Welcome to this Special Edition

Lets get this issue into the hands of every person we know who is interested in what the Holy Spirit is doing through simpler expressions of church life.

WHY SPECIAL?
1). From here on out, anyone who requests a copy of the magazine for the first time will be sent this issue. 2). We are using this issue to help people in a variety of other countries who are interested in having their own house church magazine. 10,000 of this issue will be going to church leaders in continental Europe, another couple of thousand across the UK, more into India, Australia, New Zealand, etc. Pray for the impact of the magazine around the world. 3). Many churches have asked for an issue that they can use to pass out in bulk to friends, neighbors, etc. that will help to explain what is going on in churches like this. Well, this is it. Order as many as you can put to use.

4). This is actually the 7th issue to go out. Who would have believed when the first issue went out in March of 2001, that by this stage we would be printing 50,000 for a Special Issue? What a privilege to be a part of these church planting movements that the Holy Spirit is initiating all over the world.

raised by donations. But that money is now about to end!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

To continue to operate at our current level, and to expand to meet the demand in countries around the world, we are praying for the following: 1). 300 churches who will give at least $100 per month, and 2). 3000 individuals who will give $10 per month to support the magazine.

SO HOW ON EARTH IS ALL OF THIS FINANCED?

Im so glad you asked! Gods grace, would be the simple answer. We decided about a year ago, that the way to get the magazine into the hands of more people was by making it freely available to all who request it. In the process we hoped that those who believe in what the magazine is saying and accomplishing around the world would get behind it financially. Dawn Ministries, a group encouraging saturation church planting around the world, have stood behind us over the past year by providing matching funds, dollar for dollar, to everything that has been

Lets get this issue into the hands of every person we know who is interested in what the Holy Spirit is doing through simpler expressions of church life.

If you believe in this ministry, and want to partner with the House2House team, please fill out and return the envelope that is bound in the middle of your magazine.
Then, consider coming to the Labor Day Conference (see page 31), and lets celebrate together all of the good things that the Lord is doing!

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Contents
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Watch Out! A Tidal Wave Is Coming!

Not just another wave rolling in, this mighty move of the Holy Spirit is a flood that will lift up the Body of Christ worldwide!

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Gods Project Take a peek into what happens to a housing project when a house church begins there.

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House Church DNA Some basic building blocks to a healthy home church.

DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS

14 Come As You Are Worship begins for the church of tattered t-shirts and faded jeans. 4 How to Reach Us Phone, fax, email, or check out our websiteall the contact info is here.

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La Iglesia en Tu Casa (The Church in Your House) Its as clear as a cowbell! House churches are sprouting up all over Ecuador!

Editorial: The Healing of A Nation Our country is sick, but our Doctor is a Miracle Worker!

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Church Planting Movements All over the globe, these movements are making a differencean encouraging report from the International Mission Board.

House Church Shorts Interesting pictures, encouraging stories, and a poem that will warm your heart.

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Starting Churches That Reproduce Which is more exciting? Starting a regional church, or churching an entire region?

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H2H Materials Looking for tools and resources for starting / maintaining a house church? Here is the list of products that House2House carries.

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Ten Years in a House Church What happens when someone in the leadership of a 1000 plus member church makes the switch to house churches? Read Jim Mellons testimony to find out.

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Lucas on Life: Listen Jeff learns a lesson through an encounter with a blaring car alarm.
Copyright 2002, by House2House Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. House2House is issued 6 times a year on a donation basis by House2House Ministries, 1019 Meredith, Austin, TX 78748, USA.

Printed in the USA

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HOUSE2HOUSE MAGAZINE SPECIAL ISSUE

Mission Statement
We are pursuing the rapid advancement of the kingdom of God by saturating and transforming communities with radical, homebased, church planting movements.

So What Is A House Church?

We all recognize that it would be ludicrous to think nailing a steeple to the roof of a house would make it a house church. However, many of us take what weve seen happen in church buildings our whole lives and duplicate it in our living room and call it a house church. House church is not really about a change of location, its about a change in the way we do church. As you look through this issue, here are some of the key components to keep in mind. FOOD. When you get together, eat! It provides a great atmosphere for people to have honest open communication with each other. OPEN PARTICIPATION. 1 Corinthians 14:26 is the basis for what we do when we get together. The key is Each one has Everybody should be able to take part.

Editor in Chief Tony Dale Executive Editor Jonathan Dale Director of Operations Sandra Hatley Graphic Design Owen A. Brock, Zender & Associates Staff Photographer Michelle Reed Editorial Board: Felicity Dale Tony Dale Jim Mellon David Underwood

How To Reach Us
H2H SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION/ PROBLEMS/ADDRESS CHANGES/GRAPHICS INQUIRIES H2H Magazine 1019 Meredith Drive, Austin, TX 78748 USA Website: www.house2house.tv Email: info@house2house.tv Phone: (512) 282-2322 Fax: (512) 292-5700 Reprint Permissions: If you are making copies for friends or church, you have blanket permission to make up to 100 copies. Please include the phrase Copied from House2House Magazineused by permission. For any other use, please request permission. Every attempt will be made to grant requests, but we need to protect the rights of our authors. The views and opinions expressed by contributing authors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of this magazine or our board members.

Bob, excited after reading his first issue of House2House Magazine, wastes no time in changing his house into a house church.

BIBLE STUDY. Keep it simple and interactive. A great technique is to look over a few verses together and then share with each other what each person gets out of the verses. PRAYER. Find out what is happening in each others lives and take the time to pray for each other. Expect God to move powerfully and to speak to the group as you pray. SIMPLICITY. Make sure that whatever you do can be duplicated. If the church is going to multiply rapidly it must be kept simple. Church is not about the weekly gathering, its about a different way of life.

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The Healing of A Nation...

The signs are clear: our nation needs help! Is the house church movement part of Gods plan for healing and revival?
become a powerful man, the tiny cloud provide a deluge and the tender shoot become a mighty oak. It was with a group of just 21 who had gathered to bring healing to the church and thereby healing to the nation. They came from every section of the country and represented denominations, local churches, parachurch ministries and, most appropriately, house church networks. This groups vision was to see the presence of the risen, incarnate Christ available within walking distance of every person of every class, kind and condition in America. The goal of one million new congregations was bandied about but not specifically set. They had a deep conviction that another strategy, another set of plans, another step-bystep process just wasnt the answer. Their dream was the vast multiplication of new converts, gathered primarily in house churches, blanketing the land. Their core value was getting the foundation right: becoming healthy fathers and mothers in their own homes, and bringing health and healing to neighborhoods and extended relationships. They affirmed mega churches, community churches and church in every other form. They were strongly against being against. But the evident passion that convinced me they were at the center of what would become a mighty movement was their commitment to a healing approach. There have been only a few times in my life when I felt a very strong word from the Lord welling up within me. One was the morning, after months of seeking, when the Lord spoke to me through John 17:1: Father, the time has come. I knew in that instant it was time to leave the wonderful security of Overseas Crusades (now OCI) and start what has become DAWN Ministries. That word has been more than confirmed by the spread of the DAWN vision to virtually every nation of any size in the world. Several years passed before I got all the way down to John 17:4: I have brought

GUE S T E D I T OR I A L

by Jim Montgomery

have seen the healing of our nation. It was a tiny baby in a crib, a speck in the sky. It was a tender plant pushing up through dry soil. All of them apparently inconsequential, noticed by only the few who were directly involved. But in them I saw the healing of our nation. Those who say our country is not sick just arent paying attention. However, the heart of the problem might be a bit more obscure. Its not the disease that is the culprit, but an immune system so overloaded with the toxins of the world that it cant perform its healing job. Its us. Mike Steele of Dawn Ministries, who has met with thousands of pastors in the last seven years, sees signs of the sick church everywhere: There are obvious symptoms the decline of the number of churches in the nation by some 50,000 in the last decade, and the statistic that 80% of pastors polled would get into another occupation if they could. Looking deeper, he sees pastors who are overloaded, who dont have or take time for their families, who are expected to do anything and everything to keep the institution of their church alive, who are dry spiritually and dont know what to do about it. Church members face similar maladies. Home and family life is just too hectic. The institutional, intellectual approach to Christianity of most churches just isnt satisfying the need for intimacy with God and spiritual intimacy with family and friends. Last weekend, by faith I saw the baby

You glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. DAWN Ministries is now run, and its vision implemented, by a brilliant younger staff and hundreds of associates scattered around the world. But, as I sat in the worshipful, Spiritfilled atmosphere of that small gathering last weekend, the Lord brought another prophetic word to mind. I believe strongly it will turn out to be a word from the Lord as profound as those above. It was one word: Simeon. The personalized version of Simeons words in Luke 2:29-32 went like this: Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant Jim in peace. For his eyes have seen the healing of the church and nation of the United States, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to all Americans and for glory to Your people, the Body of Christ. God is not through with us yet. The discipling of our nation, the healing of our land, is still His purpose and plan. I have seen it in the crib, the cloud and the tender shoot of this tiny band. The vast multiplication of the house churches and house church networks they envision, and have committed their lives to, is surely one stream the Lord will use to bring healing to His church, and to the nation. Jim Montgomery Founder/Chairman, Dawn Ministries Author of Im Gonna Let It Shine

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House Church Shorts

S I M P LE EA D E R R T S SH O H
A case in point is the different reproduction patterns of elephants and rabbits:

House Church Network Birthed out of a Traditional Church

I was attending a four day Pastors Prayer Summit with about 60 other pastors from the Portland area. I was burned out, tired of oiling the machinery and designing the programs that made up the frantic world of church. For Dan Mayhew, the next weeks were given to prayer and imagining a church without walls. What came out of that period was a vision for a gathering of friends who shared a common faith in Jesus Christ and expressed it in the simple acts of praying, speaking of the things of God, and sharing a meal together. Dan outlined these ideas and presented them to the elders of New Song Church, where he served as associate pastor. Within a few months, the elders gave their blessing to The Summit Fellowships, a group of autonomous home-based churches.

Elephants Only fertile four times a year Only one baby per pregnancy 22-month gestation period Sexual maturity: 18 years Maximum growth potential in 3 years: 1 elephant

Rabbits Almost continuously fertile Average of 7 babies per pregnancy 1-month gestation period Sexual maturity: 4 months Maximum growth potential in 3 years: 476 million rabbits

Wolfgang Simson, Houses that Change the World

Taking it to the Streets

Ive Just Seen Jesus were the words to the song Robbi Sluder heard that Easter eve night as she lay on the couch enjoying the Easter holidays with her family. Realizing the song was about Mary Magdalene who was most likely a prostitute, she was inspired to get together with some friends from her house church and make baskets to hand out to prostitutes and homeless women over the Easter weekend. Now, 3 years later, God has opened the door for this outreach to take place in over 30 cities around the country reaching thousands of women on the streets, in mens clubs, at shelters and in prisons. Robbi now works full time coordinating the Magdalene Projects outreaches around the country. For more information on the Magdalene Project call (512) 292-1108 or visit www.themagdaleneproject.org.

Doing house church you may think that you have been transported to the book of Acts

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My Awakening
Every Friday night about six thirty or seven, I meet and have church with believers of heaven. We worship and gather together to share, Of all sorts of things that just need some prayer. There could be a few of us, maybe five to ten, Or maybe on occasion well be thirty again. All of the people used to be lost, But now they love God at any cost. Before we begin we sing praises to God, I play the drums and everyones in awe, At what Jesus did for us on the cross. To not accept that would be a great loss. This changed my view of what church should be, I learned that God loves everyone, not just me. Church doesnt have to be repetitive or traditional, But sharing Gods love thats unconditional.

The Church at Matthews House

Erin Cole, Age 13

Jason and Brooke Evans were tired of the church they had come to knowan event, a building, a programit had to be simpler than that. They desired to go where God was, and encourage spiritual things to evolve in a natural way. So, they decided to open up their home. Many young people began to meet there, each one wanting the same thing: to learn to love God and other people in an authentic way. By the end of that first meeting, this group of young people had bonded together on a journey to learn what it meant to really love God, love their friends, and provide a safe haven for them to come, hang out, and talk about life. After less than six months, two young men within the group felt led to shepherd that church. With these young men and several others that are excited about the vision, the Evans now see an opportunity to help start a movement of simple churches planted by normal peopleborn out of the hearts of people committed to loving others and Jesus in a simpler, honest manner.

Adapted from The Church at Matthews House by Jason Evans, originally published online at www.next-wave.org. To contact Jason and Brooke visit www.matthewshouse.com.

Church in a Garage
Home Bible Study Becomes House Church

In the summer of 2000 some friends suggested to Michael and Meri Reed that they begin having a group meet in their home to study the Bible. Looking to see if this was the Lords will, the Reed family began meeting with several friends to pray about it. More friends began joining them to pray, and as time went on, the group began reading Scripture, worshipping, praying for each other, and sharing a meal together.

It was the fall of 2000 in the Centennial Hills area of Las Vegas, NV. Andy & Tera Harshman felt called to start a church in their home. Initially, they held meetings in their garage, with the garage door intentionally left open. A church was born, and the group called themselves Thurathe Greek word for doorwayas a reminder of their mission in the neighborhood. In the first few months, everyone was polite and surface in their interaction as they met for worship, teaching, and prayer. After several months, a more intense community began to develop. People began sharing their lives and spending countless hours together. Everyone experienced rich spiritual growth. More recently, the group has faced the challenges of discovering each others differences. True love has begun to be cultivated as people have decided to commit to each other and commit to God in spite of differences.

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Watch Out! A Tidal Wave Is Coming

F E AT UR E

by Tony Dale

This move of the Holy Spirit will not destroy or replace previous ones. It will add to the momentum, piling up to create a wave that lifts and carries the entire church body!
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n the early 70s, Arthur Wallis, who became known as the father of the British house church movement, wrote a lengthy forward to a best-selling book about the Azusa Street revival called Another Wave Rolls In. In this forward, he explained how each successive wave of the Holy Spirits work was like another wave rolling in: slowly, but inexorably lifting the church to the place that it should be in the purposes of God. In 1999, Felicity and I were sharing at a conference for medical people in the UK. While seeking the Lord one morning over what things to share at the conference,

we felt the Lord speaking to us in a clear way that we would find ourselves in the privileged position of again being a part of a powerful move of the Holy Spirit, somewhat like the British house church movement of the 60s and 70s. Little did we realize that just a couple of years later, the whole concept of house churches would again grip the western Christian world.

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House churches are no new phenomena. From the book of Acts, to the growth of the church in China over the past 50 years, house churches have been at the center of church growth in each succeeding generation. Whether to escape the persecution of communism, the close scrutiny of a Moslem dictatorship, or just to try to recapture the simplicity of church life that seems to be so lacking

enable those that follow to take giant leaps forward in the life and quality of the church, rather than just add in the benefit of the one new doctrine that has been recovered. When a charismatic movement impacts a local Episcopal or Presbyterian church, it does not just mean that some believers are now speaking in tongues, but that a whole congregation is having its faith lifted to be able to take Scripture at face value. It has frequently been noted that a rising tide lifts every ship in the harbor. When the charismatic movement hit Britain in the late 60s and early 70s, it was not just the churches that chose to accept the charismatic dimension that were helped. Across the whole of British evangelicalism there was a resurgence of faith and expectation that we could expect God to move in our day and in ways that implied that the God of the Bible was still actively at work in His people. One did not have to accept the baptism in the Holy Spirit to also begin to believe that maybe God really does heal people today.

