The [New] House Churches by Matthew Green

Many Christians today have left traditional churches to meet in homes. Is this a healthy trend?

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Since pollster George Barna released Revolution in 2005, discussion on the topic of house churches (aka simple churches, organic churches, micro-churches and so on) has grown to a fever pitch—ironically, alongside discussion of the undeniable growth of megachurches.

For those hiding under a rock, Barna's estimate is that 8 percent to 9 percent of adults in the United States are now involved in some type of house church. And his prediction is that 70 percent of the church will be worshipping in non-traditional settings within the next 20 years. When we say "non-traditional," we're not talking about those wacky churches that have WiFi in the sanctuary or a coffee kiosk in the lobby. That's so '90s.

Nor is Barna (along with many others) envisioning house churches populated by disgruntled church hoppers with an insufferable superiority complex, assembled with the common denominator of their disdain for the institutional church. That's so '70s.

The new house church movement is less predictable, more engaged with the institutional church and missional to the core. Not to say they don't have their problems, but today's house churches are virtually unrecognizable in comparison to their old-school predecessors.

A brief disclaimer is in order: Of course, the concept of the church meeting in homes is nothing new—from the household-based congregations Paul addressed (see Rom. 16:10,11; 1 Cor. 1:11,16, 16:15; 1 Tim. 3:12; 2 Tim 1:16; Tit. 1:11) to modern-day house church movements in China and India composed of millions of believers.

However, from the time of its institutionalization in the early fourth century, Western Christianity has been most visibly identified by the buildings in which it is practiced and the full-time clergy who administer its rites. All this is up for grabs in the postmodern world, in which the core values include distrust of authority, suspicion of structure and an unabashed pursuit of authenticity.

It is in this environment that ecclesiology gets stripped down to its lowest common denominators, and the champions of the new house church movement are surprisingly consistent on what those ingredients are.

HOUSE CHURCH DNA

"DNA—divine truth, nurturing relationship and apostolic mission," explains Neil Cole, identifying what he believes are the core ingredients of the biblical church analogous to those of human biology. "My conviction is that without these happening, you don't have any life or health. You can't unravel the DNA into its component parts. Its only power is when it's intact."

The executive director of Church Multiplication Associates (cmaresources.org) and author of Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens, Cole has planted more than 700 churches in 32 states and 23 nations. Cole is not anti-traditional-church in the least—in fact (like many in the house church movement), he once served on staff at a megachurch, pastored his own congregation and maintains denominational ties (for him, Grace Brethren Church).

However, he believes that these ingredients can be left out of the mix in a traditional church without anyone noticing and the business of ministry not missing a beat. Others in today's house church movement share Cole's heritage in traditional congregations and conviction that the tried-and-true model may not be the only model for reaching people who would never walk in the doors of a typical church.

"Most of the house churches of the past were inwardly focused—an 'us' versus 'them' mentality," Cole explains. "Now, people are choosing this expression of church because it is healthier and more participatory. It suits the postmodern world very well—it's relational, authentic and experiential."

Unlike their counterparts of the past, most of today's house church advocates are cautious in labeling their movement the "only" way. Many of them maintain relationships with denominations and traditional churches—and these denominations and churches are even finding ways to plant and support house churches themselves. Rick Warren's Saddleback Church sends out "missionaries" from its own flock to plant home-based congregations, and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is seeking new ways to embrace the movement.

For instance, in an article on his Website newchurches.com, Southern Baptist missiologist Ed Stetzer admits that "enthusiastic house church proponents have neglected some of the ecclesiology described in Scripture by de-emphasizing New Testament delegated leadership, misunderstanding the role of covenant and related church discipline, and a failure to practice the biblically prescribed ordinances."

However, the research team director at the North American Mission Board notes that he's more concerned about those who don't see house churches as an authentic expression of biblical ecclesiology.

"The greater problem," he says, "for the biblical house church is the millions of believers that consider their brick, institutionalized, non-multiplying church to be a more biblical model than the fifteen people meeting in a home with a passion to grow and multiply." Citing the SBC's initially negative response and eventual acceptance of the house church movement, Cole argues that every denomination will eventually have to deal with the reality of the trend. The response, he believes, will often hinge on the denomination's view of clergy and education.

"The anabaptist denominations with a history of strong lay leaders will thrive in this new environment," he notes. "The reformed denominations that require a high level of clergy education will have more challenges. However, even in the Reformed Church in America and other established presbyterial denominations, we're seeing the movement happen—but it has to be more grassroots."

Larry Kreider, international director of DOVE Christian Fellowship International (dcfi.org), a network of cell-based and house churches, envisions a future in which partnership between house churches and megachurches is the rule rather than the exception. In his hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, leaders of both models meet for prayer and partnership.

"We have a leadership team of church leaders chosen by the body of Christ in our own area," he explains. "On that team are megachurch leaders and house church leaders—all working together to honor one another."

FROWNING ON TITLES

As Stetzer hints in his article, any discussion of the house church movement naturally gravitates toward leadership—particularly the concern that a lack of leadership is an invitation for chaos and heresy. While few house church advocates deny the need for leadership, they often define it in radically different terms from their counterparts in the traditional church.

"I would call myself 'pro-leadership,' but 'anti-positional leadership,'" Cole says. "When your authority is based on the position or title, and you need a position or title to lead, chances are you're not a real leader."

Tony Dale and his wife, Felicity, who lead a house church in Austin, Texas, are the founders of House2House magazine (house2house.net) and have written several books on the simple church movement.

"Leadership does not demonstrate itself in titles and positions," Tony argues. "Our idea of leadership is that of a father who longs for his children to overtake him."

Dale admits that this model is not unique to the house church movement and even points out abusive situations in which house church leaders have exerted Machiavellian rule over their domains. However, he argues that the traditional church's strong distinction between professional clergy and laity is designed to keep people in "perpetual spiritual infancy."

Conversely, house churches often function from a bottom-up structure. While there may be one leader who directs meetings, leads worship sessions or mediates conflict, participants usually have a say in the weekly activities and long-term vision of the group. For other home churches, this role rotates or is shared among a group of leaders.

Likewise, many in the house church movement embrace the values of the apostolic and prophetic movements. They militate against the more "governmental" expressions of ecclesiology often associated with the New Apostolic Reformation. "I agree with C. Peter Wagner that we desperately need apostolic and prophetic types that the church is built on," Tony Dale notes. "But I would completely reject any concept that this is governmental. It isn't the force of their personality. It isn't that they are classic great leaders. It's what they do by laying down their lives that prepares the groundwork for what they're going to accomplish."

Dale cites the house church movement in China—much of which was carried forward by women and teenagers. For house church advocates like the Dales, the movement is a hothouse for a new type of leader that leads from brokenness and weakness rather than personal charisma.

"Under the old paradigm of church," Felicity contends, "success is measured by growth, whether that is in numbers, finances or real estate; in the new paradigm, success is based on faithfulness. God is looking for leaders who walk with a limp; those who, like Jacob, have fought with God and surrendered unconditionally to Him. They have learned from the disappointments and challenges of following him through good times and bad."

