Issue 8 www.simplechurch.

com

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Welcome
Welcome to our rst issue of 2004 The simple/organic church movement is exploding all across the United States. From denominational leaders looking into simpler church expressions, to families learning to worship together in the simplicity of their homes, clearly the spiritual landscape of the nation is being transformed. The Holy Spirit is leading each to explore how to be the church rather than go to church. Authentic Christian communities, simple families of believers living and experiencing the one anothers of the New Testament, are again appearing. This edition of House2House magazine explores the phenomenon of emerging Church Planting Movements in North America. Church Planting Movements (or CPMs as they are usually referred to in missions literature) are rapidly multiplying, readily reproducible churches, usually led by non-professionals. In this edition you will read about senior computer execs and high school drop outs; pastors with years of ministry experience and brand new believers who are all seeing that the Lord is leading them back to simple expressions of church life. Our goal in this issue of the magazine is to encourage you to believe that God can and will use you in similar ways to those you will read about in this magazine. We are allowed to follow our hearts. If the Holy Spirit is urging us to a course of action such as: Starting an evangelistic Bible study group at the ofce, Ministering to the poor and needy in a housing project down the road, Passing out copies of a book such as Simply Church to see if others will start churches, Letting the church in your home plant out new families/churches into foreign countries, Setting up a store for the homeless, or Starting a church in a seedy hotel that is primarily used by prostitutes and pimps Then just do it! So read on. Read about explosive church growth in China. But also note that the Greenhouse movement has seen over 300 churches starting in North America over the past four years. Be thrilled at the way the Lord is reaching teens and twenties in Holland, but also rejoice that in North Austin, six churches have started in six months following the obedience of a business executive. Plan to come learn with us at the Labor Day National House Church Conference (see back cover). Enjoy being taught by men and women of God who are traveling down these exciting paths. By Gods grace, North America will be covered with Church Planting Movements and every group of people will nd themselves within easy geographical and cultural reach of a family of Gods people who are looking for an opportunity to share the Good News in a way that people can understand.
2Q.04 Issue 8 www.simplechurch.com

About the Cover Our cover features a photo of a monthly cluster gathering of the CommonPath Network of house churches. CommonPath has facilitated the planting of other house churches throughout the West Central part of Ohio. Interested in joining CommonPath or starting your own church in West Central Ohio area, Email: MLyons1@woh.rr.com.

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C ON T EN T S

DEPA R T MEN T S

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16

21

26

5 6 8 10 12 16 21 26 28

Guest Editorial: God is Moving Preview: Fellowships of the Heart Movements: The New Math Transition: When We Come Together Insights: On the Verge of a Second Reformation Community: Keep it Simple Book Review: The Present Future Basics: The Art of Facilitating Prayer: Have You Caught It?

FE AT URE S

20 Sowing Reaping and Keeping 22 Why I Dont Go to Church 24 North American Church Planting Movement

20

22

SIMP L E SHOR T S

15 Raleigh Released 29 Working Together for the Kingdom

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Mission Statement
We are pursuing the rapid advancement of the kingdom of God by saturating and transforming communities with radical, home-based, church planting movements. Editor in Chief: Tony Dale Executive Editor: Jonathan Dale Director of Operations: Sandra Hatley Editorial Board: Felicity Dale Tony Dale Jim Mellon David Underwood Coordination/Creative: Mike Lyons Layout and Design: Jn Paul Ostendorf Illustrations: Mike Lyons, Jn Paul Ostendorf

What is Simple 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. Simple Church is about a way of life. It is not about a change of location, but 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.
Bob, excited after reading his rst issue of House2House magazine, wastes no time in changing his house into a house church.

FOOD
When you get together, eat! It provides a great atmosphere for people to have honest, open communication with each other.

OPEN PARTICIPATION
What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. 1 Corinthians 14:26 This verse is one basis for what we do when we get together. The key is everyone has Everybody should be able to participate.

How to Reach Us
H2H Ministries P.O. Box 465 Manchaca, TX 78652-9824 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 Magazine used 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 do not necessarily reect the views and opinions of this magazine or our board members.

