SimpleChurch Journal

Blogging by Email

Hanging out in San Diego for a couple of days this week and wanted to try out posting by email. If this is posted it means that it worked!

Before rambling further, I just want to mention that the previous post on "Ritual and Institutionalizing" continues to grow in comments. If you haven't jumped in on that one, you might want to take a look.

We did grandkids for a day and then took a day to wander around Balboa Park which is filled with museums and art institutes. Enjoyed seeing the portrayal of religious icons and artistic expressions of various ages. It is interesting how much the development of artistic expression has been tied to the church's willingness to invest in it.

Also spent some time in the Museum of Aeronautics.
Fascinating to study the passion and courage of the pioneers of human flight. While most of the world considered the idea to be foolishness, these men and women pursued dreams that ultimately changed the world. Might be some parallels here in how I sometimes feel in wanting to see churches that actually take flight. It sometimes feels like foolishness... and perhaps it is... yet I cannot shake the dream.

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Creating Rituals Without Institutionalizing

My friend, Steve Bogner, over at Catholicism, Holiness, and Spirituality, raises the issue of the importance of ritual in maintaining our joy, creativity, and spirituality. Those of us who seek to "de-institutionalize" church must wrestle with the importance of ritual and how to create it within our contexts.

First, I quote from Steve:

Why have we lost joy, why are we jaded, what are our rituals? Those are great questions. As I read blogs and various other publications I see a lack of joy and a lot of jaded talk in many of them. As I travel around the country, I definitely see a lack of joy, and lots of jaded behavior. I think traveling brings out the worst in many people. And rituals? Who has time for them!?

And so I wonder about all this lack of joy, creativity, rituals and so on. I wonder about our collective cyncisim, jadedness (is that a word?). And to me, it seems to all point back to a lack of holiness & spirituality. It seems to me that true holiness and a living spirituality naturally bring joy to our souls that radiates out to affect those around us. It brings hope, optimism and love. Ritual plays an important role in all this too - it can provide a rich environment for all this to grow and develop. The ritual of Mass and a good liturgy does a lot in reinforcing/building my spirituality. Of course, good liturgy has a lot of subjective criteria. What's good for me might not be good for you.

Ritual, as well as what Dallas Willard would call "disciplines", are building blocks for living truly spiritual and creative Kingdom lives. Without this (I agree with Steve) we will end up without joy or delight. Yet many of us have seen certain rituals become empty shells and disciplines become guilt-driven enslavement. As Steve said, this is very subjective. One ritual might be life-giving for one and death-producing for another.

All of which brings us to the question of how our non-institutionalized communities can create ritual that is life-giving and spirituality-promoting.

Believe me, I have more questions than answers on this point. I do know that we need to remain fluid. The value of simple/organic communities is that ritual can be quickly developed and just as quickly discarded for something new. We therefore have the opportunity to try to develop "right now" rituals that meet the needs of those involved-- right now. In a sense, like everything else, this becomes a community project as the collective group can define together what rituals will be life-giving for the present season of their lives.

I can see the value of taking the time to look at our existing rituals: when we gather, what we do when we gather, what we don't do. Then, since rituals go beyond "the service", I can also see us discussing how we interact with God and each other throughout the week, month, and year. This includes topics such as small group gatherings, prayer meetings of many different sorts, retreats, etc., etc. The point is to allow the community to begin to wrestle with what is collectively life-giving and then structure, yes, structure, these things into our community life.

For me, de-institutionalizing church does not mean the absence of structure. That's not possible! But it does mean developing structures and rituals that support life right now, and then being willing to carry on discussions so that structures can change as needs and opportunities change.

I see this topic as needing to be regularly introduced for discussion in our church family gatherings.

Living in the Unexpected

I saw this article on "Flash Mobs." People wanting to be involved in the unexpected:

Last summer in Minneapolis, a mob of about 250 people quietly collected in a hotel lobby and stood shoulder-to-shoulder for 12 minutes. Then they all erupted in applause for 15 seconds and just walked away.