But even its strongest advocates suggest that the house church movement could endanger itself by resisting leadership in an effort to redefine it. Many would suggest that George Barna's equation in his book Revolution of two guys playing golf as church is dangerously minimalistic. Barna himself notes that the small-group movement has long struggled as an effective means of growing people spiritually because of a lack of good leadership, and he believes that the house church movement will have to face the same issue.

For Kreider, a church without a leader is not fully a church—in much the same way that a family without a father is not fully a family.

"Local churches are much more than two believers at Starbucks," he explains. "They can be, if there's a sense of godly authority and leadership. But families need parents, and the church is a family. To assume that a bunch of kids without parents is a family is an incorrect assumption."

Kreider argues that the governmental aspect of leadership has "gotten a bad rap" because of abusive leaders—but that it's no excuse to embrace an anarchistic or isolationist view of church.

"Whether we like it or not, we have to have some form of leadership," he notes. "I have to govern my family, my checkbook."

REAL-WORLD ENTRY POINT

In a culture increasingly skeptical of top-down leadership, the house church movement's democratized view of authority is attractive to the jaded. But equally significant are house churches' ability to provide a "customized" model of worshipping God that avoids the enculturated stereotypes of institutional church.

"The world is interested in Jesus; it is His wife they don't want to spend time with," Neil Cole observes in his book, Organic Church. "We tell people they must take the bitter pill of 'church' if they want to even hear about Jesus. Most would rather die of the disease than consume the medicine."

Of course, this concept is nothing new. From Christian rock concerts and skateboard demonstrations to fishing trips and Halloween alternative parties, congregations have found new ways to lure church-wary unbelievers into "safe" environments where they can be evangelized.

But house church advocates do not see a need for these entry-level venues where the uninitiated can warm up to the idea of joining the institutional church. "Why not bring the church to the sinner?" they ask. With that philosophy in hand, micro-church planters have launched congregations in dorm rooms, parking lots, restaurants, health clubs and even bars.

While some who participate in these "congregations" may end up attending a traditional church at some point, house church advocates contend all of the elements of biblical ecclesiology can be present in a group of two or three people just as effectively as two or three thousand people. And the small-group dynamic provides a low-risk environment for both the seeker and the skeptic.

"My wife leads a house church, the majority of whose attendees are first-generation Christians. The majority would not have gone and do not go to a conventional church," Kreider explains, but he also recalls an instance in which some unsaved people were befriended by house-church members, invited to services—and then shocked to find out they were attending church. "We also have people who have grown up Roman Catholic and left it years ago—and congregations made up of pre-Christians."

It is this flexibility and openness that allows house churches to multiply in what some describe as a "viral" manner. Traditional church planting has often been carried out with an "addition" model. One congregation or denomination raises money that is in turn dumped into a single church plant in a geographical area deemed ripe for the picking. Problem is, this high-capital, high-risk model sometimes fails, resulting in disillusioned church planters who wonder why vast resources, savvy marketing and even a good dose of prayer didn't spell success.

"What we need is new wineskins," Kreider says. "There's a harvest coming, and we need to be prepared to bring it in. To do this, God will raise up saints to be ministers. The problem is that many times people are too busy in church programs that they don't have time to be Christians. We need church-planting movements worldwide that will reproduce."

Additionally helpful to the growth curve, many house churches carry the DNA of the fastest-growing segment of the global church: the charismatic/Pentecostal experience. While many house churches would not identify themselves as "charismatic" or "Pentecostal," spirit-filled expressions are often commonplace in home-based congregations.

And house-church advocates tend to be more open toward this type of activity—regardless of their denominational heritage. Barna's research reflects this openness toward the gifts of the Spirit. Among the house church participants he surveyed, 58 percent of their meetings have a prophecy or special word delivered.

"I was taught cessationist doctrine," Cole notes. "But our team of leaders began to question that and searched out what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit and made some pretty revolutionary decisions."

Although the physical context for house church meetings is often unconventional, the basic structure is similar: Scripture reading, personal sharing, prayer, worship and—almost universally—eating together. And theologically, house churches tend to be overwhelmingly conservative—in faith and practice.

"There's a strong, traditional, classic, evangelical theology and biblical foundation," Tony Dale explains. "What's happening isn't so much that people's theology is changing, but their ecclesiology is changing. They're beginning to think of church as a living, vibrant organism."

In a recent interview with Ministry Today, Barna, who calls the new simple church advocates "revolutionaries," cites some of their spiritual habits: "Revolutionaries ...

donate almost twice as much money every year for religious purposes as do non-revolutionary born-again Christians."

are three times more likely to study the Bible every day."

are more than three times more likely to have family Bible studies every day as non-revolutionary born agains who are married and have kids."

are slightly less than twice as likely to believe in moral absolutes."

are almost twice as likely to believe Satan is real, not just a symbol of evil."

Barna's prediction is not so much that this movement will supercede the traditional church, but that it will influence it—for better—and that it will challenge leaders in the traditional church to rethink paradigms for spiritual growth and discipleship.

"Any good leader is looking to the future. What we're looking at is a future in which alternative forms of faith community will be prevalent—which says that, if I'm the pastor or leader in a conventional church, I need to think about making that transition," he argues. "I would begin working with youth and children to prepare them for a different type of church."

But as Cole warns, the house church movement will always be challenged to resist the natural gravity of institutionalism. His solution? A "theology of death"—an idea that has applications outside the boundaries of the house church movement. Applied to the church, Cole argues that, if a church survives only a year—but gives birth to two other churches—it's healthier than a congregation that lasts 15 years and never reproduces.

"We've come to realize that there are some words of Christ that relate to this: 'If you hold on to your life, you lose it; if you lose it for My sake, you'll save it,'" he explains. "We need to build into our structures the truth that we do not want to stay alive forever. We will never make plans to keep ourselves alive—this is the sin of self-preservation. We're no longer trying to keep church alive. Once you start talking about a career, you've already died."

While Kreider reflects this same caution of institutionalism, he's also concerned that house churches face the same challenge of the charismatic/Pentecostal movement of 30 years ago—that of ridicule and persecution from traditional church leaders who may not see the Spirit's activity in this unconventional new model.

"I'm concerned that those of us who are more traditional—who may come from a more conventional model—may persecute this next move of God," he says. "And that those of us involved in house churches would not get puffed up with pride. It's an important way, but not the only way. I find myself in a vulnerable place. I have a lot of history with megachurches and community churches—but I have a heart for this new generation."

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Matt Green is a former editor of Ministry Today who now works with Pioneers, a missions organization based in Orlando.

Planting New Churches - Plant New Life - Session 5 - Frank Viola

Newmarket, ON, 27 June 2009, Session 5: Frank Viola

Summary:

Itinerant teams come and stay for a season.

Missing ingredients it will not work.
The missing ingredient - is extra local people who had experience to lay new foundations or plant new churches - plant new life.

Leading of the Lord. No easy fixes.

Lot’s of groups starting without the help they need to establish a new church.