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
They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42 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. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 5:42

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G UE S T ED I TOR I A L

God is Movi ng
As He always has. Today He is moving in some new old ways. Across America, pastors are leaving their posts, but they arent resigning from ministry. They are reassigning themselves to the frontline. To their own neighborhoods and to secular workplaces. Others are staying where they are, and following the Holy Spirits leadership as they reshape their churches into missional outposts. Ordinary believers are stepping away from formal church. As they step away, they are stepping into new roles of leadership... pastoring churches that meet in their homes. Church planters are choosing to church their region, rather than plant the next big regional mega-church. In the choice to decentralize, peoples focus on the leader is blurred, and refocused on Christ. Denominations are realizing that some forms of church just arent working as well as they once did. Some denominational leaders are laying down the ag of their group in order to encourage kingdom disciple-making and church planting. All of these people are redeemed sinners and they have seen what the King is doing. They have tasted His freedom and grace. They are witnesses sent from Jesus to point as a sign toward His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is among us. The Author Info Kingdom of God is rapidly advancing upon North Paul Kaak lives in America through the fresh breeze of a resurrected southern California with experience of life within and under the reign of God. his wife, Kieva, and his These disciples, growing in number daily, are clear sons, Elijah Wesley and Jeremiah Graham. He that they did not start or plan this movement of is co-developer and Gods Spirit. Left to themselves, they would have partner with Neil Cole in GREENHOUSE (a built little kingdoms under their own names to satisfy their selsh inclinations. Left to themselves, Organic Church Planters Network) and works they would have held tightly to denominational bivocationally. heritages and condemned anyone who believed anything apart from what they knew to be true. Left to themselves, they (and we among them) would have never become friends. But individualism and isolation were not to be the story. The Spirit of the Living God has merged the individual stories into one story: the story of a redeemed North America and world. There has been a release from the desire to build kingdoms, budgets, buildings, and egos. The Father is whispering into many that have ears to hear. He has revealed what He is doing and is about to do. Friendships are being forged simply because many have heard the same whisper and have attempted to be faithful. As a sign of His power and sovereignty, the King has allowed a whole lot of disciples to hear the whisper as individuals before they encountered each other. There will soon be a movement of the Spirit in North America. God has planted the seeds of the Kingdom in the good soil of spiritually hungry people. The movement is a simple one often understood easily by those who are far from God, but frequently misunderstood by those within Christendom. We believe that God wants to see simple churches (missional communities of Jesusfollowers) within walking distance of every person in North America from cities, towns and neighborhoods and moving to all places. Like Simeon Author Info and Anna who waited patiently for the promised Joe Boyd and his wife Messiah, so we are faithful watchers waiting Debbie have two sons, patiently for a redeemed North America. We simply Eli and Aidan. Joe and Debbie moved to Las want to place ourselves in situations where we can Vegas from Ohio in 1995 see this vision become a reality. Thus, our strategy to work with Canyon is to watch God continue to move and encourage Ridge Christian Church, and then launched those who are being caught up in His movement to Apex in 1997. You can be faithful to Jesus and to die to themselves. And check out the Apex in dying, to be renewed day by day. group website here:
www.apexchurch.org

Lets get carried away

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P RE V IE W

FELLOWSHIPS of the

A Book Review & National Conference Preview

HEART
ew books have impacted the evangelical world in the way that John Eldredges Wild at Heart and Waking the Dead have over recent years. There is a general acknowledgement of the way that church seems to have lost its appeal to many believers. As Reggie McNeal says in his recent book, The Present Future, This may be the rst generation in which Christians have been leaving the church to preserve their faith. Into this void the Lord seems to be thrusting a new voice, that of John Eldredge, to remind His people that they were, from time of old, called to a life of adventure, not boredom, to be a part of an epic struggle, not just participate in a program. John shows us in these books how men, and yes, he is addressing much of what he says in the books to men, are longing for excitement and challenge. I love the example he gives in the introduction to the workbook that goes with Wild at Heart.

You see, Id climbed a bit before this night, but Id never rappelled in my life and my rst lesson was about to take place in utter darkness down a foreign face of rock to a ledge about a foot wide, which we guessed was sitting about 130 feet off the valley oor below. Well, I thought, I cant exactly stay here. The only way out of this mess is over that edge. With that, I leaned back into the void...