These “flash mobs” are part of a trend that started in New York. Some people call them performance art; others call them an annoyance. People show up in a public place, do whatever action has been pre-arranged, then disperse as if nothing has happened. NYC’s Mob Project organizer says, “People feel like there’s nothing but order everywhere . . . and so they love to be a part of just one thing that nobody was expecting.”

This says something to me about our desire to be part of something unexpected and out of the ordinary. Imagine what it was like to follow Jesus around... talk about unexpected things happening all the time!

I'm just thinking that, perhaps, the Holy Spirit wants to orchestrate a "flash mob" here or there: kingdom people doing the unexpected-- kingdom things. I wonder just how open I am to this? Kind of exciting to think about!

Hallmarks of the Changing Church

Did a workshop last night on "The Changing Face of Church."

We discussed six hallmarks of the changes that seem to be taking place. The first was that believers are seeing themselves as "Jesus People" first. In other words, we are, first and foremost, simply God's children. We belong to Him; our allegiance is to Him; our identity is in Him; we live in Him. He is everything. This is in opposition to finding our identity first in our "church" or our ministry or our anything else. We have allowed the gathering of church, the organization of church, or even the newest form of church, to define how we live our Christian lives and what it means to be a Christian.

The church--that gathering of God's people--is secondary to just being God's people. We must be Jesus people first. Then, when we gather, church is taking place. When we go, the church is taking place missionally. When we pray, church is taking place. Church evolves naturally out of the experience of being a person of Christ--a Jesus person.

I still remember (sorry, I really am that old) the Jesus People movement of the early 70s. It was, indeed, a movement. Young people were coming to Christ on streets, meeting in coffee shops, praying in houses, worshipping at the beach. Church was happening anywhere and everywhere because the Jesus people were just doing it as a result of the lifestyle of the Spirit. "Church" took place naturally anywhere and everywhere as an outcome of Christians living Spirit-led lives.

The media came up with the term "Jesus people" because they had no other definitions to use. There was no church nor denomination to define them by... so they simply dubbed them, well, they were following Jesus, and they were people... so, "Jesus people." The impact of these young people was so apparent that it was the media, again, that called it a "movement." The church had come out of the box-- no organization, no institution... just people living for God all over the place. A movement! Hmm. Something like how church was originally expressed.

Whatever God is doing in His church today it must begin with Christians again finding their identity and life in simply being Jesus people. Belonging to one God and one church, led by the Spirit, rising up with the eagle's wings that belong to those who follow Jesus. All the rest of what "church" becomes and looks like is secondary. It will come out of people living Jesus lives.

(House Church Blog is an interactive forum for house church, church planting, and related topics. Feel free to post comments!)

House Church Basics-- Pt. 8: It's All About Jesus

The focal of point house church, simple church, organic church, emerging church or any other way to describe church is simply four words: It’s all about Jesus.

Everything we have discussed in our “House Church Basics” is not an attempt to build a better church box. Rather, it is an attempt to make everything, absolutely everything, about Jesus.

We have discussed the definition of church: a Spirit-led people-movement, not an organization or a box. Why is this essential? Because Jesus leads His movement; men lead organizations. Church-as-a-movement allows Jesus to be central.

We have discussed the church as participatory. This is what allows Jesus to most fully express Himself through His Body and thus be present in the midst of His people.

We have seen that the church is missional. Jesus is missional. He was sent to bring Kingdom life. He is still sending. The church missional is a church with Jesus expressing His core purpose.

The church must be relational because God Himself exists in relationship and His people are designed to express Jesus fully by one-anothering. Love, one to another, expresses Jesus like nothing else.

All of these concepts of “church” are significant only because they place Jesus at the center of His people. No other reason.

Jesus is seen through servant-leaders not CEO-leaders. Thus the importance of how leadership is walked out.

Jesus is seen when the least, the helpless, and the children are honored and loved. Thus the significance of living daily, Kingdom lives: “being” Jesus’ church everywhere we go.

