Map Of Family Integrated Churches

[yewnique]

The type of "Family Integrated" churches that Vision Forum pushes go a lot further than not separating children from the main service. Vision Forum guided churches do not allow women to speak in church AT ALL. That includes responses in any type of call and response preaching, or even announcement before or after the service. They also stress "priesthood and theologian" roles for male heads of households to the point that only the male head of household can give their families communion. There is also a lot of "multi-generational faithfulness" preached in these churches which is completely anathema to Christianity in general. Planning how many male descendants you are going to have and what types of work they are going to be doing? They want to talk biblical, let's talk biblical. The bible says that God's plans are not our plans. Yet they are building an entire new theology of immortality.

This.

The NCFIC came out to Australia recently and gave some talks. I did not attend. Some of my friends did and I have to say I am more than a little disturbed to see their names on the 'network' on that website. Feels like signing up into a cult to me.

[Arete]

They are a cult, and an extremely destructive one for women and female children. I hope your friends reconsider.

Talk to your female friends and remind them that they will be completely silenced at church, and become a servant at home. Not to creep you out even more, but their is a very strong "daddy worshipping" vibe in those churches, and they really encourage emotionally incestuous relations between fathers and daughters.

[yewnique]

They are a cult, and an extremely destructive one for women and female children. I hope your friends reconsider.

Talk to your female friends and remind them that they will be completely silenced at church, and become a servant at home. Not to creep you out even more, but their is a very strong "daddy worshipping" vibe in those churches, and they really encourage emotionally incestuous relations between fathers and daughters.

Ironically, it is the WOMEN I know who were promoting the conference - talking about it, saying how excited they were, inviting their friends to attend, telling everyone how good it is, etc, etc.

The men? I didn't hear any 'advertising' from them!

I'm probably already considered a heretic because I dared to write about how awful the Jonathan Park Audio Adventure series put out by VF is.

[CrzyCtLady]

I have a friend of about 8 years (haven't seen her in about 6 though) who has slowly gotten more and more fundie. She's decided that next year she will homeschool her 7 children for the first time and has also been posting a lot of Vision Forum stuff lately on Facebook. She posted an article just last week from the NCFIC website. I worry for her. Her husband works a lot and doesn't seem very caring. Their youngest is under a year and I have a feeling he will not be the last. She's only 32, so she probably has lots of baby producing years left. At least her 5 daughters can still wear pants...for now anyway.

[Pandora Moon]

One thing I do wonder about these Family Integrated Churches is how they do they tailor their services so that it won't go right over the children's heads?

The reason I ask is because when I was a teen I got involved with the Jehovah's Witnesses and they don't believe in separating adults and children either and their services were always, as far as I remember, more for the adults then for the children.

Heck I remember some things going over my head at times! BTW I checked out that map to see if there were any of these churches in England and there is only one which is one more then I expected.

[Coconut Flan]

The one a friend and I visited for a field trip type experience didn't seem to do anything for the children. They were supposed to sit quietly in the pews like little robots. Even as adults we found the lengthy sermon way too long and way too boring.

[AtroposHeart]

Hmmm....there is a church in my hometown and it has one of the most uncreative names that I ever heard for a church.

[uber frau]

One thing I do wonder about these Family Integrated Churches is how they do they tailor their services so that it won't go right over the children's heads?

They don't. All the children get out of church is training in the ability to sit still for a ridiculously long time from a ridiculously young age. And they get a jolt of euphoria at the last blessing because the know it will all be over soon.

As soon as I walk into my parent's church I can feel myself turning off, it's like some sort of Pavlovian response.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

They don't. All the children get out of church is training in the ability to sit still for a ridiculously long time from a ridiculously young age. And they get a jolt of euphoria at the last blessing because the know it will all be over soon.

As soon as I walk into my parent's church I can feel myself turning off, it's like some sort of Pavlovian response.

Does anyone remember the blogger who was so obsessed with getting her 2-y/o to sit still in church that she would even make tapes of the pastor giving a sermon and "practice", toddler on lap and switch in hand, listening to the sermon with him at home? IIRC, she did not actually go to an FIC because even her pastor told her she was being insane.