This is “the short version” — even though it is fairly long for an “About” column. Someday, the “full-color version” could literally fill a book. It took 40-plus years of reading history, Bible study, military travels, attending various church congregations (of various denominations), the ups and downs of life, etc., etc., to reach the point of launching an online church. This is a “meta-church” — outside the lines of what is considered a “normal” church here in modern America. However, it is very “normal” in terms of following the Holy Bible. (We believe what is actually written in the Bible, versus man-made doctrines.)

The main goal of my study and searching has been to find (and now, to launch) a “New Testament church” — one that is structured and functions like the congregations described in the Acts of the Apostles (i.e.: the Book of Acts). Decades ago, people told me that I should become a pastor. But, I never felt “good enough”. And, none of the pastors that I knew had ever encouraged me to take that leap. (I used to think that, as it is in the military, one needs “permission” to move into a leadership role.) In retrospect, sadly, I think that some of them viewed me as “competition” for what some think is a “zero-sum game”. In other words, if the “pot of money” can hold only so much, then why split it with anyone else? (It hurts me to say that some pastors think that way, but it’s true.)

So, with so many other congregations out there (some good, some not), why should I go to the trouble of launching a congregation of my own? Good question! The answer has two sides to the same coin. On one side, I want to help others benefit from my study and experience. On the other hand, I’m being a little selfish. Let me explain.

On the selfish side, I wanted to launch a church that would be like “the one that I had been searching for”. There is an old saying: “If you don’t see a leader, then be a leader.” As time went on, I heard in discussions with other people that they were searching for “something”, but they couldn’t quite describe it. Another old saying applies here: “You don’t know what you don’t know.” But, I did know what they didn’t know. Over the years,, I had explained “bits and pieces” to so many people so many times that I finally decided to do what God had been quietly calling me to do: put all those pieces in one place, and then share it with others. So, here we are.

The key that is missing in so many other places is two-sided. One side is “reverent awe”. The other side is a solid foundation of Scripture. Too many modern congregations act as if they had just invented the wheel; they do not look back across the centuries to see what has passed the test of time. A lot of them think that loud music volume equals sincerity of worship. And, a lot of modern churches think that “what I feel” somehow equals the authority of Scripture. (I have been saying these things for decades. But now, someone with a measure of influence — especially with the younger generation — is saying something very similar. I will reach out to him. And, I will promote that link in the sidebar section.)

The worst is when both of those elements are in the same place at the same time, and then the members don’t know enough Scripture to realize when their pastor has gone off the rails. I attended one congregation where the music was so loud that neighbors a mile away filed a lawsuit. The pastor tried to imply that those neighbors “just weren’t filled with enough of the Holy Spirit”, and his members went along with that foolishness. Instead of telling his sound crew to turn the volume down, he bought an even bigger sound system! Was that an example of “being Christ-like”?? (Sadly, that was not the only example of un-Christian behavior….) I want to notably distance AFSOC from that type of “modern” version of a church.

What it is, and what it isn’t

In the past 20 years or so, a lot of “brick and mortar” churches have added an online presence. That is great. This “meta-church” is built on an Internet foundation. If the Lord wills (see James 4:15), then someday we might have an actual building. But, to get started, this church exists only online. That gives us the ability to reach a lot of people quickly — and, without the constraints of parking lots, meeting schedules, busybody neighbors, water and sewer connections, etc. Thus, we can be “nimble” in responding to the needs of people. We are the Special Operations version of church.

In a sidenote to the above, consider the saying, “We’re the other AFSOC….” That is a reference to the Air Force Special Operations Command. There are some parallels. One is that much time and dedication are needed to prepare a unit, and the people that comprise that unit, for the missions that might be required. Another parallel is the ability to draw from a variety of sources to accomplish those missions. Another parallel is the desire and focus to “go where others won’t go”. If you are looking for a “comfortable” or “ordinary” church, then keep looking….