THE MEETING OF THE CHURCH

NT many kinds of meetings:
prayer evangelistic ministry meetings the church meeting

THE CHURCH MEETING
NT church meeting - instinctive to your nature - a meeting of local assemble of believers come to give Jesus Christ to one another - what we have eaten and drank of Him - we come and bring Christ to one another - when you share Christ

1 Cor. 14: 26

Everyone is participating. As the members function, is the re-assembling of Jesus, making made visible, and a testimony to the unseen realm, that Jesus of Nazareth is alive enough to be the functional head of the church. It is the testimony that He is alive through His body. Open participatory meetings. Sharing to the point of interruption of each other.

We need to be equipped, to function in this way.
Over function - need the cross. Under function - need the cross to share.

Picture in the OT - Meeting of the Church
Israel entered into the land of Canaan.
10 1/2 stayed on one side, and the other 1 1/2 on other side.
Decided by lots.
The land is yours, work the land, live of the land, the land will provide all that you will need to live.
Feast in the 7th month - each tribe would bring what was yielded that year.

FEAST OF TABERNACLES - BOOTHS - INGATHERING
No one comes empty hand. Everyone brings something from the land.
It was a display from what they had worked from the land: bread, wine, etc.
At the high hour, all took a portion and threw it up in the air, for God to see what the land had yielded, for the heavenlies to observe and rejoice.

The land is a picture of the unsearchable richness of Jesus Christ - all that He produced is openly displayed when the body comes together as organic church life. It is a testimony to principalities and powers that Jesus is alive and head of His church.

The onus is on working the land, live, breathe by Christ. We plow and explore, and then come together in Him and exhibit Christ and display Him to one another. All are edified and strengthened and honour God.

Organic Leadership - Session 4 - Frank Viola

Newmarket, ON, 27 June, 2009, Session 4: Frank Viola

Leadership today
What is organic leadership?
Apostolic leadership

Problem today: We have too many leaders and people who want to be leaders

What is more important than leadership is followership. Not enough people who want to be followers of Jesus Christ.

It you are lusting to lead. Give it up. Nail it to the cross. Shift to followership. Follow Jesus Christ and leadership will take care of itself.

A leader is someone who follows Christ. Followers are not following you but followership after Jesus Christ together.

Corporate leadership.

The crisis of leadership. Who is going to exert authority to push the church in a particular direction.

NT teaches “decision making” by corporate body. Following Christ together, where leadership rises up out of the followership after Jesus Christ.

Leadership is corporate. There is no leader. They move together and make decisions together. People may lead in their particular gift.

Everyone is involved. If you have a local leader, then it is not organic corporate leadership.

NT Church: There were more seasoned brothers/sisters, elders, did not run the show. It was a corporate shared decision making.
Apostolic Leadership
People who experienced authentic organic church life as a follower for a period of years.

At some point the church recognized that they had a certain gift to impart that vision, experience, to show a group Christians and non-believers to experience Christ together.

How to function under the headship of Jesus.

Learned at the feet of Jesus - apostles Learned at the feet of apostles - others learned what the apostles had learned at the feet of Jesus SENT ONES: apostolic
(ie) Barnabas sat under apostles for 3 years in Jerusalem and got connected with Paul who had 5 years - experiencing organic church life in Antioch
Timothy
Silas

Each one experienced for themselves what they were sent out to do before being sent out.

You cannot produce what you have never experienced.

The results of not having experienced organic life are manifested in what populates the house church landscape.

WHAT DO WE DO? Have no idea!
What I think....
When God is doing something new, He usually restores something that has been lost. God is about restoring the house of God, in this nation.

Church in Jerusalem:
People from Roman empire - Day of Pentecost - sermon Acts 2 - We are going to bring Him in Jerusalem - learn and eat Christ- people moved and relocated - Barnabas moved from Cyprus to Jerusalem.

Go back to first things
Pick up one city in each province in Canada, and relocate to that one city, and live within 10 minutes of each other, and bring people who have experienced this, and show us how meet under Christ. As it grows and the foundation is laid, and it grows and multiplies. Going out and sent out to bring this to another place.

The Cross: How To Partake of Christ Together - Session 3 - Frank Viola

Newmarket, ON, 27 June 2009, Session 3: Frank Viola

WE WANT TO KNOW HOW... to partake... practically how to know Christ together, and express Him together

THE CROSS: Church life doesn’t work without the cross. It never has and it never will.


Luke 9: 23-24

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
Deny yourself daily

The cross = principle of the cross and all its aspects
- dying to yourself - losing - surrender - yielding - deny your self nature
It is hard and difficult and “bloody”

Jesus - the shadow of the cross - two wills moving in two different directions - Gethsemene - “not my will but your will be done”

If you will have organic church life, live a shared life together, the cross is at the centre of that community, bidding you to die to self.
It is hard, filled with pain, and cost. Injured souls. Hurt people hurt people.

Organic church life is a railroad track to the cross.
I am either going to die on it, or going to run away from it.
But, the cross will follow you. Just wait, the cross will find you.

Christians give away the cross to one another. You cannot crucify yourself. Others “nail” you. This is where your brothers and sisters crucify you to the cross.

It is death to everything that you are, so all that remains is himself. This is authentic organic life.

The Lord’s metric for success is losing. It is failure. In the failure is the winning. The most dangerous people in the church are those with a vision. They will push and push to make the vision work, they will trample on God’s people, just to have their way and agenda.

It takes time and patience with God’s people. Victory is found on the other side of failure. The cross is the key ingredient to life.

2 Cor. 4: 8-14 - We find life on the other side of death

The church works when all the Christians are dragging a cross wherever they go.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,
because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.

The Lord is a carpenter who can make the perfect cross just for you, to destroy you. He will use those closest to you to mortify you.

You will grow the most as a Christian when you will be looking down from the cross. No one will notice. No one will notice you dying on the cross.

All that you are has to be nailed to the cross, if not you will hurt people in the body of Christ. Your vision, your agenda, your ministry, your talents, will be nailed to a cross, or you will hurt people in the body of Christ.

The apostle Paul hurt people.

Get used to a lot of dying. The most painful things will happen to you. Because God is trying to get “you” out of the way, of what He has purposed in and through you.

ARE YOU WILLING TO BEAR THE CROSS?

IMPRESSIONS:
Christ-likeness stands on the other side of the cross. It requires going there again and again. Tabernacle of Moses - Altar - place of death and sacrifice. You only experience the presence of God through death. Temple - stones held together by friction - cut, sanded, polished - to be rightly fitted together (Eph. 2) - chiseled by the cross. Cut and shaped, and connected and built together by friction - requires the cross.

Dictator - controlling, dominating personality - articulate - creative - gets people to follow them - could direct people where they want >> they will hurt other people without realizing that they are >> bent on getting their own way, no matter what they have to do - and are classic manipulators.

Self righteous judgmental person - incapable of seeing their own flaws. Legalists who have standards of conduct and behavior and push it on others. They will kill other people by judging the motives of other people. Jesus loved sinners - “friend of sinners” BUT he could not tolerate self-righteous people. Read their own motives when they judge others.

Libertine - poison to a church that wants to move on. “We are under grace” so that it doesn’t matter what we do. They will hold up and derail a group of people that wants to move in a particular direction, because they don’t want to go there.

