where believers can actually get to know each other in the Lord and practically discover the spiritual priesthood for which they were born again. Having drunk deeply of the anointed vision and revelation of the Bride of Christ, we left this gathering with great hope in our hearts that God truly is restoring New Testament church life today, and that simple churches with the Holy Spirit as the main leader really can happen.”
Frank Viola Author 