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Readers of this magazine have the great privilege of learning from this man of God and the Wild at Heart team at the coming Labor Day conference (see the inside back cover for more information on this conference and how to register). Here let me just summarize some of the issues from these books that John will be helping us to highlight and understand at a deep level. It all begins in the heart. We have been told that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9 NKJ) But that is only part of the story, because God is creating in us a new heart . . . a heart of esh (Ezekiel 36:26 NKJ). We need to guard this heart, because out of it springs the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23 NKJ). And for us men those issues involve Battle, Romance and Adventure. These are the themes of Wild at Heart and will occupy Friday evening at the Conference as John shares his heart (and his many movie clips!!) with all of us. But it doesnt stop there. In Waking the Dead, John takes us to the next level. Quoting from the jacket cover of this book,

There are four streams, Eldredge says, through which we can discover the abundant life: Walking with God, Receiving His Intimate Counsel, Deep Restoration, and Spiritual Warfare. And once the eyes of our hearts are opened, we will embrace three eternal truths: Things are not what they seem. This is a world at war. Each of us has a crucial role to play.
This will be the theme of Johns second evening with us. But the story does not stop there either. These are not battles that we can face alone. Many of us, even in the middle of churches of hundreds or thousands, have felt like we are alone. How do we live out the one anothers of the New Testament? How do we recapture that sense of the early church that All the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not their own; they shared everything they had (Acts 4:32 NLT). In the penultimate chapter of this book, in a chapter entitled Fellowships of the Heart, John helps us to explore why we must belong to a group of friends, a band of brothers, a fellowship of the heart. Something stronger than fate has chosen you. Evil will hunt you. And so a fellowship must protect you (from the Lord of the Rings). I cant wait to hear (and see) what John will share with us on the Sunday night of the conference as he explores this theme of Fellowships of Author Info the Heart. Book Review written by Dr. Tony Dale, Editor of Read the books. Come to the conference. House2House magazine. Let the adventure begin!

Report from China

PRAYER WORKS! When evangelists in Chinas Heilongjiang Province leave their house churches to evangelize, they have many old aunties backing them up: elderly women with such a passion for prayer that they often spend hours face down on the oor with tears streaming down their faces. These women literally live for prayer and worship; they do not stand behind the evangelists, they lie behind them. Uncle Liu, himself an elderly Christian, visited an unreached village near Acheng with such support. With a warm heart, he knocked on a door and asked whether he could explain the Gospel. The people chased him out of the village. Unimpressed, Liu withdrew to a quiet place, prayed for the family which had driven him away, and went back to the same house. He was soaked with water and again chased away. He didnt give up, but prayed for them again before returning to tell them how important it is for them to repent and believe in Gods Son. The family beat him with their staffs, cursed him for his obstinacy and again drove him out of the village, bloody and bruised. Liu waited seven days while his wounds recovered before returning to the house. Astonished at this return, the owner relented and called the family together to hear what he had to say. When Uncle Liu preached the Gospel, the entire family was shocked and convicted of sin. Every single member decided to follow Jesus.
Report sent to H2H by Asia Harvest www.asiaharvest.org

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MOV EMEN T S

Church Multiplication In Disciples Are Made, Not Born, Walter Henrichsen describes a display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. This display features a checkerboard with one grain of wheat on the rst square, two on the second, four on the third, then 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, and so on. Somewhere down the board, there was so much wheat that it was spilling over into neighboring squares so the display ended there. Above the demonstration was a question: At this rate of doubling each square, how much grain would you have on the checkerboard by the time you reached the 64th square? To nd the answer to this riddle, you punched a button on the console in front of you, and the answer ashed on a screen above the board: Enough to cover the entire subcontinent of India, 50 feet deep! Henrichsen concludes: The reason that the church of Jesus Christ nds it so hard to stay on top of the Great Commission is that the population of the world is multiplying while the church is merely adding. Addition can never keep pace with multiplication (Disciples Are Made, Not Born, p. 142).