Passive aggressors - self pity and passivity paralyzes the church

Don’t persons - opposed to leadership of any kind

Intense brother - believes humour is of the devil - puts people on edge

The antidote for all these is the cross - they each have to die

It is harder on the saints when it is a sister than a brother.

Dictator - I yield
Self righterous - I am wrong How a person comes to faith in Christ, dominantly impacts and imprints for life.

People try to bend the direction of the church to their disposition.
Purpose to die is the only solution.
The only imprint of God is the cross.

A season for outreach and all the evangelistic ones jump in and evangelize. Different bents and stirrings have different seasons. When that season passes, there is a part that remains.

What is the season?
It could be evangelism
It could be prayer
It could be home life
It could bible study

DO BUSINESS WITH YOUR LORD. CONSIDER THE COST.
It is about bearing the cross.

Organic church life is a wedding of gore and glory, death and resurrection.

God's Ultimate & Eternal Purpose - Session 2 - Frank Viola

Newmarket, ON, June 27, Session 2: Frank Viola

Opening Statement:
“Organic church life is the most glorious experience a Christian can know, but will never work unless you embrace the cross.”

THE MOST CENTRAL AND DEAREST THING TO GOD’S HEART: GOD’s ULTIMATE AND ETERNAL PURPOSE -

NO church has the right to exist but to fulfill God’s eternal purpose:

John 1: 1, 18
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.

John 17: 4-5, 24

I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

John 15: 1, 3-9
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

John 6: 57
Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.

2 Peter 1: 4
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Before creation, before time, God the Son was found everything in the Father, and the Father found everything in the Son.

Before time, God the Father was pouring his life in the Son and the Son was thing this life out of his own life, returning it to the Father. God the Son was in the bosom of God the Father. A pure relationship, mutually edifying and reflecting the heart of God. Ancient Christians called this relationship a “divine dance” and the Holy Spirit was the life, the love, the glory that flowed between the Father and the Son.

God creating something to demonstrate this relationship: A branch and a tree. Unity is distinct but not separate - where the branch begins and ends cannot be seen, and neither can where the tree begins.

Eternity passed, God would take this relationship - enlarge, expand the fellowship, increase the relationship and invite another being into the “dance”. Another creature that would be the third tier added to this relationship.

God eternally purposed to expand the fellowship to a creature that did not yet exist. This being would be divine, but would participate with this relationship. Just as the Son received life and meaning and existence, from the Father, this creature would receive the same from the Son. The Father would reveal His glory to this creature.

What creature would win this honour?
Humanity: life, sight, intellect

How would God bring this to humanity?
He did not change it from its divine type, unaltered and unchanged. The very way that God the Son related and drew life from God the Father, would be the same for humanity to experience this relationship.

Just look at this man, Jesus of Nazareth. He brought that relationship to the earth unchanged and unaltered.

John 5:19-20

Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.

Jesus partook of His Father and made that relationship visible to mortals, to angels and demons and all creation.

THE GARDEN:
Adam the creature in the participant in the dance.

The tree of life - Adam before the tree - the storehouse of God’s life - eat of this tree - partake - why? Because God’s divine life is in this tree and the life of God will go into you and make it visible in the earth - fellowship of God - Father, Son, and Spirit will be visible and multiply throughout the earth - see the divine incarnation of love

Simple but not shallow - but incredible - eat and rest - out of it will come energy to work the garden

One thing you cannot do - partake of the wrong tree

But that does not end the story.

In the fullness of time the tree of life appeared again - Jesus - “I am the vine tree and your are the branches. He who eats me and partakes of me, has life. He that will not eat and partake of me does not have life. It is the same relationship and dance from before time.”

What does this have to do with the Church Frank?
It is about a group of people caught in the cross fire between the Father and the Son, and are partakers of that life together. This is organic corporate fellowship with the Godhead and make it visible. To eat of the tree of life. We eat and drink Christ together.

God wants to move the relationship of the Godhead right into the living room where each person is conduit of divine life to one another and to the world. God wants every relationship to be the outflow of the life that is in the Father and the Son. This brings perfect unity with the Godhead as it is with branches and a tree.

What is our task?

It starts with hunger. Do I want to participate?

An admission, maybe I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know how to eat and drink Jesus Christ.

It takes a group of people who live close to one another, and have no other pursuit that to pursue Christ and this relationship with the Godhead.

Observations of The House Church Movement - Session 1 - Frank Viola

June 26 - Friday Night Session: Frank Viola

Looking At Problems - Deconstruction

Observations

NT Wright - 2/3 of what I am going to share is wrong, the only problem is I don’t know which parts

I am just a bald man trying to get to heaven

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 -- *verse 2 - To know Jesus Christ and him crucified

Letter - where is the house church headed in the USA -
frustrated at what they find
many are like the traditional church - bible studies, meet once a week, no community life, doctrinal, social clubs, - not like the NT church

Concerns for the House Church Movement

“A great deal of them are inane, insipid, colourless, enemic, and shallow. They don’t last very long, or they move toward institutionalism. They lack depth, spiritual insight, lack of understanding God’s eternal purpose, and lack of understanding of the cross. Most do not attract many people at all.”

Goal: To clear away the clutter and the debris that is an obstacle and hinderance to Jesus Christ and His glorious house and what He desirous it to be, restoring the headship of Christ to the Church.

Not an advocate of house churches. What is a house church? What does that mean?
Definition: A group of Christians that meet for church in a home - broad tent - not specific enough.

Our passion should never be a living room. Our passion should be Christ alone, his headship and Him alone.

What are we talking about here?

The basis of the gathering is not found in that name “house church”
Not excited about house church.

Organic Community Gathered Around Christ: “Group of people gathered under the headship of Jesus Christ, it is a group learning to live by a life that is not their own, the life of Jesus Christ within them.”

Learn to live by Christ’s life together. This is the ekklesia, the church.

Opening Statement:
“Organic church life is the most glorious experience a Christian can know, but will never work unless you embrace the cross.”

OBSERVATIONS:

1. Merging of a new viewpoint of church - Post-Church View
The viewpoint that says that church is, whenever you get together with your friends, locally, trans-locally, Starbucks, on the phone - you have “church”. I belong to the same church - “Church Happens”. This view - doesn’t matter where you live, it happens over the phone, email, fax, coffee shops. The idea of planting of church does not make sense!

Hearing and listening to hurt people, because it fulfills the desire for intimacy on certain level without any commitment whatsoever. Matt 18 - where 2 or 3 gather, Jesus is in the midst - the “proof text”.

Nothing wrong with these “connection points”

The ekklesia is not these things.

Matt 18: 18-20 ff
Passage has to do with confrontation and reconciliation - individually, more than one, and then congregation - “tell it to the church” - 2 or 3 are a part and not “the church”

Not compatible

Not compatible with ekklessia - Robert Banks, Paul’s Idea of Community - a community of people who assembled together regularly -

Fails the epistle test - you can write a letter to any church and the whole church would read it together - read it all together and pass it on to another

The phantom church, the ghost church,

You can’t visit a post-church church - unvisitable

In the NT, you could meet, as they met regularly, face to face.