The church is the church when it’s all about the Initiator, the Originator, the Instigator, the Sacrificial Lamb of the Church. There is no other focal point, no other reason, no other point, no other motivation, no other structure… just the Person of Jesus living His life through His people… and His people inviting Him to do so.

I see no better way to sum this up then quoting, in full, from Jim May as posted at WaterCarriers:

Back To Jesus Alone

When you can't figure out whether to sit at His feet, walk in a manner worthy of His call, stand in battle, or run the race with diligence, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When you can't even remember: The twenty-two characteristics of a good wife or husband, the seven steps of appeal to authority, the eight things to do when you are worried, or the nine ways of love, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When the proof of authority is simply "they say: and, "they say" have faith, just trust, let go. And let God; and "they say" just love, have joy, receive peace, and pray, and you can't figure out who "they" are, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When your pastor says: hear the word, read the word, memorize the word, study the word, and meditate on the word, and you are lost in the middle of Leviticus or Revelation, and Jeremiah is just too much, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When you hear: it is pre, mid, post, a, or pan, don't take the "mark," it is "time, time and half a time," and you can't get through the next hour, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When you hear testimonies of others: raising the dead, praying all night, fasting forty days, leading thousands to the Lord, and memorizing the entire Bible, and you hear it through someone who hasn't done any of it, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When you hear: have faith, work hard, repent, conquer, give, suffer, sacrifice, evangelize, make disciples, wait on Him, walk in Him, pick up your cross, claim your possessions, and pray, and you feel pulled then different directions on a rack, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When it's: home school, Christian school, public school, the school of hard knocks, or no school, and the discussion is heating up, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When you are getting a multitude of requests and letters to give to TBN, CBN, CMA, CCC, BOM, LCM, CFNI, CORE, YWAM, IVF, YFC, 700 Club, PTL Club, and the health club, CBS..ABC...XYZ... It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When you can't figure out whether to wash the dishes, do the laundry, have quiet time, change a diaper, mow the grass, or read, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When it is running the car to soccer, volleyball, softball, basketball, handball, football, or just plain ball, and you feel the rod is your home, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When your critics have watched religious TV all week and expect you to preach like Jimmy Swaggert, exercise faith like Kenneth Copeland, build glass monuments like Robert Schuller, heal like Oral Roberts, motivate like Norman Vincent Peale, and you can't stand to watch any of them, It is time to get back to Jesus alone. . .

When you are asked, "How's it going at you church?" and , to you it means, "Ask me how it's going at mine," and you know you are about to hear about: a huge explosion of numbers, miracles, tongues, radio broadcasts, and seminars, and you feel like a failure, It is time to get back to Jesus alone. . .

When you are overweight and feel like running by the mirror and people are suggesting: spas, running, jogging, cycling, swimming, weight watchers, triathalons, biathalons, and trampalons, and you are out of breath just thinking, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When you have gone to your fifth conference this year that claimed "this is it," and you tried "it," and "it" didn't work, and the guy left town with your $200, and you can't get a hold of him to ask why "it" didn't work, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When opinions have become like belly buttons- everyone has one, and you are sick of "inners" and "outers," square knots and granny knots, and you run into Proverbs 18:2: "A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own opinion," and you've been fooled, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When you just found out you were in the 51.4% majority and the society is insane, so you are agreeing with a crazy norm, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

When you heard another” thus saith the Lord," that contradicted the last "word from the Lord," that was contrary to the previous "the Lord told me," and you finally get the picture that the Lord is being dragged into things He never said, It is time to get back to Jesus alone . . .

It is time to separate His commands from Christian demands. It is time to hear Him speak the Word. It is time to simplify. It is time for one step at a time. It is time to consider some lilies and birds. It is time for the secret place with Him alone.

(House Church Blog is an interactive forum for house church, church planting, and related topics. Feel free to post comments!)

Relational Christianity

(If you are looking for House Church Basics, scroll down two posts).

I feel like a fish out of water!