From the book of Acts, to the growth of the church in China over the past 50 years, house churches have been at the center of church growth in each succeeding generation.
in most western churches, house churches are again making a comeback. We need to ask why the Holy Spirit is allowing this resurgence of an old idea in a new generation. Church history is replete with examples of revival movements that capture a portion, a wave of Gods truth. But in Gods economy, wave after wave of His reviving power enables the church to actually become more than just the sum of its parts. Two plus two mathematically may equal four, but it is still true that while one can put a thousand to flight, two can put ten thousand to flight(Deut. 32:30)! The synergistic effect of each previous move of the Holy Spirit can When I went to a conference at St. Helens, Bishopsgate in London in 1968 for medical and allied students at London University, I was surrounded by a thousand eager Christians wanting to learn from 3 of the foremost evangelical leaders of the day, each one a household name within British evangelicalism. Yet, I found myself profoundly disappointed. Listening to them, we understood that although God can heal and intervene actively in the daily affairs of men, we should not be surprised when, in this day and age, He rarely does this in practice. Now, over a period of 30 years, the whole climate has changed. Although there has been no great healing movement in Britain, now virtually

all evangelicals would agree that God not only could, but does actively intervene in supernatural ways in the affairs of those who reach out to Him. Stories from China to Mozambique, from the Roman Catholic cathedral to the Pentecostal mud hut (or the Pentecostal cathedral to the Catholic mud hut!) have lifted the tide for everyone to a place of genuine expectation of the active presence and power of God in the life of believing Christians. Similar things are now beginning to transform our understanding, not only of Biblical doctrine, but also of church practice. Up until this time, in spite of repeated waves of the Holy Spirits activity, even such momentous events as the Protestant reformation did little to affect church life, even while making significant in-roads into restoring Biblical theology. Currently this is all changing. Suddenly, the focus for many who take the Bible as their guide is centering on life rather than doctrine, on relationships rather than creeds. Does this mean that the doctrine is not important? No! It means that relationships and life are more important. Jesus said to the Bible-believing folk of His day, the self-righteous Pharisees, You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life, but the Scriptures point to Me! (John 5:39) Similarly today, many are hearing Him say that it is more important to share Him and His life with others who also love Him with all of their hearts, even if you do disagree with them on such vital matters as infant baptism and the terminology surrounding the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Events from the current crisis over pedophiles in the Catholic priesthood to the sexual profligacy of Charismatic televangelism of the 80s, from division within Baptist circles over issues of defining inerrancy to equally tragic division within groups such as Vineyard over what they accept as true workings of the Holy Spirit, say to us that it is our common life in Christ that is paramount, not our mutual understanding of theology. That in all things He may have the preeminence(Col. 1:18). While each wave of the Holy Spirits working has helped the church at large to re-capture such clearly Biblical truths as salvation by faith, the priesthood of all believers, the reality of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, etc., the impression one gets from studying each of these movements is that while theology has changed, ecclesiology has not. Our beliefs may have grown and matured, but how we practice those beliefs has not led to much change in the actual structure (ecclesiology) of the churches.

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Now that is all beginning to change. From March for Jesus to Mission America the cry is not what divides us, but what is it that unites us. In the 1960s I was being thrown out of groups such as Inter-Varsity for daring to believe that a group of students meeting in a university cafeteria were a legitimate expression of church. In the 1990s you have Inter-Varsity Press publishing such books as Inner Healing, where evangelicals and charismatics are happily collaborating in writing a book that looks at the power of God to heal today! Times have changed.

Suddenly, the focus for many who take the Bible as their guide is centering on life rather than doctrine, on relationships rather than creeds.
Part of that change is in what the Holy Spirit is emphasizing to His people all over the world. Now we see that it is more important to love one another than to be right(see John 13:35 where Jesus teaches us that through this the world will know that you are My disciples and Mark 12:3 on the greatest commandment)! It is more important to confess your faults to one another and pray for one anther that you might be healed (James 5:14) than to argue over whether or not God heals today. Today we know that it is more important to in honor prefer one another(Rom 12:10) than to make sure we have all the issues of authority types in the church straightened out. After all, arent we all commanded to submit to one another in the fear of Christ (Eph. 5:21)? As the emphasis comes onto the one anothers of the New Testament, onto practice rather than theory, we all of a sudden see that this must lead to a changing of the structures. How can I live bearing one anothers burdens(Gal. 6:2) when I dont even know your name, let alone your burdens? How can I in honor prefer you when in practice Ive never even shaken your hand, let alone greeted you with a holy kiss (Rom 12:10)? If my relationship with God is demonstrated by my relationships with His children (see I John 4:20: How can you say you love God whom you cannot see, if you do not love your brother whom you see all of the time?) then the setting for those relationships becomes
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vital. All of a sudden the large alone just wont do the trick. How can I love like this with hundreds or thousands? I need to be in a small context, I need to have church in a way that emphasizes what the Holy Spirit is emphasizing.

I love the large. What is better than to worship the Lord with thousands? But is this church in the normal, everyday usage of the word in the New Testament?
I love the large. What is better than to worship the Lord with thousands? But is this church in the normal, everyday usage of the word in the New Testament? It might represent the church in a city. But it could never take the place of church in their house (I Cor. 16:19). Everywhere you look, you see the Holy Spirit bringing a similar emphasis. From the life of Jesus, as modeled with the twelve disciples, to the church planting patterns of Paul, we see the focus is on the small group. Yes, 3000 found the Lord on the day of Pentecost, but this was expressed by meeting house

to house. Every wave that has come in has been a blessing to the church at large. You dont need to be a Lutheran to appreciate the value of recovering salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone. You dont need to be a Presbyterian to value the role of plurality in leadership. There are many who have never even heard of the Quakers (Friends) who have learned to value the place of waiting on the Holy Spirit in the leading of a meeting. Catholics who are finding Jesus as a reality in adult life are being baptized without becoming Baptist! Episcopalians are learning to prophesy without feeling the need to be Pentecostals. You might never have heard of Watchman Nee and the Little Flock and still value the role of apostles in laying the foundation of the church. John Alexander Dowie or A. B. Simpson may never have even impinged on your consciousness, yet we all value the reality of the healing power of Christ that they help recapture for the church at large. However, none of these changed the structures on their own. Theology experienced deepens individual lives. But when the whole body begins to experience the life of Christ together, when relationships with each other begin to deepen and a longing for the life and practice of the early church grips your heart, you inevitably begin to look at the structures. A cursory look at church history shows that nearly all revivals begin as people experience the life of God together. Small groups naturally form. Spontaneous prayer times flourish. People gather to share meals and swap stories. Confession of sin and mutual accountability are accepted as the norm. Sharing possessions, cars, homes, finances seems natural and normal. Meeting with Christians who have other denominational labels is common. It is our life in Jesus that holds us together. This is church! This is church in the home or the office or the school or the retirement home. This is the church in Lydias house (Acts 16:40). This is the tidal wave that is even now beginning to lift up the whole of the body of Christ worldwide! Tony Dale lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Felicity. They helped plant Austin Fellowship of Home Churches.