While this AFSOC might not be “ordinary”, it is also not “iconoclastic”. We are not looking to “break the rules” or “break the mold”. Instead, we are seeking to conform to the mold of the original, ancient Church. (the “capital C” church, also known as the “Church universal”.) Toward that goal, we follow much — but not all — of the pattern of the Orthodox Church. That is especially true regarding the sense of reverent awe in worship. Click the link and listen to an example in this video. Then, ask yourself if God is more pleased with this than with a bunch of head-banging, gut-rattling, super-loud “music”. (This is adapted from Psalm 1, and there are no instruments.)

I think that the above music is “what Heaven sounds like”. It is not about personal feelings. It is not about what material blessings God might give us. It is not about “crankin’ it up” in order to “establish the energy in the room”. No!! Rather, it is about God. It is about praising Him entirely for who He is, and nothing else. And, it is based on Scripture — and not upon a bunch of “performers” sitting in a writer’s room with a rhyming dictionary.

Now that you are beginning to see what AFSOC is (a “para-Orthodox meta-church”), it is time to declare what AFSOC is not. We pattern our worship style after the Orthodox Church (specifically, the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church in America). But, we are not “canonically” Orthodox. (In other words, we are not a part of the established Orthodox Church hierarchy in any way.) For example, we do not:

• Refer to pastors/priests as “father”
• Worship nor pray to any saints, including the Virgin Mary
• “Venerate” (bow before, and/or kiss) icons or any other artwork
• Believe that a pastor/priest has special power to forgive sins
• Believe that a building must be expensively decorated to be a church
• (NOTE: if the traditional Orthodox Church jurisdictions would simply discard these non-Scriptural practices, then AFSOC might not need to exist.)

And, although AFSOC does have a “liturgical” foundation, we are also not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, either. For example, we do not:

• Believe in the doctrine of “papal infallibility”
• Believe in the doctrine of “immaculate conception”. (Note: we do believe that Mary was a virgin at the time of her miraculous conception. But, the doctrine of “immaculate” conception [i.e.: that Mary had to be “sinless” in order to be a vessel for Jesus’ birth] carries with it a serious logical flaw. In order for that to be true, then Mary’s mother [Anna] would have had to be sinless in order to carry Mary, and then Anna’s mother would have had to be sinless in order to carry Anna, etc., etc., all the way back to Eve.)
• Allow any type of statues (i.e.: “graven images”) in our worship or architecture (drawings/icons are “acceptable”, but should be minimal)

That said, AFSOC is also not part of any traditional Protestant movement. For example, we do not:

• Believe in any type of “cessationist” doctrine. (Note: while Wikipedia is not a primary source of good theological information, the linked article is surprisingly concise and well-written.)
• Waste time and spiritual energy on “we are not Catholic” efforts. (Note: we welcome our Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant brethren to participate with us — with an understanding of these doctrinal foundations.) As a key example, while many Protestant congregations have an emphasis on music (often quite loudly), they consider any type of chanting to be “Catholic” and/or “too religious”. Our form of worship includes chanting (such as in the above video) — which was practiced by the Orthodox Church for a thousand years before the Roman Catholic Church divorced itself from the Christian East in the year 1049.
• Require speaking in tongues as “proof” of a person’s salvation in Jesus. (To be clear, we believe in all of the gifts and operation of the Holy Spirit. But, we disagree with the notion that any specific gift is given to all Christians as proof of salvation. Therefore, we do not grill anyone with a “litmus test” that goes beyond what is plainly written in Scripture.)

Although this column has been a bit lengthy, the details are necessary to explain why the existence of AFSOC is necessary in the first place. If one reads the examples of worship in the Holy Bible, it quickly becomes apparent that “corporate” worship (i.e.: the gathering of the “body” of believers) used some form of known verses of Scripture, which were sung (chanted) by all the people together. Although instruments were sometimes used, they were not required; and, there was no amplification. The music came “from the heart”. This is the essence of what we seek to achieve — the type of worship that pleased Yehowah (God) so much that He came down and stood above the Tabernacle in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. If this is the type of experience that you are seeking, then join us. Welcome.

Tom Kovach

(rhymes with “watch”)

founder, Ancient Future Scriptural Online Church (AFSOC)