When my traditional church world began to rock I became aware of many parts of that culture that were no longer working for me: the leadership set-up, the non-participatory performance-type services, the consumer mentality, etc. But nothing stood out in greater relief than the reality that true, honest, nitty-gritty, heart-engaged relationships are not a priority.

I see in Scripture just the opposite with over 50 "one another" verses describing a church that seemed to be built on people-to-people dynamics: love one another, accept one another, bear one another's burdens, etc. The type of church culture described in Scripture seems to place all of the elements of church life (worship, discipleship, learning, growing, giving to others) within the context of relationship. For example, you will never find a discipleship program or conference in Scripture, but you will see exhortations for older saints to teach and mentor the younger ones. In other words, within the church family, faith was passed on from one to another in a relational/modeling context.

My own experience has also caused me to value relationships as necessary soil for real spiritual formation as well as growth in all areas of my faith. When I experience vulnerable, real, committed, life-giving relationships, I am in good soil. Even when these relationships cause discomfort because of conflicts and misunderstandings, I am still in good soil. This seems to be, for me, the place where I am able to grow, change, and experience God's work of grace like nowhere else. This has become so obvious to me that I can barely comprehend a Christian life or culture that is not seeking, as a priority, to live out of deepening, growing relationships.

Sadly, as I meander through the Body of Christ at large, I not only see little of this, I see few that are even remotely interested in it. That's what I meant by feeling like a fish out of water.

I actually find myself questioning myself on this issue: "Why am I so different? Why are so many content to run here and there for their spiritual life and maintain mostly superficial Christian relationships? Why are there so few people 'like me?'"

I mean, I really don't get it. I see Christians who will change churches and, in the process, completely change their friendships. Church affinity is more important than our long-term, life-time process of developing relationships? If we are able to do this, are we learning, really, what it is to love people, or is that just some surface concept?

There are many people in my life, people whom I love, who clearly had no desire to reciprocate any level of relationship with me once I changed roles from "their pastor" to "just another believer in the community." I find it sad. Not just for myself (though it does hurt), but also for them as I realize that they care more about having some superficial roles and structure in their life than having real relationships.

Instead of pursuing the relational intimacy that, I believe, we really need, we substitute many things: constant activity, spiritual hype, taking on an "honored" role within our church, "ministering" to others, going to conferences, gaining knowledge, etc., etc.

Ah, me! Is it just me? Am I the only fish out of water?

RSS Feeds

(If you are looking for "House Church Basics" scroll on down to the next post).

CNN ran an article this past week describing how blogging and, in particular, RSS feeds are going to change the way that we surf the web. The article says:

If I'm saying the Web is changing and that you'd better get on board or miss out, I'd better be prepared to back it up. I believe I can.

If you like reading blogs and/or want to see how we will be surfing the web in the future, take a look at the article.

House Church Basics Pt. 7: What About Children?

This is usually the first question asked when it comes to house churches: “What about children?

The implication, of course, is that children are going to lose out if there is not an array of formal children’s programs to teach and take care of the children.

The assumption is that the “Sunday School” program provided by traditional churches is the best way to raise up spiritual kids. The fact is, the majority of children raised in these programs exit youth group after high school (if they have lasted that long) and do not become regular church-goers. This is not to say that something of value didn’t take place, but it does point out that we are not getting the “results” that we hoped for.

I believe there is potential in the House Church for far better results.

Why?

First of all, children will spend more time with their families in worship and seeing their family members involved in spiritual activities.

Dan Trotter writes:

Jesus never, ever said: "Suffer the little children to be packed away in the nursery." Can you imagine the children being led to Children's Church during the Sermon on the Mount?

The churches were in the home, families lived in homes, children lived in families, and therefore, children met with the church in the home. And despite the Scriptural silence on kids and church, I can guarantee one thing: there weren't any Sunday Schools and Children's Churches.

Children need to be in families who are modeling their own spiritual life. This is more important than 1,000 teaching sessions on faith in Christ.

A Third Day article says:

If they [children] see parents with faith, they have faith. If they see parents with adoration of all God has created, they get adoration of God’s creation. If they see parents who truly believe God will provide what they need, they believe God provides.