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House2House Materials
Resources for House Churching

Books:
Houses That Change the World: The Return of the House Churches
In this book, Wolfgang Simson brings to light what God is saying to Christians everywhere. Researched across the globe, he presents the case for the reformation of the churchs existence. In a world where the church is being ignored, it is time to bring the church to the people, and not the people to the church. 303 Pages, Paperback, $15.00

The Church in the House: a Return to Simplicity

The most dramatic church growth in history, in ancient and modern times, has occurred where there were no church buildingsjust believers multiplying from house to house. Robert Fitts looks at the philosophy and practicality of home church for today. 114 Pages, Paperback, $10.00

Getting Started: A Practical Guide to House Church Planting

Audio Sets:
Bringing In the Kingdom, Labor Day Conference 2001
Wolfgang Simson, Jeff Lucas, Tony Dale, and many more encourage people to plant multiplying house churches. 8 Tape Set, $30

This guide to church planting, compiled by Felicity Dale, contains specific and practical advice to those feeling Gods call to plant house churches. It starts by examining what God is doing around the world through house churches, and then looks at the basic issue of what church is. It goes through the basic vital things that make up house church DNA and provides many examples for how you can start a house church. It covers the practical issues like finances and kids and looks at how groups can multiply once they reach a larger size. 166 Pages, 3 Ring Binder, $15.00

Wolfgang Simson in Austin

Wolfgang shares exciting stories from around the world (Recorded in a standing room only crowd of over 150 people in a home in Texas). 8 Tape Set, $30

A Tidal Wave is Coming

Church Paradigms

Tony and Felicity Dale share from their own journey. From student adventures in the early days of the British house church movement, to current events unfolding now around the world, the Dales look at why simple expressions of church are catching on so rapidly worldwide. This book, full of stories of God at work, is a helpful and exciting introduction to practical aspects of home church life. $8.00

Tony Dale discusses church planting movements, the Biblical basis for house church, and what we should do about it. $20 For more information or to order any of these products: Call (512) 282-2322 Order Online: www.house2house.tv

Church Paradigms
A Personal Journey
Tony & Felicity Dale

House2House 1019 Meredith Drive Austin, Texas 78748 USA

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Gods Project
by Amy Dale
Photo: Michelle Reed

R E AC HI N G OU T

There is not much traditional about this church, but there is a lot that is right.

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Amy with Joseph, Devon and Douglas

Meadowbrook. She and her husband didnt know a soul there, but a group started prayer walking the area. So, fairly frequently, they would make the drive to the other side of town, and walk through Meadowbrook and pray. On one such trip it started pouring
Meadowbrook group

ets seethe elements of a house church? First, youll need a perfect house thats always immaculately clean. And of course you must only have perfectly behaved children that sit quietly in church and memorize Scripture in their spare time. Isnt this what the Bible says? Or, does it say wherever two or more are gathered in His name, thats where Hell be? And didnt Jesus say, Let the children come unto Me, when they were disturbing the adults? What is the perfect church? A group in Austin, Texas is expanding the borders of their concepts of church, and Im fortunate enough to be a part of it. This all takes place at a housing project called Meadowbrook. Yes, a housing project (where drug busts, domestic disputes, violence, and fatherless children abound) is a prime location for a growing church. We gather in a tiny corner apartment every Sunday at noon. We are greatly outnumbered by children. Its hot, and the only air conditioner is a window unit plus several moody fans that only work sporadically. The kids argue and horseplay as we go out to several other apartments to invite others to church. After weve eaten (an event about as calm as opening a bag of peanuts in a herd of starving elephants), we start strumming the guitar and singing some worship songs. At the sound of the music, all the kids that were outside come lumbering in to request their favorite songs. The worship is modestthere are no great musicians, but the singers are sincere. Usually several prayer requests are heard at some point during the afternoon. The requests are vivid reminders of where we are: unpaid bills, alcoholism, violence, drug abuse, suicide attempts, fear, and sickness. The members of this assembly believe in prayer; theyve seen it work many times. They have new hope in Jesus, and you can see the joy in their eyes. There is not much that is traditional about this church, but there is a lot that is right. How did this ragtag group come together? Several months ago Felicity Dale, who was involved in a growing home church in her own home, felt led to start a church at
Photos: Michelle Reed

down rain, so they ducked onto the front porch of a friendly resident named Lily. God is good at arranging introductions, and so they began making frequent trips to her home to pray for her and her family. Lily became a Christian and decided to come to church with Felicity. Every week Lily and her family were picked up and brought over to the Dales home church, and every week the group got bigger and more vehicles were needed. It seemed that every week someone in their group was receiving Christ, or sharing an incredible testimony or new insight. Finally, the decision was made that Lily would start a church in her home. My husband eagerly elbowed me and suggested that we go and help. Inside I was kicking and screaming, but on the outside I was pretending to be a supportive wife. The mega church that I used to attend hadnt prepared me for this. The first week at Meadowbrook was a bit chaotic, to put it mildly. We started at 10 a.m., which we later learned was too early for this area. We moved to noon to make sure everyone was awake by church time. I was to work with the children, so after praise and worship, I was sent out with another hapless victim, and we taught the kids incredible messages. The truth is that we couldnt get them to stop fighting long enough to listen to us. I left that day frustrated and wonder-

ing if wed made a mistake. My husband was more excited than ever, telling me all about the awesome things God did with the adults as they studied the Bible. I spent all week long praying that something would come up so that I wouldnt be able to go. Next Sunday rolled around, and I had no good excuse. The adults had a great time again; the kids had two or three fights and one bloody nose. Lilys son, Ray, who was about 19 years old, was really growing in the Lord. He was asking all these great questions and was so hungry for the Word. It seemed that every week in the adult group they were dealing with some major issue: anger, sexual purity, the Holy Spirit and on and on. I really enjoyed seeing Rays desire for more of God. They were all hungry, and they were all being filled. Each week I could feel God tapping on my heart. He was taking the hardness away. I would listen to their testimonies and hold back my tears. I would watch the kids, who had been trying to kill each other a moment ago, sing praise songs with all their heart, and I knew that God loved this. It broke my heart when I heard that one of our 11-year-old boys had tried to commit suicide. I spent the night crying, and I asked God what we could do and how we could make a difference in these circumstances. The answer came not in a booming voice from Heaven, but in the voice of my sister from Tulsa: What can you do? Just be there. Be there for them and love them. They may not have anyone else in their lives that does that. It was a simple, obvious answer. It changed my heart. The next week as we pulled up and I saw those little dirty-faced kids running up to our car, my heart leapt, and I jumped out to hug them. I took them in my arms, and I did the only thing I could do, I loved them. I had secretly dubbed one little trouble maker the thorn in my side. That week the thorn in my side hugged me and told me that I was his best friend. Something was so right about this! It can be done. A little apartment in a neighborhood thats not completely safe at night can become a house of God. Amy Dale lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, Jon, and their 2-year-old daughter, Anna.
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Come As You Are

Theyre not formal, theyre not perfect, and they dont have to be. This group enjoys simply coming together into Gods presence.

C OMMU N I T Y

by Shelly Berryhill

he Saturday night buzz was on! Bits of several conversations could be heard from the quiet of the bedroomone full of news upon arrival from Europe, one exhausted from a day spent putting together her portfolio, one recovering from a less than pleasant visit with parents, one working at that somewhat awkward initial conversation with a newcomer, and one bursting out in disbelief as she opens the front door to see a familiar old face. Let church begin! The bread is broken, the meal eaten. Only a few stragglers miss dessert. The group gathers in the family room in every corner and cranny, some sitting, some lying, a few choosing to stand at first. A prayer is offered, a song strummed on the guitar. We are called to peace, to quiet, to attentiveness to God. Worship begins for the church of tattered t-shirts and faded jeans. Many exhale the days woes. God is callingwill each one answer? Several songs and a few prayers later, one shifts in position and begins to tell the story of his life, beginning with birth and recalling several highlights and lowlights. He shares so openly, from his hearttelling his very own story. Other than the use of modern language, we might easily think this brothers story was from the Bible. He shares his first encounter with Jesus, the saints who invested their lives into his, the first time he turned his back on God. He shares how he learned to hear the voice of God, how much more detailed his prayers have become with age, the
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jou r ney of events that led him to live his calling, and what the word surrender has come to mean. Through tears, he tells of his 20-something year struggle with pornography, how he conquered it for a while but now is in the death grip of the addiction again. While his head hangs in shame and fear, the tattered and faded gather round himeach reaching out with a touch of assurance, each bowing low in humility as they carry their brother to the Father asking for His healing hand. God called and all did answer.

we see something that might only vaguely resemble true community. Some of us are so weary from the daily grind that we pull ourselves into a place or two where we believe community might find us. Community is nothing more than life together; it is also nothing less than life together. To live together, to tread through the commonness of life with others, to encourage and champion, to walk alongside, to carry another down a bumpy road, to share values and beliefs and faith, to be my brothers keeper these are the rare treasures and weighty burdens of life together community. The one who enters into living community finds indescribable joy and enormous strength that is fueled only by the living presence of Jesus. Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that this kind of daily fellowship of life with other Christians is an unspeakable gift of God! He writes, in his book Life Together, It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us Shelly Berryhill is a homeschool mom, who, along with her husband John, started a church in a nightclub in Houston. They now live and work in Austin, Texas.