It fails the narrative reading of the New Testament test.
Reading the NT chronologically makes post-church church impossible.

We have straighed far from the organic expression of the living organism life in Christ.

Gods Eternal Purpose - in God’s heart since eternity.
Analogy: Father has 7 kids.
Each kid gets an instrument.
Free gifts given from the father to his children.
Take music lessons and learn their instruments.
They love the music and enjoy making music.
Years pass by.
Father brings the kids together.
It was not so that you could enjoy them by yourselves. I am building an orchestra, and I am inviting you on the team.

In every city God wants a house made of living stones, fitting together, a dwelling place, not for you, or I, for God’s eternal purpose and passion. It is for Him and not for us.

2. Post-church church - is about you and me, and not about God and His purpose.

The church is by Him, for Him, to Him. God is looking for a community where Christ can be seen visibly - making Christ known through the ekklesia.

The Lack of Hunger to Know Jesus Christ

Many in house churches have no passion to know Christ deeply - where is the fire to really know him to all of his depths?

Head on collision with body life - where is the hunger?

Meetings, conferences, where the revelation of Jesus Christ was so rich it filled people with awe, where some of the people in the room, nothing connects. Where is the hunger?

HC in the USA is not built on knowing Christ deeply.

Our chief pursuit is other than Jesus Christ, then we are building castles in the sand. We are blowing bubbles. We are building with straw.

Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end. Determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

To know Christ and display visibly, to one another, to those not yet in the Kingdom, and principalities and powers.


3. Replacing the Person of Christ with Methods, Techniques and Innovative Ideas

People are looking for the right method and the right technique. People rarely mention Jesus in these conversations. Jesus is easy to forget.

HC movement is not going anywhere. Give it up if it is not centred in Jesus Christ, to know Him and Him crucified. To be His bride, His Bethany, His home.

These methods and techniques are all the wrong things.

Proclaim Christ and the cross, and how to embrace Christ together and share His life together, and you will have the Church.

If Jesus is not your passion, give up trying to raise up the house of God. It all centres on Jesus.

4. Lust to Plant Thousands of House Churches - big movement mentality

The ministry of Paul of Tarsus. The best church planter because he understood God’s eternal purpose, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Ministry lasted 20 years. He planted no more than 20 churches. Those 20 churches spread the Kingdom of God to the entire world.

You cannot plant thousands of HC that will be of quality and last. God’s way is to raise up a few healthy Christ centred, authentic, organic house churches, that will be examples. It will be a deep work that lasts long. No cookie cutter operations.

3 people meeting in a home once a week. This is not church.
Ask what is the church? What is God’s eternal purpose?

God will work in and through anything!

There is something higher and richer. It is the heartbeat of God. Revealing Christ again. He is still alive. Jesus is not revealed in one member, but revealed in the body of believers. It takes time to learn how to function together and express his life together.

Finding Organic Church - Frank Viola

FINDING ORGANIC CHURCH
by Frank Viola




PREFACE
* This article is written for those who are looking for a healthy house church in their area, but have been unsuccessful at finding one.
* It is written for those who wish to start a house church, but would like some practical guidance on how.
* It is written for “simple churches” that are meeting, but desire a richer church-life experience.
* It is written for all who are involved in house church planting today.
Note: Each group (above) is addressed in different parts of the article.

INTRODUCTION

I recently attended a national house church conference. While I was there, several people requested private meetings with me. Strikingly, each person asked me the same question. It was a question that I’ve been asked numerous times in letters and emails.

Here it is:
I’ve been looking for a house church that’s experiencing organic church life where I live, but I’ve found none. I’ve been to several house church web sites and have visited six or seven of the churches listed. All of them were basically smaller versions of the institutional church. They were either traditional Bible studies or church services in a home where there was an untitled pastor leading or facilitating it. I know I’m not ready to plant a house church because the Lord hasn’t sent me, and I’ve never experienced organic church life myself. I can’t move to another city to be part of an organic church right now due to personal circumstances . . . so what can I do?

In this article, I will offer my answer to that question.

CHURCH PLANTING—TWO VIEWS

Let me begin by saying a few words about church planting. I have some good friends in the house church movement who teach that planting a church is as easy as baking a cake. Add water and stir, microwave on high for two minutes, and voila, a bonafide ekklesia is born. And . . . anyone can do it. Do I agree with this idea? Well, it depends. In one sense, yes. In another sense, no.

Through the years, I’ve learned that when people have a disagreement over a particular issue, sometimes the disagreement is rooted in a semantic problem. The definitions and paradigms that are used are drastically different. To put it in proverb form: when two seemingly valid ideas are in disagreement, draw a distinction. I wonder if some of the disagreements concerning house church planting are a case of the latter. If so, reframing the question in order to draw out a distinction may resolve the disagreement.

That said, I propose that we step back from the question of who can plant a house church and ask a more basic question: “what kind of house church are we talking about planting in the first place?” For instance: if what we mean by “house church” is a group of Christians who meet in a home once a week, share a meal, sing some songs, pray, and have a Bible study, then I would agree with those who say that virtually any Christian can start a house church. In spiritual things, you can’t duplicate that which you’ve never experienced.

If you’ve experienced salvation, for example, then you can lead others into the experience of salvation. If you’ve experienced prayer, then you can teach others how to pray, etc. Repeat: if your view of “house church” is simply meeting in a home once a week to have a shared meal, some prayer, some singing, and some Bible study, then I would say that most Christians can start such a church. Why? Because most Christians have experienced these things.

But suppose that one’s view of “house church” is something different from the above? Suppose that what we mean by “church” is a group of Christians who are living as a shared-life community under the Headship of Jesus Christ. Suppose that this kind of “church” is a gathered community that’s having an ongoing encounter and experience of Jesus Christ together.

This community gathers often, not just once a week. And when the members gather, no human being is leading or facilitating. In other words, there is no pastor, no reverend, and no minister—whether titled or untitled. Instead, the members are gathering under Christ’s Headship alone. As to their meetings, they are not a Bible study, a prayer meeting, a songfest, nor a supperfest, but something different. Namely, the church meets to reveal and display Jesus Christ together out of a real, experiential, life-giving encounter with the Lord. And everyone is functioning on equal footing. No one is dominating. And few, if any, are passive.

This is a church where the members are learning to live by Divine life together and they are finding creative ways to express that life week after week, month after month, and year after year. They are living for God’s grand mission—incarnating His eternal purpose in the world. The members of the church see themselves as sisters and brothers. And they pursue the Lord throughout the week, not only individually, but corporately.

They also live their lives together as a family. They take care of one another. They don’t just talk about community; they are experiencing it in living color. In addition, the church makes decisions by consensus. They have no pastor or elite group of men who rule over or control them. Direction comes from the entire Body together. The members have learned to function in a coordinated way.

Also, they handle their own problems as they come up. (Incidentally, when a group of Christians meets once a week for a Bible study, songfest, or supperfest, they will experience minimal problems. But when they live in authentic community, the problems are endless.) Finally, in harmony with the New Testament pattern, the church receives the help of itinerant apostolic workers who are called by God to equip and strengthen it. And those workers always leave the church on its own after laying the foundation. They don’t act as local pastors nor as distant bosses over them.

