{"id":96182,"date":"2026-06-19T09:46:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T14:46:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=96182"},"modified":"2026-06-19T09:46:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T14:46:53","slug":"modern-churches-dont-look-like-new-testament-churches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/modern-churches-dont-look-like-new-testament-churches\/","title":{"rendered":"Modern Churches Don&#8217;t Look Like New Testament Churches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tby Steve Wolfgang<br \/>\nvia InLight Media\n<p>Modern churches often look very different from the churches we read about in the New Testament. From liturgical traditions and denominational structures to megachurches and contemporary worship styles, many Christians wonder: Is this simply a natural development-or have we drifted from the original pattern God intended?<\/p>\n<p>In this episode, Andy Diestelkamp sits down with church historian Steve Wolfgang to explore a challenging question: Should Christians today strive to conform to the model of the first-century church? Together they discuss:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why have churches changed over time?<\/li>\n<li>Whether doctrine should adapt to culture.<\/li>\n<li>The appeal of high-church traditions and liturgical worship.<\/li>\n<li>The concept of restoring New Testament Christianity.<\/li>\n<li>Why are there thousands of Christian denominations today?<\/li>\n<li>Whether perfect restoration is possible-or even the goal.<\/li>\n<li>How believers can pursue biblical faithfulness in a divided religious landscape.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This conversation doesn&#8217;t offer easy answers, but it does challenge Christians to think seriously about authority, tradition, Scripture, and the ongoing pursuit of God&#8217;s design for His church.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Modern Churches Don&amp;apos;t Look Like New Testament Churches\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eeACXp9rn4g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Steve Wolfgang via InLight Media Modern churches often look very different from the churches we read about in the New Testament. From liturgical traditions and denominational structures to megachurches and contemporary worship styles, many Christians wonder: Is this simply a natural development-or have we drifted from the original pattern God intended? In this episode,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1488],"tags":[448,667],"class_list":["post-96182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-video","tag-church","tag-organization-of-the-church"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":90355,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-restrictive-nature-of-submission\/","url_meta":{"origin":96182,"position":0},"title":"The Restrictive Nature of Submission","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores Submitting to the authority of God's will is not only serious business, it's also very restrictive.\u00a0Because of its very nature, those who submit to authority can only operate within its bounds. What passes for Christianity in America, and across the world, really isn't because it goes beyond\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29780,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/identifying-a-new-testament-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":96182,"position":1},"title":"Identifying a New Testament Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Steve Dewhirst Sentry Magazine, December 2002 Traditionally, we gospel preachers have spoken of \"identifying the New Testament church\" in an effort to distinguish it from the sects roundabout. But in so doing, we have sometimes obscured the true nature of the body of Christ. We begin to preach about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Magnifying_glass_with_focus_on_paper-300x169.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":46596,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/choosing-a-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":96182,"position":2},"title":"Choosing a Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edward O. Bragwell, Sr. The New Testament teaches that there is but one church and also that there are\u00a0many\u00a0churches. Paul said he persecuted \"the church\u00a0(singular)\u00a0of God\" (I Corinthians 15:9). The record shows that he persecuted Christians in various places. In the same epistle, he spoke of \"the churches (plural)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45601,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-churches-of-christ-not-use-instrumental-music\/","url_meta":{"origin":96182,"position":3},"title":"Why Do Churches of Christ Not Use Instrumental Music?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Allen Webster Churches of Christ love music. Singing is a prominent - and favorite - part of each service. Most congregations dedicate a Sunday night each month to learn new songs and to sing old favorites. Annual singings can draw thousands of people. Many Christians sing daily as they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":77989,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-appeal-of-catholicism-among-young-men-and-lessons-for-churches-of-christ-confronting-the-vacuum-left-by-the-progressive-movement\/","url_meta":{"origin":96182,"position":4},"title":"The Appeal of Catholicism Among Young Men and Lessons for Churches of Christ: Confronting the Vacuum Left by the Progressive Movement","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Gregory Alan Tidwell In recent years, an unexpected trend has surfaced: young men under thirty (Gen-Z) are increasingly turning to Catholicism. At first glance, this shift appears counterintuitive. With its traditions, hierarchical structure, and strict doctrines, Catholicism seems an unlikely refuge for a generation celebrated for its openness, diversity,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55539,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/church-recreation\/","url_meta":{"origin":96182,"position":5},"title":"Church Recreation","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 5, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Keith Camp Recently I received an invitation to a facility that provided \"ping pong, walking track, concerts, basketball, weights, pool table, board games, banquets, refreshments, etc.\" No, the invitation did not come from the local Boy's club. It came from a local church. Increasingly churches have begun to take\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96182\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}