Community is nothing more than life together; it is also nothing less than life together.
If there was one word to sum up the entirety of Psalm 133, that word would be community. It is a commodity that every human seeksa place of identity, security, encouragementa place of true belonging. We all want it at some level; we all search for it from time to time. Some of us search with a vigor and energy, looking most anywhere

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La Iglesia en Tu Casa
by Chris Turner

M OV E ME N T S

In Ecuador, there are churches popping up that are vibrant and filled with diversityand they are spreading rapidly!

La Iglesia en Tu Casa places an emphasis on the church being a body of believers enabled by the Holy Spirit to worship God.

Photo: Owen A. Brock

ever Guerrero enthusiastically beats a cowbell with a stick, keeping perfect rhythm with the congregations praise song. Its a small group, but their big sound pours out into the street. The music is heard above cars zipping by and dogs aggressively barking at the two men strolling past, straining to look through the door. The cowbell is loudest of all. It punches through the noise of life and serves as a clarion call to those running late. A father across the street opens his door, and two children rush to the church. Across town, on nearly the opposite side of Guayaquil, church ends for the evening. Fanny Mena hugs children as they leave, their tiny hands clenching coloring papers. Teenagers talk while sipping soft drinks and nibbling cookies. Several miles away, Carlos Perz, a student, greets friends as they arrive for church to the sounds of harmonica and guitar. None of these churches existed a year ago. Although they all meet in buildings, none of them worship in a traditional church building and probably never will. One church gathers in a former guinea pig farma small narrow building with a gravel floor. The second meets in a house that shares a

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common bamboo wall with a neighbor. A third convenes in the living room of a town house. Church in Guayaquil is not defined by a building, and the people involved are as diverse as the churches they lead. Welders, taxi drivers, bakers, restaurant owners, artists, fishermen, students, maids, lawyers and others are starting churches. Church here is a group of people gathering in Jesus name, living the New Testament. The Church in Your House is an opportunity to reach every neighborhood of Guayaquil, Perz says. It gives people accessibility to church in a non-threatening way, and it reaches families. It has potential to see many come to know Christ. La Iglesia en Tu Casa, literally, The Church in Your House, is an approach developed by a team of International Mission Board missionaries in Guayaquil. New churches in the city now open at an average of more than one per week. It is a popcorn effect, says IMB missionary Manuel Sosa. We hear each week of churches that have been started that we didnt know anything about. We have no idea where they are popping up. Something different Before La Iglesia en Tu Casa was launched in July 2000, church growth in Guayaquil had averaged one church start per year for 40 years. Sosa and the other six missionaries on his team longed to see more people accepting Christ and more churches started in less time. They looked for a different approach. We asked ourselves, How can we get more people involved? Sosa says. We saw the youth coming all the way across town, paying their own way, to come and work with Fanny. We said we needed to find a way to give more lay people the opportunity to be a part of the Great Commission. The team prayed and looked to find where God was already working. They knew there was interest among members of several churches to be directly involved in church planting. The team developed a training program, and it was publicized through radio announcements. More than 30 men and women gathered for the first meeting in July 2000. Seventy-five new churches were meeting in one years time, with weekly additions. The people have grabbed the opportunity and are running with it, says missionary Guy Muse. We had no idea what to expect, just going on faith, and God has brought the people and given them a desire

to share the gospel with their families and friends. La Iglesia en Tu Casa ended years of frustration for Angel and Nancy Pincay, who host a church in their home. It liberated a pent-up desire to start churches. Eight years ago we were interested in doing this, but no one taught us how, Nancy says. We were always told by our church to bring the people there, but the problem is that it is very far, and people dont feel like they fit in.

lessons covering salvation, prayer, church, doctrine, stewardship and family. Leaders teach a lesson on salvation at least once every six weeks. We are Although Pincay has a demanddiscipling and ing work schedule as a wholesale spice salesman, serving evangelizing God by planting churches has
become his priority.

Church in Guyaquil is not defined by a building, and the people involved are as diverse as the churches they lead.
Angel climbs into buses early each morning for long days of selling spices wholesale to small stores in outlying cities. Leading a house church caused him and his family to make major adjustments in their lives. There is a house church related activity in their home or neighborhood every night of the week. The adjustment has been worth it because it has been a pleasure to serve the Lord, he says. We started with six people and led those six to the Lord. Ten have now been baptized and five more are ready. We also have three other new works in the area. God is blessing the work. Simple and Biblical If simplicity is the framework upon which La Iglesia en Tu Casa, is hung, prayer is the foundation. The missionary team prays often for wisdom and teaches those with whom it works that prayer and the Bible are their two greatest resources. We want them to know that they are a church and empowered to do the Lords work from the first time they meet, Sosa says. They all are self-supporting. Training centers and lessons the IMB team developed are keys to the rapid growth. The customized plan alternates among 34

at the same time, says missionary Ed Ridge. They get constant repetition and reinforcement on the core issues. Its a course requirement: each member of the group must start a church within the first four weeks. That way, they immediately apply what theyve learned. Missionaries are always available for guidance. After more than a year, nearly everyone started a church within those first four weeks, and several started more than one. Most of the house churches are started with relationships the people already have, says missionary Barbara Rivers. They start
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with their families and their neighbors. They invite people they work with. Starting a church in four weeks is not that difficult because they want to start churches. They want to be involved.

It is a popcorn effect, says IMB missionary Manuel Sosa. We hear each week of churches that have been started that we didnt know anything about. We have no idea where they are popping up.
Pleasant surprises Geovany Ruiz works with both Muse and Ridge. All the missionaries stay in constant contact with those who pass through the training center, and Ridge is a friend and mentor to the young artist and seminary student. Ruiz was also the cause of what Ridge thought was a great disappointment, but he was eventually pleasantly surprised. The church meets in a tiny room Ruiz uses for an art studio. Prostitutes wander the street near the door, and drug deals are visible from the window. The church members welcome both groups. Eight people were meeting together when Ridge last attended. On this particular night, there were six people, but none of the original eight were present. Ridge sat through the service discouraged, but as soon as it ended, he asked Ruiz what had happened to the others. They had seemed like such a dynamic group. They have all left to start their own churches, Ruiz excitedly told him. We have many cities in Ecuador that have no evangelical witness, Ruiz says. There is a city north of here on the coast that one person in our church went to and has started a work there. We have to go, he says. We cant keep the gospel to ourselves. Overcoming obstacles Most of the house churches are frustrated by the lack of support theyve received from traditional churches, who often wont recognize the groups as churches because they dont have seminary-trained pas18 |
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tors. Leaders often are discouraged from baptizing new believers and administering the Lords Supper because they are not ordained. We are not telling them they need to go against tradition, Sosa says, but we do tell them that they are free to do what they feel God is leading them to do. We let them know that they are empowered by the Holy Spirit, same as we are, and it is to Him they must answer. Muse agrees, and adds, The issue is how do they feel God leading them? What does their Bible say? We ask them these questions. We want them getting their opinions from God, not us. Some, like Xavier Vlez Villavicencio, have the support of their church. Villavicencio and his wife, Esplndida, are both lawyers working in municipal government. The house church that they lead recently hosted a special program and invited 120 professionals. Eighty attended, and the program was moved to a local school.