House church provides far more opportunity for this to happen as children are integrated into the life of “real” church. They will see their parents actively participating in worship, fellowship, communion, and the word—not as spectators but as participants.

Secondly, in house church, children will experience what it means to be brought up within the context of a family. The importance of this cannot be overstressed. Faith is caught through quality relationships not quality programs! This is essential to grasp!

Wayne Jacobsen says it very well:

But don't our children need church activities? I'd suggest that what they need most is to be integrated into God's life through relational fellowship with other believers. 92% of children who grow up in Sunday schools with all the puppets and high-powered entertainment, leave 'church' when they leave their parents' home. Instead of filling our children with ethics and rules we need to demonstrate how to live in God's life together.

Even sociologists tell us that the #1 factor in determining whether a child will thrive in society is if they have deep, personal friendships with non-relative adults. No Sunday school can fill that role. I know of one community in Australia who after 20 years of sharing God's life together as families could say that they had not lost one child to the faith as they grew into adulthood. I know I cut across the grain here, but it is far more important that our children experience real fellowship among believers rather than the bells and whistles of a slick children's program.

You will never survive in house church with children unless you really grasp and believe what Wayne wrote: “It is far more important that our children experience real fellowship among believers rather than the bells and whistles of a slick children's program.”

To this, I add the point already made: “It is far more important that children are around their parents actively engaged in spiritual activities than being shuffled off to “children’s” programs.

Now, if these points are grasped, it becomes much easier and less frightening to begin to talk about the practical issues of doing house church with children.

No, it’s not simple, and yes, it’s sometimes messy. From our own experiences, it requires ongoing discussion within the church… and this is good. Working with our children in our own homes requires an ongoing discussion between the parents. The same is true at church. If we are going to provide for their spiritual needs while also balancing the needs of adults, it requires ongoing, frequent discussion.

We are discovering that there are as many different ways of working with children as there are house churches. For those that want a little guidance, I first refer you back to Dan Trotter’s article where he provides seven practical suggestions for working with children.

At home-church.org there is a slew of responses from house churches who were asked to share their experiences with children. If you want to really “get into” the practical side of this, be sure to read the responses.

Above all, don’t underestimate our children. They are part of the church; they are filled with the same Spirit as the adults. They are able to adapt and they are able to participate as members of the Body of Christ.

As a Third Day article says:

When children are viewed as part of the group, part of the family, they will make the necessary adjustments to be a part. Children will adapt. The adults are the one’s who need to check their view on including children in their church life. Parents should be helping their children make the adjustments but the whole group participates in their attitude toward children. Be prepared to see and hear some wonderful things from the kids.

The final chapter on working with children has not been written. This is an area for prayer, creativity, experimentation, and risk-taking. But let’s not be afraid to do all of this. House churches, just be their nature, have more to offer children than, perhaps, any other setting.

What’s your ideas on this?

Go to Part 8: It's All About Jesus

(House Church Blog is an interactive forum for house church, church planting, and related topics. Feel free to post comments!)

House Church Basics Pt. 6: HC Networks-- A Wave Is Coming

Simple churches, connected together as a "network," are already becoming a "new wave" type phenomenon.

The concept of a network of house churches invites individual house churches to thrive within a larger community.

In the New Testament, we see churches that met in houses and gathered anywhere. But we also see the larger context of city-wide churches: the church of Ephesus, the church of Philippi, etc.

The networking together of house churches is biblical and provides many benefits:
• The fellowship together of a greater variety of Christians with a greater diversity of gifts
• The joint support of ministries, missions, or charitable needs
• Community-wide activities
• Opportunity for larger celebration events

Networks can function in different ways. They may be highly informal, connected only by an occasional joint gathering or special times to share ideas with one another. Or, they may be more formally networked together as “sister” churches that function with many common goals and projects. We use the term “cluster” for a group of house churches that are closely related.

Either way, it’s important that networks do not become a way to exercise centralized control. They are simply a larger context for autonomous churches to be part of.

