Introduction

I often use the phrase ‘Presence Based Church’ (PBC). I want to explain what I mean by this phrase.

First, you can find an article I wrote over a decade ago about “What is a Presence Based Church” here. It is a good place to start if you haven’t read it. I felt it was time to add to it with what I have learned since then. 

A PBC focuses on encountering God. We don’t want to just talk or sing about Him; we want to meet Him in person. I once thought this was our focus; but God showed me it hasn’t always been. Our focus has shifted between teaching, Bible studies, fellowship, etc. These are necessary, but they should come out of loving him first. It is possible to design a church that focuses on loving him first.

I heard Rick Joyner say, “Ask what attracts God and not what attracts people.” This shocked me when I heard it, and I went down a multi-year path of evaluating everything we did at church. As a minister, I thought everything revolved around meeting people’s needs. I learned that when people encounter God, His presence often meets their needs, and I am not involved. 

Do you realize we can minister to God? This is at its most basic level what we call worshipping him. We often worship for us to be built up. But when we worship God for who he is, it is ministering to him. This is an important function that is often misunderstood. But out of this ministry to God, ministry to others is more effective. Life will flow to them from God himself as we encounter His presence in our own lives and corporate church life.

Heaven on Earth

Why should we emphasize His presence?

If we want heaven on earth, we need to realize heaven is a presence-based culture. That presence is the Trinity – Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit. So, we need to create a culture on Earth that is presence-based. There is nothing in heaven separate from His presence. Abiding in Christ, living in his presence, is a foretaste of heaven. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; we cannot reduce to just Kingdom Principles. We need principles and presence of the Trinity.

Kingdom is relational first, transactional second. What I mean by transactions is blessings like the gifts and other things from God. Do we want more that just the blessings? Do we want him? If we want heavenly principles without the person, we are getting a kingdom without the king. Blessings, etc. are the effects of heaven, but not the source of heaven.

Principles without presence are our efforts to produce without Him. When we reduce our walk to following principles without presence, we create a religious system that is created that denies the power of presence. Without Him, we can do nothing. His presence with His principles equals heaven on earth.

Here are some comparisons about being a Presence Based Church

Habitation VS Blessing

Here is another quote from Rick Joyner that God used in my journey. “God will bless what he won’t inhabit.” You can be blessed without God being there. He can bless from afar. We want to be blessed, but we want His habitation more. We want him to rest and be free among us. We want him to come and just sit with us if he wants and enjoy our presence without having to bring blessings. We desire him personally more than anything he brings.

Ask what attracts God before you ask what attracts people. This will lead you on a journey of finding out what he likes.

Jesus VS Celebrity Christians

We’re coming back to the simple foundation of people gathering around Jesus and the finished work of the cross, not around a man. We’re choosing the nameless and faceless over celebrity Christianity. We’re leaving behind the goosebumps of man’s religion and trading them for geniune encounters and visitations with God.

We’re coming back to experiencing His face and His glory once again, instead of simply coming to a service to hear a cool cliché quote to take home. Is Jesus the master or mascot at your church?

Manifest Presence VS Gifts, Fruits, Signs

The gifts, signs, wonders, and fruit are not the highest goal of a church, but it is the manifest presence of God. We realize God, who is everywhere, wants to be somewhere. Everything we do is to create a place where we can simply encounter God’s presence.

Don’t seek more people; seek more of God. Church, are you more excited about visitors coming or Jesus coming? Is the attention focused on the people where Jesus is simply the butler?

A presence-based church emphasizes experiencing God as a person during our gatherings. The music, prayer, and speaking are focused on inviting God to minister directly to the hearts and needs of the people.

We want to create a spiritual atmosphere welcoming of God’s presence. We want encounters that create divine connections with God.

For years I was in a Charismatic church where the meeting was judged on how many signs, wonders and miracles manifested. We desire these things and regularly pray for them, but this is not the highest sign of a good church meeting. The highest sign is when the signs, wonders and miracles bring a greater revelation of Jesus and did He show up.

Worship Is High Value

Expressive, emotive worship, and prayer to the Trinity are encouraged. It’s not for a people but a person.

Success is loving Jesus, not growing in numbers. – Michael Koulianos

Worship is often an extended time that focuses on lyrics about God’s presence, glory, and love. There is freedom for congregants to lift hands, close eyes, etc. to connect with God. The worship usually closes with quiet, reflective music as people wait in God’s presence and ponder what they experienced with Him.

Spontaneous singing, prophetic words, testimonies of God’s work, and other creative expressions from people commonly occur. Brief sermons may occur if a time of encountering God is happening. We’re chasing true worship over performance.

We Camp Around His Presence Not The Sermon

The church is usually centered on the sermon. But Israel in the wilderness camped around the presence – the fire and cloud. The sermon is important, but if God’s presence is strong in whatever we may do – worship, ministry, etc. – we will stay there even if it is time for the sermon.

Learning to recognize, treasure and carry this presence is at the heart of the Christian life. Recalibrating our hearts to this supreme value affects everything. Teaching is important but there is no greater process to maturity than to be in His presence. A presence-based church values a person who is in the room – Jesus! He is not just there for talking points.

Rest VS Activity

We want to create a place where God can rest. Where His presence joins our presence. That means we need to learn to rest where we are. Quiet waiting in God’s presence for communing, inner healing or renewal is encouraged during the service. Why do we always have to be moving or speaking? Are we a Martha church bustling with activities or a Mary church in the next room sitting at the feet of Jesus?

Leave behind the hustle and bustle of institutions and programs for the basics of being with Jesus.

Simplicity VS Complexity

God’s system of order is simplicity. False Religions (including some expressions of Christianity) are complex with lots of external rules and procedures. This is one way you can tell if God is in it or not.

Be a simple church. Simply after God’s presence. Simple is beautiful. Simple is powerful. Simple is magnificent. Simple is Strategic. Be a simple people. Simply after God’s presence.

We’re coming back to what looks small and insignificant, but carries immense weight in the spirit. Welcome to the beauty of simplicity.

“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” II Corinthians 11:3-4

“Hurry is not of the devil, it is the devil!” – Carl Jung

Spirit Led VS Agenda Led

We are to follow the presence and move with it just like the Israelites had to follow the cloud. The Israelites didn’t always know when or where the cloud was moving. This is the same for us individually and as a corporate body.

We are to plan our services, but be open to change, even if at the last moment by the leading and moving of the Holy Spirit. Can we change our agenda we planned out earlier?

Closing

We have found that a lot of Christians like to go to church, but it scares them when His presence shows up. This is because most Christians think God is mad or sad at them, and when He shows up they want to run out of fear. The presence of God is alien to most Christians! They are used to living in the Outer Court or Holy Place and not the Holy of Holies. A presence-based church is not satisfied with just outreach (outer court living), teaching and ministering (Holy Place living) but we want to go into the Holy of Holies (face to face with God).

So a presence-based Church has to retrain Christians to understand God is good, He desires your presence, and that when we are intimate with Him, it meets our deepest desire.

May God lead you on your journey.