We have to go, he says. We cant keep the gospel to ourselves.

This is significant because professionals here believe that religion is God, Villavicencio says. However, they are open to the neutral setting of a house church. They can ask questions and challenge the things they hear. Villavicencio says that the house church has transformed not just his and his wifes lives but the lives of their two young children as well. Each has some responsibility in preparing for the meetings. Villavicencio says it is the Bible brought to life before their eyes. This is how the first church began, he says. La Iglesia en Tu Casa is an excellent opportunity to open the door of the gospel to people from all sectors of the city. I believe this movement is of God. If someone wants to know Christ, it is just down the street. And in some cases, all they have to do is follow the sound of the cowbell. Reprinted with permission from The COMMISSION, March 2002 Issue.

Gods Glory And The Exhortation by Rene Bates is a timely new Christian book. As we enter the end times and the second coming of Christ approaches, this book could very well prepare the way for the Lords return.
Warning: Gods Glory And The Exhortation could change the way you view present day Christianity.

Gods Glory And The Exhortation thought provoking to some, shocking to others.
Now available through all major bookstores and online through www.1stbooks.com or by calling (888)280-7715. $9.95 + shipping from www.1stbooks.com or $15.55 at major bookstores. ISBN 1585000132

In Guayaquil, Ecuador, prayer has been at the foundation

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Church Planting Movements

Excerpts from the book by David Garrison

M OV E ME N T S

Churches planting churches this revolutionary idea is transforming communities all around the world! The International Mission Board gives us a report, and identifies some common elements.

Photo: Owen A. Brock

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India

rom every corner of the globe the reports are coming in. Only a few at first, but now more and more frequently, reinforcing one another with their startling accounts of hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands coming to faith in Christ, forming into churches and spreading their new-found faith. Southeast Asia When a strategy coordinator began his assignment in 1993, there were only three churches and 85 believers among a population of more than 7 million lost souls. Four years later there were more than 550 churches and nearly 55,000 believers. One elderly man who came to Christ in a Church Planting Movement planted 42 churches in his first year as a believer. North Africa In his weekly Friday sermon, an Arab Muslim cleric complained that more than 10,000 Muslims living in the surrounding mountains had apostatized from Islam and become Christians. City in China Over a four-year period (1993-1997), more than 20,000 people came to faith in Christ, resulting in more than 500 new churches.

Shanghai, China

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Bihar, Northern India

ment so special? Because it seems to hold forth the greatest potential for the largest number of lost individuals glorifying God by coming into new life in Christ and entering into communities of faith. Ten Universal Elements After surveying Church Planting Movements around the world, we found at least 10 elements present in every one of them. While it may be possible to have a Church Planting Movement without them, we have yet to see this occur. Any missionary intent on seeing a Church Planting Movement should consider these 10 elements. 1. Prayer Prayer has been fundamental to every Church Planting Movement we have observed. However, it is the vitality of prayer in the missionarys
Cairo, Northern Africa

Thean Hou Temple in Malaysia

Ethiopia A missionary strategist commentated, It took us 30 years to plant four churches in this country. Weve started 65 cell churches in the last nine months. Every region of the world now pulsates with some kind of Church Planting Movement. A simple, concise definition of a Church Planting Movement is a rapid and multiplicative increase of indigenous churches planting churches within a given people group or population segment. There are several key components to this definition. The first is rapid. As a movement, a Church Planting Movement occurs with rapid increases in new church starts. Saturation church planting over decades and even centuries is good, but doesnt qualify as a Church Planting Movement. Secondly, there is multiplicative

personal life that leads to its imitation in the life of the new church and its leaders. By revealing from the beginning the source of his power in prayer, the missionary effectively gives away the greatest resource he brings to the assignment. 2. Abundant gospel sowing We have yet to see a Church Planting Movement emerge where evangelism is rare or absent. Every Church Planting Movement is accompanied by abundant sowing of the gospel. The law of the harvest applies well: If you sow abundantly you will also reap abundantly. In Church Planting Movements, hundreds and even thousands of individuals are hearing the claims that Jesus Christ has on
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Western Europe A missionary in Europe reports, Last year (1998), my wife and I started 15 new church cell groups. As we left for a six-month stateside assignment last July, we wondered what wed find when we returned. Its wild! We can verify at least 30 churches now, but I believe that it could be two or even three times that many.

increase. This means that the increase in churches is not simply incremental growth adding a few churches every year or so. Instead, it compounds with two churches becoming four, four churches becoming eight to ten and so forth. Multiplicative increase is only possible when new churches are being started by the churches themselvesrather than by professional church planters or missionaries. Finally, they are indigenous churches. This means they are generated from within rather than from without. This is not to say that the gospel is able to spring up intuitively within a people group. The gospel always enters a people group from the outside; this is the task of the missionary. However, in a church planting movement, the momentum quickly becomes indigenous, so that the initiative and drive of the movement comes from within the people group rather than from outsiders. So why is a Church Planting Move-

Photo: Owen A. Brock

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City in Jadhpur, India

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their lives. Wherever governments or societal forces have managed to intimidate and stifle Christian witness, Church Planting Movements have been effectively eliminated. 3. Intentional Church Planting In every Church Planting Movement, someone implemented a strategy of deliberate church planting before the movement got under way. There are several instances in which all the contextual elements were in place, but the missionaries lacked either the skill or the vision to lead a Church Planting Movement. However, once this ingredient was added to the mix, the results were remarkable. Churches dont just happen. 4. Scriptural authority Even among non-literate people groups, the Bible has been the guiding source for doctrine, church polity, and life itself. While Church Planting Movements have occurred among peoples without the Bible translated into their own language, the majority had the Bible (either orally or in written form) in their heart language. In every instance, Scripture provided the rudder for the churchs life, and its authority was unquestioned. 5. Local leadership Missionaries involved in Church Planting Movements often speak of the self-discipline required to mentor church planters rather than do the job of church planting themselves. Once a missionary has established his identity as the primary church planter or pastor, its difficult for him ever to assume a back-seat profile again. This is not to say that missionaries have no role in church planting. On the contrary, local church planters receive their best training by watching how the missionary leads participative Bible studies with non-Christian seekers. 6. Lay leadership Church Planting Movements are driven by lay leaders. These lay leaders are typically bi-vocational and come from the general profile of the people group being reached. In other words, if the people group is primarily illiterate, then the leadership shares this characteristic. If the people are primarily fishermen, so too are their lay leaders. As the movement unfolds, paid clergy often emerge. However, the majorityand growth edge of the movementcontinue to be led by lay or bi-vocational leaders.
Tower Bridge in London
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cell churches, but they generally are not organized under a single authority or hierarchy of authorities. As autonomous units, house churches may lack the unifying structure of cell churches, but they are typically more dynamic.