With that said, let me rephrase our original question. Can anyone plant the sort of church that I’ve described in the last few paragraphs? And can they do it without imposing rules and laws on God’s people?

In addition, can they leave the church on its own—without human headship—once they’ve laid the foundation? The answer is clearly no. And the witness of the New Testament agrees. According to the Biblical record, God has called, equipped, and gifted certain members of the Body of Christ to raise up—and help sustain—this kind of church life. The last twenty years of my experience confirms this as well. (Note that I have seen organic churches come into being spontaneously, without anyone starting them.

However, in virtually every case, that beautiful experience dies rather quickly—typically between six months and two years. There’s one exception. If it is humble enough to receive outside help, its chances of survival are very good.) In short, I have reframed the issue of who can plant a house church as a relative one rather than a black and white one where some stand one side of the fence (“anyone can plant a house church”) and others stand on the other side (“only certain people can plant house churches”).

The issue is not a black and white one. It’s a matter of seeing different shades of gray. Neither is it an issue of defining a valid house church over-against an invalid one—a superior one to an inferior one. It’s a matter of expression. Therefore, the difference between my friends and I is a relative one. Hopefully over time, this difference will shake itself out.

REVISITING THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY

So how are organic churches like the one I’ve just described planted? And more importantly, how are they sustained?

I believe the answer is the New Testament ministry of the apostle. The New Testament teaches rather clearly that the apostolic ministry is that of raising up churches (Acts 13-19; 1 Cor. 3:5-12). And Paul is very clear that not all Christians are called to this ministry.

He writes,
And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? (1 Corinthians 12:28-29, NIV)

Apostolic workers are people who are (first of all) called by God to plant churches.

They are then prepared for their ministry in the context of organic church life as non-leaders. Finally, they are sent out by a church to the work of raising up other churches. The preparation of an apostle is crucial for several reasons.

First, it teaches apostles what organic church life is all about from firsthand experience. This prevents workers from being arm-chair philosophers when they go out to plant or help new churches. Second, it allows them to receive the exposure and testing of church life, which is necessary for their breaking and spiritual maturity. (Their breaking makes them “safe” to God’s people.) Third, if they are truly called (and the church they are living in is healthy), they will receive the approval and sending of the church.

The twelve received such preparation when they lived with Jesus Christ for three-and-a-half years. They were called, prepared as non-leaders, and then sent. Silas and Barnabas received this preparation in Jerusalem for many years. They were called, prepared as non-leaders, and later sent. Paul received it in Antioch for about five years. He was called, prepared as a non-leader, and then sent. Timothy, Titus, Aristarchus, etc. received it in the churches they were part of as well (Lystra, Antioch, and Thessalonica respectively). They each were called, prepared as non-leaders, and then sent. This pattern is consistent throughout the entire New Testament. In addition, there are over thirty churches mentioned in the New Testament. Significantly, every one of them was either planted by an itinerant apostolic worker or helped by one after it was birthed.

This paradigm should not be ignored.1

(Note the word “itinerant.” This means that apostolic workers traveled. They didn’t settle down into a church to become the pastor over it.)2

Even so: Paul’s great argument in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 is that not all Christians have the same gift. So we should be very careful about stepping into a gift or calling that God has not given to us. As Paul says, If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? (1 Corinthians 12:17-19, NIV) Thank God that all “are not apostles.” Because few things are as taxing, distressing, and life-breaking than this calling. This brings us to the initial question that began this article. What about those who live in cities where there are no organic churches present? And what if they can’t relocate to be part of an organic church in another city? In addition, what if they aren’t called to or prepared for the apostolic ministry? Of course, some would say, “just plant a church in your town. It’s as simple as making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” But again: what kind of church are we talking about?

If we’re talking about a mere Bible study, a weekly songfest or supperfest, then sure, you could probably start such a group yourself. But if your vision of the church is the living, breathing, ekklesia of God . . . If your vision is an authentic community that lives by Divine life . . . Then planting such a church on your own is not only monumentally difficult, if you’re not called and equipped to do it, the end result could be quite disastrous.

Consider the following emails from two people who were part of house churches that refused to have any kind of outside help. The first is from a man:

"In the beginning of last year, we attempted to start doing home churching. All the warnings that you stated in your writings came true. We had a few moments of glory, but a lot more heartaches. We are all Christians right, and as Christians we are supposed to get along right? Well. We were 5 families meeting together for about a year. My wife and I pleaded for outside help from the very beginning, but the loudest and most prideful brothers won out. We tried very hard to convince our group that we needed help, but most folks did not want outside help. After 12 months the home church is left in ashes, but prayerfully the Lord will raise up a new church of people. People who want to learn and be humble."

This one is from a woman:

"I struggle to understand how people could even begin to think they are capable of experiencing the Lord in His fullness, just because locations have moved, without the involvement of a worker/planter. We are so ingrained with our western mindset and have no concept of the depth of that mentality. There are enough damaged/disillusioned/hurting/abused Christians that are hungering to know the Lord that it scares me to think of a bunch of them getting together without really comprehending what it means to die to self, and they end up hurting one another.

"You and I both know, it's hard living in church life. And sometimes I think we, as believers, want so badly for others to have similar experiences of knowing and touching the Lord, that we present it as something attainable. Which, in my opinion, without a worker, is near impossible. And even though you have spoken about the assumption that exists in the house church movement about any Christian being equipped and called for God's work, there are going to be those who think, House church.

"How hard can that be? Why, we've already got some folks who know how to ‘do’ this. How difficult can it be to learn about Jesus? What do we need a worker for? We're all mature Christians.‛ You hit the nail on the head in addressing the issue of individualism. We are so steeped in that, even in the Church, because most of us are unable or unwilling to count the cost (loss) of knowing Jesus Christ."

My heart is already sad for those who will overlook the importance of having a church planter from the onset. I could multiply many more examples of these sorts of letters. In fact, just last week, I received an email from a woman who had been meeting with a house church for the last year. It recently “exploded” (her words), and it wasn’t pretty. The reason was that the majority didn’t want any kind of outside help. They “knew it all” themselves.

A WORD TO SIMPLE CHURCHES

Let me get off the subject for a moment. Sometime ago, I was privileged to spend a weekend with a particular group of home churches that were connected relationally. They called themselves “simple churches.” Essentially, they met once a week for a Bible study and a shared meal. The saints in these groups were precious, and the weekend was very productive. They were introduced to fresh ways of knowing and expressing Jesus Christ together. Not to mention finding solutions to problems they had faced for years. Some testified that the weekend changed their lives. As a result, they came to appreciate the value of receiving outside help.

One of the things that struck me the most was a conversation I had with a woman who had been attending several of these home churches. As I was sharing with her what a first-century styled church meeting was like, she looked at me in amazement. I went on to explain to her my experience of being in hundreds of meetings where God’s people were equipped to display Jesus Christ in open-participatory gatherings. I rehearsed for her several occasions where unbelievers would observe such meetings in awe. They would literally fall down on their knees and come to Christ just by watching the saints express Christ together. (This very thing is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14). I explained that this kind of gathering wasn’t a Bible study. It wasn’t a songfest. It wasn’t a prayer meeting. It was something quite different. I also shared with her how the members of the church prepared for these meetings by seeking the Lord together during the week—usually in pairs, sometimes in threes, and sometimes in fours.

