Xenos Christian Fellowship
Encyclopedia
Xenos Christian Fellowship is a non-traditional, non-denominational
Non-denominational Christianity
In Christianity, nondenominational institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations...

, institutional cell
Cell church
A cell church is a Christian church structure centering on the regular gathering of cell groups. Small group ministries are often called cell groups, but may also be called home groups, home friendship groups, home care groups, house fellowships, or life groups.A church with cell groups is not...

 church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...

 system in Columbus, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. Each cell, called home church
House church
House church, or "home church", is used to describe an independent assembly of Christians who gather in a home. Sometimes this occurs because the group is small, and a home is the most appropriate place to gather, as in the beginning phase of the British New Church Movement...

, contains 15-60 members. Unlike traditional churches, Xenos is centered around home church activities rather than traditional Sunday morning services. Xenos does have weekly multi-house church gatherings called central teachings. As of February 2009, Xenos has approximately 5,000-members and 300 home churches.

Symbolism of Name

The church's name comes from the Greek word, Xenos
Xenos (Greek)
Xenos is a word used in the Greek language from Homer onwards that has a wide gradient of meaning, signifying such divergent concepts as “enemy stranger” as well as “ritual friend”.- Meanings :...

 meaning "stranger" or "alien". The primary use of the name Xenos
Xenos (Greek)
Xenos is a word used in the Greek language from Homer onwards that has a wide gradient of meaning, signifying such divergent concepts as “enemy stranger” as well as “ritual friend”.- Meanings :...

in the New Testament denotes sojourners in a foreign land, a biblical description of Christians whose ultimate home is in heaven. A secondary usage of the word xenos denotes "one who provides hospitality."

History

Xenos originated as a "underground" Christian newspaper called "The Fish House" first published in the 1970 around Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...

, in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

. The newspaper sparked the formation of bible study
Bible study (Christian)
In Christianity, Bible study is the study of the Bible by ordinary people as a personal religious or spiritual practice. Some denominations may call this devotion or devotional acts; however in other denominations devotion has other meanings...

 groups around the university. Up to 1991, home churches were allowed to "do [their] own thing". Some members refused to accept the church hierarchy, and its interpretation of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

. Around 1,400 members left the church in this three-year church conflict.

The remaining leaders added accountability mechanisms and structures to standardize church doctrine and regulate house churches. House church leaders are required to meet what the church feels as biblical qualifications, the character qualifications given in I Timothy 3. Leaders are also trained in classroom settings and given examinations.

In 1991 Xenos launched Urban Concern, a Christian inner-city charity recognized by President George H. Bush in his "Thousand Points of Light
Thousand points of light
The Thousand points of light was a recurring phrase in speeches given by George H. W. Bush. The term was coined by speechwriter Peggy Noonan. In his inaugural address on January 20, 1989, Bush said:...

" awards. Together with Columbus city government and business leaders, Xenos continues to expand Urban Concern and contributes the majority of its financial and volunteer resources. In 2007 Xenos constructed a Christian school and community center in the inner city. Xenos also provides two free clinics for the underprivileged in the Columbus area.

Schools and Sister Churches

Xenos runs three primary level private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...

s in the Columbus area.

Sister churches, also named Xenos have been built in Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

, Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

 and Northeast Ohio.

Controversy

In July 2009, the father of Fathima Rifqa Bary, mentioned that his daughter had attended Xenos meetings. Rifqa Bary had run away from her parents, allegedly fearing for her safety after converting to Christianity from Islam.
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