It is important to understand that house church networks are not at all the same as churches that are small-group based. Many churches, today, refer to their small groups as “house churches,” however they are still small-group based churches as opposed to house church networks.

If you are unclear about the difference between a house church network and a church of small groups, be sure to read this article.

House church networks are one form that God is using to bring us into a transformation of church. Many people are envisioning that this kind of church (and others like it) will affect every community in the USA.

Mike Steele, DAWN Ministries, says this:

I believe we will see a day when some cities will be “filled with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea!”… Communities will be filled with lighthouses, gatherings of believers who “are” the church and reach out to bless their neighbors and restore neighborhoods. There will be a rapid multiplication of New Testament communities across this continent”

Larry Kreider, in his book on House Church Networks predicts that:

Within the next ten to fifteen years, I believe these new house church networks will dot the landscape of North America just as they already do in other nations of the world.

And Neil Cole, who has been planting organic churches for several years, suggests that a wave is coming, and the swell is already evident:

Yes, it is true that house churches have not proliferated across the western world like in China, South America or Africa. It is also true that they have been shortsighted and inwardly focused in the past and not only incapable of reproducing...but not necessarily something you would want to reproduce. They often were seen as stock piling weapons and full of fanatical teachings.

But the Lord is now starting a new work...and I dare say you don't want to miss the wave! It began two years ago and is gaining momentum every month. There is not a single event or person at the core beginning of this...only Jesus. But it suddenly started happening.

In the last two years the Lord has simultaneously and even spontaneously risen up a variety of expanding house church networks all across the country. I will mention a few examples, site some websites, and tell you our story and hope that helps.

1. House2House magazine started and in about a year has gone from 0-30,000 in circulation. Tony, Felicity and Jonathan Dale publish it out of Austin Texas. They also have a growing network of house churches.

2. John White is in Denver and he also leads a growing network of house churches. He is also is a house church coach and sends a regular email out to many people all over the country.

3. Jonathan Campbell is in the Seattle area and has been at this for some years now. He has a house church network that is in several different states. He received his Ph.D. from Fuller on some of these subjects.

4. Vineyard Central in Cincinnati has transitioned from a traditional Vineyard church into an expanding network of house churches. In the last year they went from 10 to 20 churches. Kevin Raines and Dave Nixon (among others) are the key leaders in this movement.

5. Apex is a network of house churches in Las Vegas (and three other states as well). They have about 25 churches. Joe Boyd and Greg Hubbard are leading this network.

6. Summit is a network of about 12 house churches in the Portland area under the leadership of Dan and Jodi Mayhew.

7. The Friends Church in the Northwest has been doing this for a couple years now and have 20-25 organic churches all over the pacific Northwest. Harold Behr is the one facilitating that movement.

8. Robert Fitts is called by God to go around casting vision for an expanding house church movement and has many who are following his simple four step strategy. He is from Hawaii (but most of the time he is in someone's living room humbly sharing his story and vision with a new friend somewhere else in the US).

9. Mike Steele with DAWN Ministries is networking the networks and could tell you of even more people including some in Canada.

10. A new emerging network of So Baptist churches in the Dallas and Houston area. Joe Cartwright is starting one. Jim Mellon, Dave Underwood, and others are behind these new churches.

This is all new and NOW. This is one of the only segments of Christianity that is seeing a rapid increase in the Western world...and its a dramatic increase.

Here's our last couple of years...

1999 we started 10 house churches.
2000 we started 18
2001 we started 52 (average of a church a week)
2002 we have already passed 100 and are on course for 140-160 (this year alone)

If you chart that growth you'll see what I mean by a new wave that is coming!

Wow!

Go To Part 7: What About Children?

We Are Workers Not Master Builders

Steve Bogner quotes Archbishop Oscar Romero who puts it all into perspective:

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation
in realizing that. This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well. It may be incomplete,
but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen.

(House Church Blog is an interactive forum for house church, church planting, and related topics. Feel free to post comments!)