She said to me, “I’ve never seen this before! This is wonderful. Will Christians actually do this? Will they really do this?” She wanted to know if God’s people would actually take the time to know the Lord in this way and express Him in a gathering in this fashion. In other words, she had never seen anything like this in the simple churches she was attending. My response to her was simply: “They will do it if they desire to see Christ revealed in this way and they are given a little help. I’ve been at this for twenty years, and that’s what my experience tells me.”

I told that story to say this. If you’re part of a simple church that feels there’s something lacking in your experience of church life and how it expresses Jesus Christ, give some prayerful consideration to inviting an experienced worker in to present the Lord to your group in a new way and “equip the saints” to function accordingly. You just may be surprised at how helpful and enriching the experience can be. Let’s now press on to what I believe to be a solution to the quandary we’ve been discussing. There is hope for those of you who can’t find an organic church in your town and can’t relocate to be part of one in another city.

THE FORGOTTEN MINISTRY OF PRISCILLA AND AQUILA

Paul uses two metaphors to describe the apostolic ministry in 1 Corinthians 3. One is the metaphor of planting a field. The other is the metaphor of laying a foundation for a building. For this reason, apostles are often called “church planters” and “foundation layers.” The foundation that is laid and the seed that is planted is Jesus Christ. Thus those who are called to apostolic ministry must know Christ well. They must also know how to show others how to know Him well. Why is this important? Because Jesus Christ is the only foundation for a church. Therefore, a revelation of Christ must be presented in order for a healthy organic church to be established.

This is how all the churches in the first century were planted.3 Christ was proclaimed and revealed with power and life (see Acts 13-20; 1 Cor. 3; Matt. 16; Eph. 2). Again: apostolic workers don’t come out of the womb planting churches. They are called by God, then they are prepared by experiencing the glories and gores of organic church life as non-leaders. Finally, they are sent out by a church to the work of church planting. (The word “apostle” literally means “sent one.”) Now consider these questions with me. Is there any work that needs to take place before a foundation is laid for a building?

Is there any work that must take place before seed is properly planted into the ground? The answer to both questions is a resounding yes. Before the foundation of a building is laid, something called “site preparation” must take place. The following is involved in site preparation: the soil must be tested. The ground must be cleared of any debris. The site must be graded, i.e. the high places must be leveled and the low places raised. Footings must be set in order to hold the foundation. And the building materials must be gathered. In like manner, before seed is planted in a field, the fallow ground must be broken up. The earth must be tilled, the ground cultivated, and the weeds pulled. Carrying this over into the spiritual realm, some work must be done before an apostle lays a foundation and plants a church. Priscilla and Aquila did this kind of work. This dynamic duo were “site preparers” and “ground cultivators” who prepared the way for Paul to plant churches.

By contrast, many contemporary churches—including many house churches—are not planted on the foundation of Jesus Christ. They are founded on something else, be it a certain set of doctrines, a charismatic personality, a particular mission, etc. Therefore, just because a church may consist of genuine Christians does not mean that it was founded upon Christ.

For this reason, Paul regarded them as “fellow workers” (Rom. 16:3). And the Gentile churches were indebted to them (Rom. 16:4). Although Priscilla and Aquila were not apostles, nor resident pastors, they were an integral part of “the work” of raising up churches. With this thought in mind, let’s return to our original question. If you desire to have organic church life, yet you cannot relocate, nor are you called (or prepared) to plant churches, then become a Priscilla and Aquila! Give yourself to the ministry of “site preparation.” And prepare the way for a church planter to lay a proper foundation for a new church so that God’s people can be equipped to function under the Headship of Jesus Christ and live as a Kingdom community.

A large part of the ministry of “site preparation” is to provide a womb wherein the church of Jesus Christ can be born. In the Kingdom of God, there are “initiators.” These are people who are gifted at gathering others together. They initiate meetings. Or to continue the metaphor, they gather the building materials. The ministry of Priscilla and Aquila was just that—they were initiators in the work of church building.

Every new church plant needs those who will initiate, who will bring others together, and who will prepare the soil for the church planter to do his work. The church planters’ job, once they visit the new group, is to build the members together whereby everyone becomes an initiator, and no one “leads” the group except for the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. But before this can happen, at least one or two people need to initiate and prepare the site.

Important observation: If the “initiators” do not take the second step and invite an apostolic worker in to lay the foundation and equip the new church to function under Christ, then those “initiators” will become the pastors of the group by default. Whether this happens wittingly or unwittingly, it will occur. Everyone in the group will look to these people for direction. The result? The group will become a miniature version of the institutional church. In my observation, the above scenario is happening all-too often in our day.

Church planters, because they are itinerant and constitute an outside resource for the group, keep this from happening. (Note that I’m speaking of church planters who are safe and trustworthy. False “apostles” abound. Workers who are legalistic, corrupt, arrogant, sectarian, or elitist end up doing great damage to the Kingdom of God.)

PREPARING THE SITE AND CULTIVATING THE GROUND

Let’s quickly look at how Priscilla and Aquila prepared the way for Paul to raise up churches. Before Paul went to the city of Ephesus to plant a church there, he sent Priscilla and Aquila ahead of him to prepare the building site (Acts 18:19). Priscilla and Aquila visited the synagogue to look for open hearts. They then opened their home to gather “building materials” for the new church plant (Acts 18:26). When Paul returned to Ephesus to plant the church (Acts 19), the members met in the home of Priscilla and Aquila (see 1 Cor. 16:19—Paul wrote this letter from Ephesus). Later, Priscilla and Aquila went back to their home-city, Rome, and opened up their house for a new church to gather (Rom. 16:3-5). Some scholars believe that Paul sent the couple back to Rome early to prepare the way for him to visit the city—just as he did in Ephesus.

New Testament scholars William Sanday and Arthur Headlam observe, That Prisca and Aquila should be at Rome is just what we might expect from one with so keen an eye for the strategy of a situation as St. Paul. When he was himself established and in full work at Ephesus with the intention of visiting Rome, it would at once occur to him what valuable work they might be doing there and what an excellent preparation they might make for his own visit, while in his immediate surroundings they were almost superfluous. So that instead of presenting any difficulty, that he should send them back to Rome where they were already known, is most natural (A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans).

As the New Testament closes, we find Priscilla and Aquila back in Ephesus (2 Tim. 4:19—Timothy was in Ephesus when Paul wrote to him). The preparation work of Priscilla and Aquila followed the same pattern of John the Baptist. John “prepared the way” for the first apostle—Jesus Christ—to do His work (see Heb. 3:1).