8. Churches planting churches In most Church Planting Movements, the first churches were Bihar, Northern planted by missionaries or missionIndia ary-trained church planters. At some point, however, as the movements entered a multiplicative phase of reproduction, the churches themselves began planting new churches. In order for this to occur, church members have to believe that reproduction is natural and that no external aids are needed to start a new church. In Church Planting Movements, nothing deters the local believers from winning the lost and planting new cell churches themselves. 9. Rapid reproduction Some have challenged the necessity of rapid reproduction for the life of the Church Planting Movement, but no one has questioned its evidence in every CPM. Most church planters involved in these movements contend that rapid reproduction is vital to the movement itself. They report that when reproduction rates slow down, the Church Planting Movement falters. Rapid reproduction communicates the urgency and importance of coming to faith in Christ. When rapid reproduction is taking place, you can be assured that the churches are unencumbered by nonessential elements and the laity are fully empowered to participate in this work of God. 10. Healthy churches Church growth experts have written extensively in recent years about the marks of a church. Most agree that healthy churches should carry out the following five purposes: 1) worship, 2) evangelistic and missionary outreach, 3) education and discipleship, 4) ministry and 5) fellowship. In each of the Church Planting Movements we studied, these five core functions were evident. Over the past five years, in as few as five Church Planting Movements, nearly a quarter of a million lost souls have come to faith in Jesus Christ. Imagine 50 Church Planting Movementsor 500! The book Church Planting Movements can be ordered from www.imb.org.

7. Cell or house churches Church buildings do appear in Church Planting Movements. However, the vast majority of the churches continue to be small, reproducible cell churches of 10-30 members meeting in homes or storefronts. There is a distinction between cell churches and house churches. Cell churches are linked to one another in some Brock O wen A. Photo: type of structured network. Often this network is linked to a larger, single church identity. H o u s e churches may look the same as

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Starting Churches that Reproduce

This article is adapted from a book being written on organic church planting by Neil Cole and Paul Kaak .
Awakening Chapel on the beach

B A SIC S

Having trouble bringing people to church? Lets go and bring the church to the people!

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ost churches today are trying to figure out how to get lost people to come to church. The key to starting churches that reproduce spontaneously is to bring the church to the lost people. Were not interested in starting a regional church, but rather in churching a whole region. The house church, more than any other model, is best prepared to do just that because it is informal, relational, mobile, not financially encumbered with overhead costs, and is easily planted in a variety of settings. It also reproduces faster and spreads farther because it can be a decentralized approach to a region, nation or people group and is not
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dependent upon heavily trained clergy. We have taken our cues on how to start churches from two almost identical sermons delivered by Jesus. One, when he taught the twelve apostles how to reach the lost (Matt. 10), and the other when He instructed the seventy (Luke 10). When Jesus decides to repeat Himself in more than one of the gospel accounts, perhaps we should pay close attention to what He is saying. Nowhere else does Jesus get more specific in delineating outreach principles.

We have uncovered five principles to help us in starting churches that reproduce: 1. Practice of Prayer In both sermons Jesus begins with the same familiar words, The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest. We believe that church is a spiritual entity before it is a physical reality. We have a saying that goes like this: The church is conceived in heaven before it is born on earth. Pray first, pray last, and in between pray hard! 2. Pockets of People Jesus instructs His disciples not to go into the way of the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but specifically to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He sends the disciples out in pairs to various cities and villages looking for a pocket of people, a community of lost people that are receptive to the message of peace.

We have a saying that goes like this: The church is conceived in heaven before it is born on earth. Pray first, pray last, and in between pray hard!

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When looking for a pocket of people, we have another saying, Bad people make good soil. Why is it that a majority of churches in America today are all trying to reach middle class suburbs? This has to be one of the most difficult and hardest soils to reach, yet all seem to try. We have come to see the poor as the heirs of the Kingdom of God (James 2:5). We find that it isnt those who are well who need a physician, but the sick.
Several house churches gathering for BBQ

you. We must not forget this. The enemy is hoping that we will not realize this important truth, because he is vulnerable to us when we learn it. Someone once asked Rob Ferris, my partner in the start of Awakening Chapels, what the secret is to our seeing so many people come to Christ. He answered, Two words: Show up. Non-Christians arent fretting trying to figure out ways to get into church. Church is not something that they feel they need, want or are even curious

Jesus also noted that the disciples were not to import resources into the harvest, but to find all the resources they needed in the harvest itself. His instructions were to bring no extra clothes, food or money to sustain the ministry. This is key. All the resources needed for a great harvest are already found in the harvest itself, including finances, facilities and future leaders. All we need is to get out there and reap! There is much power in showing up.

In our experience, coffeehouses have proven to be fertile soil for the gospel. Now, however, we have expanded our vision to other arenas as well. We have churches that reach out to 12-step recovery groups, neighborhood gangs, homosexuals, occult groups, high school, college and university campuses, the homeless, and local bars. Besides homes and apartments, weve had churches that meet in parks, beaches, storefronts, restaurants, faculty lounges, student unions, locker rooms and even church classrooms (aghast!). 3. Power of Presence Jesus told the disciples as He sent them out that they had authority to do the works of God. They were to announce that the Kingdom of God has come near whether they were received or not. Where we go, the King goes and that is POWERFUL! Jesus, in the Great Commission, said these words, All authority in heaven and earth has been given to MeI am with

about. Jesus said to the church, Go. To the lost He said, Come to Me, not come to church.

All the resources needed for a great harvest are already found in the harvest itself, including finances, facilities and future leaders. All we need is to get out there and reap! There is much power in showing up.

4. Person of Peace This fourth principle is one that we are indebted to our dear friend and mentor, Thom Wolf, for uncovering for us. This simple concept has led to many churches being born around the world. Jesus said to look for and even inquire about someone who would be receptive to our message of peace. When we find such a person we are to stay there and reach their entire household (oikos). We are to eat what they eat and stay where they stay. When a person of peace is discovered, the birth of a new church is assumed. When someone comes to Christ in a new pocket of people, we keep digging until we see the person of peace emerge and a new church born. Three things characterize a person of peace: a. Receptivity. They are open to the message of the person and the peace of Christ.
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b. Relational connections. They know many people and are an important part of the community, for better or worse. c. Reputation. They are people of reputation, whether it is a good reputation (like Cornelius or the Ethiopian eunuch) or bad reputation (like the Samaritan woman or the Gergesene demoniac). The person of peace becomes the conduit for the passing of the message of the Kingdom to an entire community of lost people. This persons reputation gives credence to the message and becomes a magnet for a new church. 5. People of Purpose When the moths are drawn to the light and the person of peace brings several to Christa church is born. This is the formation of a people of purpose, born in the harvest, born for the harvest of the nations. Often, though not exclusively, the person of peace has the church meet in their home and may even be the new leader of the emerging church. A church that starts this way is unique in that it is born out of the harvest, found among the harvest, and bent on a mission to continue to reach the lost. This missional element will be the important drive to reach out and reproduce spontaneously.

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Neil Cole is executive Director for Church Multiplication Associates and also the founding leader of the Awakening Chapels. CMA has been a vibrant ministry for ten years now, and Awakening Chapels started in 1998. He is also the author of Cultivating a Life for God: Multiplying Disciples Through Life Transformation Groups and co-author of Raising Leaders for the Harvest (both available through CMA Resources and/or ChurchSmart Resources).
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Ten Years In A House Church

by Jim and Cathy Mellon
Baptism at the Mellons pool

IN SIG H T S

From mega church to home churchfind out how and why this couple made the switch.

en years ago, I asked the Lord a question: What is the church? I asked the question partly because of a stirring in my spirit, but also because of the fact that I was part of the leadership of a thousand plus member church with a million dollar a year budget. Although our church and Christian school generated a million a year in income, money was tight. When we didnt have the money to help a member family through a rough time at Christmas (the husband out of work) I said to myself, There is something wrong with this picture! Hence the question! I read the New Testament again, especially the book of Acts, with new eyes. I read scriptures such as these: Acts 4:34a There were no needy persons among them. Romans 16:5 Greet also the church that meets at their house (Priscilla and Aquilla). Philemon 2b To the church that meets in your home (Philemon). 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you nor did we eat anyones food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this not because we do not have a right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 1 Corinthians 9:18 What then is my reward? Just this, that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge and so not make use of my rights in preaching it. Acts 10:33-34 I have not coveted anyones silver or gold or clothing. For you yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.
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Reading these and many other verses led us to resign our leadership position and embark on a journey called house church. Instead of going to church, we started to be the church that meets in a home. As time went on, we realized that a house church movement was appearing on a national level. This seemed to us to be confirmation that God is doing something with this model of church on a larger scale. In America, this modern day model of house church is only in its first generation.

