Church?

Lately I've been thinking. A dangerous habit, I know, especially for me, but I like to live on the wild side. This thinking has led to everything from patentable inventions (patents are WAY too expensive) to thoughts about society to thoughts about church. Which is what this article is about.
I could say one heck of a lot in this article, but I'm going to try to get my point across without writing a novel. Because I am writing a novel. Separately; not related to this. And it will be awesome, just wait!

Anyhow, I've grown up in the church. Like, I had a house, but I grew up going to church. I guess that's a "churchism," "grown up in the church." As if there's a dormitory in the belltower. Strange childhood. ANYways...I've grown up around the notion, stated out loud, that church is God's people, gathered together, wherever they may be. But, beneath that stated principle has been the unstated concept that church is a building, and church must be all that church is today. Let's see if any of these sound familiar.
1. Church has a pastor.
2. Church has worship, which includes singing songs (Sometimes hymns, sometimes Chris Tomlin. One church I visited sang the Beatles. That was interesting.)
3. Church requires a 10% payment of your money, and you will be made to feel guilty if you don't pay up.
4. Church is mostly non participatory. Meaning, you sit and listen while other people talk and sing.
5. Church is boring. Alternatively, church is not boring, and there's an insane stage production or a tiger up on stage, but you really don't learn anything except that you can rent a tiger. (Did you know that? Crazy world!)
6. There's a raised stage, or a pulpit the pastor talks behind, or both.
7. Looks similar to this:

Now, these are just a few things. But look at them outside the lens of tradition. They range from no biblical reasoning for them whatsoever (#6) to questionable reasoning (#1, #3).

(Side note: I know some of you reading this will first respond by writing up a massively long response with how all these things are justified in the Bible. Don't waste your time. If you want to talk to me about it, talk to me. In person. No reason to start a flame war online.)

A lot of the basis for these things has been found in the book Pagan Christianity. Go ahead and read it if you like. I feel the conclusion may be a bit extreme, but many of the points are well taken. I don't think God intended the church to be a place where we never open our mouths or contribute at all. And I think the church today is far from what it used to be/should be. I've found that I'm not spiritually satisfied in "church" that we have today. Occasionally I'll learn something, but overall, I've found a different environment to be more stimulating to my spiritual development. Note that I said 'my.' If you LOVE church and walk away feeling 'fed' week after week and feel very close to God, then awesome! But I think God is leading me to something different.

Anyways, I could go on. But I think you get the jist. Now here's where I ask you something. Do you feel the same way? Do you want to start something new and passionate? Something from the ground up, as in line with the New Testament as possible? I'm praying that through this post, or however else God chooses to do it, that He'll send me at least one person with the same passion. Preferably near me so we can meet in person like once a week. So if God's "tugging on your heart," (I'm good at these churchisms!) hit me up! My greatest desire is to glorify (churchism!) God through this. So even if you don't, feel free to pray that God's will be done. Ok, that's it for now. Nate out, God in.