I remember attending the Urbana Missions Conference in 1987, and the big news then was that the world population was about to pass the ve billion mark. Today we have passed six billion and are on our way to seven billion. The world is multiplying rapidly. The Western church, however, has only been adding (at best) and in many places is subtracting and losing ground. Things must change. Spontaneous expansion of the kingdom of God will start small and seemingly insignicant. Multiplication always starts small. All of us began life as a zygote. A single cell becomes two and then four, and eventually becomes a full grown adult. Multiplication may seem slow at rst, but it soon exceeds addition, and in time the difference is incomparable! Roland Allen describes a spontaneous church multiplication movement in the following ways: By spontaneous expansion I mean something which we cannot control. And if we cannot control it, we ought to rejoice that we cannot control it. For if we cannot control it, it is because it is too great, not because it is too small for us. The great things of God are beyond our control. Therein lies a vast hope. Spontaneous expansion could ll the continents with the knowledge of Christ: our control cannot reach as far as that. We constantly bewail our limitations: open doors unentered; doors closed to us as foreign missionaries; elds white to the harvest, which we cannot reap. Spontaneous expansion could enter open doors, force closed ones, and reap those white elds. Our control cannot: it can only appeal pitifully for more men to maintain control (The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church, p. 13).

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SPONTANEOUS EXPANSION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD WILL START SMALL AND SEEMINGLY INSIGNIFICANT. MULTIPLICATION IS SOMETHING WE CANNOT CONTROL BECAUSE IT IS TOO GREAT, NOT BECAUSE IT IS TOO SMALL FOR US. THE GREAT THINGS OF GOD ARE BEYOND OUR CONTROL. THEREIN LIES A VAST HOPE. THIS TYPE OF GROWTH COULD FILL THE WORLD WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.
Multigenerational Churches When we started Awakening Chapels our desire was a movement that was out of control. We had a lot to learn to see this happen, but we had even more to unlearn. Many of the things that seemed right actually were barriers to spontaneous multiplication. With each generation of churches we seemed to learn more. The rst church we started was a committed team of twelve Christians, and we met in my home. From that we sent a smaller team to start a second church. That second church brought about the people who started a third church. This next church started with all newly transformed disciples meeting in one of their homes. The third church has since daughtered about 16 or more churches. This church is still fully alive and full of transformed lives. It is not uncommon for me to nd out about new churches after they have started. One young man came from Indiana for a summer to work with us. He then went back to school in the Midwest, and we didnt hear much from him for a time. Then he came back again to a Greenhouse training event in Las Vegas and caught the bug again. Soon he had a new Awakening Chapel meeting in a small town in Indiana. This church was small and made up of students and former students as well as some people that met at a local coffee house. Soon people graduated and moved to different parts of the country, and we are now hearing of churches starting in some of those places. One evening at church, Milton (who paints houses for a living) asked me about the church we had on Gaviota Street in Long Beach. Gaviota is only a few blocks from where I lived at the In the beginning of Acts, Luke is very careful to time. I told him that we dont have any churches list precise numbers of disciples. As the book (and on Gaviota. He smiled and said, Yes you do. He the movement) expands, he gets less and less told me that he had been painting a house, and specic and starts using more general language. one day noticed cars arriving at the house across Observe how he describes this expansion as he the street. People pulled out guitars, bongos, develops the story further: and Bibles and went into the house. He went Acts 6:7 And the word of God kept on over to introduce himself, and mention spreading; and the number of the that he had a church meeting in disciples continued to increase greatly his home as well. When they saw in Jerusalem, and a great many of the him they recognized him, and said priests were becoming obedient to that they were also a part of our the faith. network of churches. A church had Acts 8:4 Therefore, those who had started only a few blocks from my Author Info been scattered went about preaching home, and I didnt even know about Neil Cole is Executive the word. Director for Church it! When I heard this story I felt Acts 12:24 But the word of the Multiplication Associates like we had nally reached a goal Lord continued to grow and to be (www.CMAresources.org) of spontaneous reproduction. We multiplied. and also the founding leader of the Awakening were beginning to see things out Acts 13:49 And the word of the Chapels. CMA has been a of control. We still have much to Lord was being spread through the vibrant ministry for ten learn, but God seems to be showing years now, and Awakening whole region [Pisidian Antioch]. us the way to release spontaneous Chapels started in 1998. Acts 19:20 So the word of the Lord He is also author of multiplication. was growing mightily and prevailing Cultivating a Life for A couple of us from this third God: Multiplying Disciples [in Asia Minor]. Awakening Chapel started a new When a spontaneous multiplication through Life Transformation Groups, which can church in an apartment complex movement starts to gain momentum, be ordered through CMA in the barrio of East Los Angeles. it becomes impossible to keep count. It Resources. One Saturday, we went to the is out of control. Recently, I was asked apartments to have a barbeque and baptize new what I wanted to see happen when I die. Without believers. When we arrived I was surprised to see hesitation my reply came back, I want to see one of our other church planters there. He was more churches started the year after I die than also surprised to see me. It happened to be that all the years I was alive. This will only be possible he lived on that same block and led a church, if we are multiplying. We must not be content which he had already started there, in Spanish. with anything less. Now there are two churches on that block, one in Spanish and one in English. Could it be that we are now bumping into each other?
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T R A NSI T ION