Instead of going to church, we started to be the church that meets in a home.

A short time later, we started networking with house churches in different parts of Texas. We read books like Open Church by Jim Rutz and Where Do We Go From Here by Ralph Neighbor. I went to a house church conference in California. On my flight home, we were flying across the desert and the Lord spoke to me. He said the pioneers had to

travel across the desert and over the mountains to discover and settle beautiful California. He said, Thats how it will be with the pioneers of the modern house church movement. It will be exciting, but a tough trip: exhilarating, but sometimes confusing. Sometimes we may get lost on our journey, but we will get there. Ten years later, we still travel the road. We have a network of home churches in central Texas. Because we use 80% of our income for benevolence and missions, we support 10 local ministries and have planted 220 churches in India. Not bad for a small band of about 100 pioneers! The book of Acts ends with the apostle Paul preaching and teaching in his own rented house (Acts 28:30-31). Could we now be picking up where the book ended 2000 years ago? Jim and Cathy Mellon founded the Association of Home Churches in Killeen, Texas in 1992. Jim is a businessman and on the editorial board of H2H magazine. Cathy is the director of a local crisis pregnancy center. They can be reached at (254) 690-5856 or by e-mail at copper@n-link.com.

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House Church DNA

Build on these principles and you will start dynamic house churches.

B A SIC S

by Felicity Dale

The concepts in this article are expounded upon in a notebook manual that Felicity Dale has recently compiled as a guide to house church planting called Getting Started. For more on how to order this manual, please see page 11.

hat then are the values on which house church Christianity is built? If we are to see a rapid multiplication of churches across this nation, what is the essential DNA that needs to permeate every cell of the body? Here are some of the core values that I believe should be a part of every house churchs DNA: 1. Prayer Psalm 127:1 says, Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. There is a great need for intercessors to under gird and sustain this present move of God. I believe this move has been birthed in prayer (e.g. by the current prayer movement), but if it is not nurtured on our knees it could rapidly go off course or just fizzle into nothing. We cannot expect a move of God cheaply lets be a people who will pray the price. 2. Following the Holy Spirit Experiencing God, a Bible study produced by Henry Blackaby and Claude V. King, encourages us to look and see what God is doing and then join Him in it. We need to learn to recognize the hand of God at work. Lets expect God to do something big, worthy of a supernatural God! Why shouldnt there be a church (or several!) in every neighborhood, retirement home, school, office block, hospital and factory in our city?

3. Commitment to evangelism and growth In this country, we in the house churches have a reputation, sadly well earned, of being insular and inward looking. We focus on certain aspects of the Christian life, emphasizing, for example, home schooling, or close fellowship while other things tend to get forgotten. We pay lip service to the great commission and pray half-heartedly for the conversion of our neighbors. Yet most of us have no meaningful relationships with nonChristians.

on page 20) is that in all the church planting movements he investigated, churches planting churches was an actively planned strategy. Part of what each house church should be praying and planning around, right from its inception, is where it should be planting the next church. 5. Reproducible models There are a number of things that prevent a church from being quickly reproduced. As house churches, we have already dealt with the primary financial hurdles, in that we use homes or other centers of life rather than special buildings, and we would not normally expect or need paid leadership. However, we do have other more subtle hindrances. For example, how often do we delay starting a church or multiplying one that is getting too big because we have no one to teach or lead, or no musician available? If we found a way of getting past these issues we could start churches more rapidly. Here in Austin we are simplifying our meetings so that even young believers can take a lead. We are basing our times together on Acts 2 where they met together for the apostles teaching, for fellowship, for breaking of bread and prayers. We come together for a simple potluck meal. We share what is going on in our lives. We read aloud a chapter of Scripture, stopping for discussion whenever anyone has a question or comment. And we pray for one another. If the meetings are brought down to their simpler elements, they can be facilitated by anyone, anywhere, and thus they can be rapidly reproduced. Felicity Dale lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, Tony. They helped plant Austin Fellowship of Home Churches.
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Lets expect God to do something big, worthy of a supernatural God! Why shouldnt there be a church (or several!) in every neighborhood, retirement home, school, office block, hospital and factory in our city?
After Stephens death, Acts 8 tells us that a great persecution arose against the church and they were all scattered. Verse 4 states, Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word. Without aggressive and purposeful evangelism, we are unlikely to see the magnitude of growth for which we long. 4. Intentional and strategic church planting One of the things that David Garrison stresses in his book, Church Planting Movements (see his article

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L u c a s

o n

L i f e

Listen
His pride may be hurt, and he may have lost his hearing, but the lesson he learned is worth it.

more than just socks, but you know what I mean). Hi Jeff, welcome to America. Quick, hop in the car, he screamed, above the nuclear early warning system that was now screaming from my car bonnet. Having wakened the neighbors in the immediate vicinity,

t had been a long flight to the USA. Flying in coach class makes you feel like youve had your legs wrapped around your neck for nine hours, and offers food that looks like an aerial view of a farmyard. I rented a car, and advised the car hire lady that, no, I didnt need any instructions on how to operate the car. I knew better. Right! I drove south into the moonless night, blinking back sleep. It was well after midnight as I arrived in the darkened little Oregon city. I was to stay overnight with a couple, Chris and Jeanne, who have become our closest friends. Parking my car outside their house, I realized that town-wide snoring was in operation: I would need to be very quiet as I unloaded my bags. Seconds later, as I opened the back door of the car, life got very loud. A deafening alarm system had been thoughtfully provided in my rental car, designed to alert extraterrestrials in other galaxies that the car was being stolen. All over the town, otherwise nice people were waking up swearing. I panicked, and began running laps around the vehicle an excellent strategy for emergency situations! Inside the house, my friends, hearing the cacophony outside, turned to each other with knowing smiles, and said, It appears that Jeff has arrived. Chris came running out in his socks (he actually was wearing
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Seconds later, as I opened the back door of the car, life got very loud. A deafening alarm system had been thoughtfully provided in my rental car, designed to alert extraterrestrials in other galaxies that the car was being stolen.

call the car hire company, he said. And then Chris glanced at the car keys clutched in my sweaty palm, and his eyes narrowed. Jeff . . . is there a panic button on that key fob? I replied that, yes, there was indeed a button with the word PANIC printed neatly beneath it. And do you think, Jeff, that you might have pressed that button accidentally, oh, you with the brains of a gerbil? I confirmed that this might possibly have been the case. I pressed the button again. Serene silence broke out as the alarm abruptly died, and a beautiful peace was once again ours. A police car, undoubtedly summoned to the disturbance, cruised by. We ducked behind the dashboard: noise criminals on the run. And suddenly, I remembered the kindly lady back at the car hire place who had tried so hard to give me instructions but I had been too tired, too convinced of my own knowledge, too confident to listen. Listen to God. Listen to your friends. Listen to your enemies sometimes, too. They may not like you, and their words might come wrapped in the unattractive packaging of unkind criticism, but they may bring you some life-changing truth. Listen. Its better than running laps.

we now proceeded to go on tour through the rest of town. Lights were coming on in previously darkened houses. The alarm was getting louder and was now screaming its way through an extended repertoire of deafening melodies. We pulled onto the darkened forecourt of a petrol station, minds racing. Lets disconnect the battery, I said. No, lets check the manual, he said. Lets run some more laps around the car, I said. No, lets

Taken from the book, Lucas On Life. Published by WORD Publishing, U.K. Used with permission. Available from H2H. To order please call (512) 282-2322 or visit our online store at www.house2house.tv

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