It is not without significance that many of the Lord’s disciples were first followers of John the Baptist. Consequently, John “prepared the site” and “cultivated the ground” before Jesus raised up the first embryonic expression of the church—which was made up of the twelve disciples and some women in Galilee. In a similar way, Cornelius, one of the first Gentile converts, gathered the building materials before Peter came and laid the foundation for the church in Caesarea. The text says, The following day he [Peter] arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. (Acts 10:24)

PRACTICAL STEPS

So . . . perhaps the Lord has called you to the “site preparation” ministry of Priscilla and Aquila in the city where you live. Or perhaps He desires to send you to another city to prepare the ground for a new church plant there. Either way: what follows are some practical helps that will aid you in your work of site preparation.

If you have eight adults (yourself included) who are committed to being church together, than I suggest that your group go through the booklet entitled Gathering in Homes. This is a practical guide that has been used by scores of new organic church plants to prepare the site for a strong foundation to be laid. It teaches a group of believers how to detox from an institutional/religious mindset, learn how to build community, and begin discovering how to function together as a Body. If you already have “critical mass” (eight adults or more) and you wish to invite a church planter to visit your group, either to lay a new foundation or to help build upon an existing one, you may contact www.HouseChurchResource.org and click on the “Invite a Church Planter” link. Be sure to fill out the entire form. If you do not have eight adults who are committed to meeting as an organic church, what follows are some practical ideas to implement. These have worked well in various cities to generate interest and create “critical mass.” (They don’t appear in any particular order.)

• Begin passing out books to your friends on organic church life. I wrote Reimagining Church for this very reason; to introduce the subject to others.
• Have a BBQ or picnic and invite those who have read these books to your home to discuss the possibilities of meeting as an organic house church. Do this regularly if need be. If you can get eight adults interested, begin going through the assignments in Gathering in Homes together.
• If you have friends who aren't readers, pass out the little booklet The Organic Church by Milt Rodriguez.
• Begin a “Book Reading Group” in your local area.
• Advertise in your local Christian bookstores, newspapers, Christian radio, Barnes & Nobles, Borders, Books-a-Million, www.MeetUp.com, etc. Meet weekly and discuss one to three chapters at a time. Offer snacks and refreshments. I’d suggest choosing a book that’s listed at www.HouseChurchResource.org (see the “Books” link).
• Regularly pray that the Lord will raise up an organic church in your area. Ask Him to cause you to meet those who are interested in organic church life also.
• If you have the gift of evangelism, seek to bring others to the Lord who will become the ground floor of the new church.
• Visit www.HouseChurchResource.org and click on the “Find an Organic Church” link. Fill out the form in its entirety. If there are others in your city who have an interest in organic church life, you will be put in contact with them.
• Invite a church planter to host a weekend conference in your city. Hosting a conference takes time, energy, and money. If you are interested in exploring this option, write Jeanette at PTMIN@aol.com.

CONCLUSION

I hope that God will raise up many Priscillas and Aquilas all over North America and other countries. To my mind, the ministry of “site preparation/ground cultivation” is just as important as that of planting churches. Before a foundation can be laid, and before seed can be planted, the ground needs to be made ready and the building materials gathered. Prayerfully consider giving yourself to the Lord in this way. The Kingdom of God needs those who will stand in the lineage of Priscilla and Aquila so that God’s house may be raised up all over this earth.

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1 First-century apostles planted churches by converting lost souls to Christ and forming them together into a believing community. This is because the first century was a “virgin-soil” situation. There were no independent Christians who weren’t living in Christian community. Such a situation did not exist back then. Note that the early apostles were not only gifted to convert lost souls, but also (and equally important) to build Christian communities. Contemporary apostolic workers do both. They convert lost souls, but they also build communities with existing converts. They are gifted to take isolated living stones and build them together so they may become a temple that expresses God through the Spirit. Today, we have millions of Christians in the West who are living outside of their natural habitat—the ekklesia. They are like isolated living stones. A large part of the apostolic ministry today is to bring those stones together to form Christian communities. And this is no small task. Thus the New Testament paradigm applies today just as it did in the first century.

2 Some apostles, like Peter and John, were resident elders as well as apostles. When they were in their home church, they served as elders. When they traveled and laid foundations for other churches, they functioned as apostles. In like manner, Paul of Tarsus was a prophet and a teacher in the church in Antioch, Syria. But when he traveled, he was an apostle to other churches.
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http://www.FromEternitytoHere.org
http://www.ReimaginingChurch.org

NOTE TO WEB MASTERS AND BLOGGERS: you are free to link to this article and quote excerpts from it, but please do not post it on your web site or blog. The link is:

www.ptmin.org/findingchurch.pdf

If you wish to dialogue with Frank about this article, you may email him at Violabooks@aol.com Frank is blogging now at: www.frankviola.wordpress.com/

IF YOU ARE A HOUSE CHURCH LEADER OR SOMEONE WHO FEELS CALLED TO PLANT HOUSE CHURCHES, we recommend the audio CD – The House Church Movement: Learning from the Past – Pioneering for the Future. Order at www.ptmin.org/audiocd.htm

Copyright © 2007 Present Testimony Ministry www.ptmin.org

A Letter (via email) From David Jerald from India

[David Jerald and Sam Buick at the Starfish Winter Retreat, March 2009]

Dear Friends in Christ.

Greetings in the precious Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

On 10th April I arrived at Chennai airport from Toronto and travelled to my village in India 17 hours by train, When I came here a poor farmer who is a believer called me to his home for a fellowship, I went there and spent about an hour in their home, I got several mosquito bits and in another 10 hours I got a very bad malaria fever which brought very bad body pain, especially drowsiness, very high body temperature and I called a senior lady doctor from our Mission Dr. Mary Bai who brought several medications and she took me to the Missionary Hospital and I was admitted as in patient and by the grace of God I was healed perfectly from malaria and today I started looking our Missionary office works and I am sorry for the late acknowledgment to all my brothers and sisters who helped prayed for the missions in India in many ways while I was in Canada, I will continue to send news from India Mission.

With Love and Prayers

David Jerald, India Missionary.

Winter Retreat Audio & PowerPoint

Blessings!

Check out the website, and check the photos from the Winter Retreat and the audio and PowerPoints.

Winter Retreat Friday Night March 6, 2009 * Photos

Winter Retreat Saturday March 7, 2009 Part 1 * Photos, Audio (Rad), Audio (Sam), PowerPoints (Rad & Sam)

Winter Retreat Saturday March 7, 2009 Part 2 * Photos, Audio (Marc), PowerPoint

Winter Retreat Sunday March 8, 2009 * Photos

If you missed the Winter Retreat, you can enjoy the audio with PowerPoint right here for download. If you want to relive the moments, you can do likewise! :)

Enjoy!

Sam

Article on Frank Viola's new book "God's Eternal Purpose"

The Mar 09 issue of Next-Wave is online

Dear Friends and Readers of Next-Wave Ezine:

Just a quick note to let you know that the current issue of Next-Wave has just been published. We hope you will take the time to read the articles and join in the conversation by commenting.

Cover Story: Video Venues: The Death of Preaching by Bob Hyatt

Featured Article: God's Eternal Purpose --- A Critical Addition to the Missional Conversation by Frank Viola

and many more...
Thank you for your continued support,
Charlie Wear
Publisher, Next-Wave