A STORY OF THE PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION OF ONE PASTOR MAKING

WHEN WE COM
Following Bible College, with a few years of youth pastoring under my belt, I was sent out by a denomination to establish a home missions church. In my zeal, I worked the community for two months. Going from door to door, I shared the news that we were starting a work in the area. On our rst Sunday, seven people showed up, and the work began. As a Spirit-lled Pentecostal, I began to build the church around my preaching gift, enhanced by an excellent music program. Over time, we slowly began to see numbers rise. I had set church growth goals, and we were on our way to establishing a thriving church. An Incoming Message God Speaks Just over a year later, I was up late one Saturday night putting nishing touches on the next days sermon. Praying and meditating, I felt the Lord desired to speak to me. As I grew still, He communicated some unsettling ideas. He told me I was arrogant and proud to assume that my preaching would meet every persons every need. I was surprised, because I counted myself to be humble and meek before the Lord. After all, I would spend hours in prayer each week in order to deliver the sermon powerfully. The conviction was so strong that I asked the Lord what He wanted me to do. God directed me to get some sleep, do what I had planned for the next day, and we would discuss it the following week. Next morning I preached a sermon I had no desire to preach. I went home truly broken before the Lord and began a week of fasting and seeking Him. That week, the Lord led me to I Corinthians 14:26: How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edication.

THE TRANSITION TO A SIMPLE CHURCH WITH GODS INSTRUCTION.

EACH ONE HAS A...

Song,

TEACHING,

Revelation,

Tongue
OR AN INTERPRETATION.

ALL OF THESE MUST BE DONE FOR THE

STRENGTHENING
OF THE CHURCH.
I CORINTHIANS 14:26

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E TOGETHER,
Gods Idea of a Church Service knew the Lord. She responded, No. I asked if she would like to receive Christ as her Savior. For the rst time, I saw what God truly She nodded, and I asked for three ladies to desired in a church service. This revelation pray with her. completely violated my faith and everything Another lady began to weep. I asked, and I had experienced in church, not to mention she said yes! Three more ladies led her all my Bible training! to the Lord! The next Sunday, I stood before our Now what? Well, Aprils aunt began congregation and read the Scripture. singing Amazing Grace. As the entire I told them that, the following week, body joined in, you could sense the they would be the ones responsible glory of Gods presence. Truly, we for any ministry. They should come had gathered in His name and He dressed casually (heresy for Author Info was in our midst! I found myself Pentecostals!), and we would Bryon & Misty Wiebold weeping hot tears. I expressed to have lunch together. left a twelve thousand the Lord how frustrating it was that member mega-church The First Sunday ministry and sought the I could study and pray all week, As the people arrived the following Lord for what they felt preach my guts out, and still have Sunday, they found the chairs in the to be a more biblical expression of the church. to beg people to come to the altar. sanctuary formed into a circle. The The Lord responded simply, It is The result was the focus was not the pulpit or platform birthing of Forerunner amazing what I can do when given but rather the faces of their brothers Church three years ago. the opportunity! and sisters. I stood up wearing my That afternoon, we laughed and cried. Prayed khakis and golf shirt, read I Corinthians 14:26 for one another; shared one anothers burdens. and explained what would be taking place. Worshipped. Broke bread with one another. No Two solid minutes of silence passed before Sister one left until mid-afternoon! Elaine, one of our dear old prayer warriors, began This experience forever changed my life and speaking... about death. I thought, Well, this view of ministry. It did take a while to realize is going to be great! that my career was over. But once you taste She spoke about the part of us that would the reality of a corporate expression, you cannot live forever even after our physical bodies were return to the former religious structures! gone. She spoke concerning hell and how its true torment was being separated from a loving God for eternity! Her nal statement will forever ring in my ears! If you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are risking an eternity separated from the God that so lovingly designed and created you. Then she sat down. More silence! But this time, a young 14-yearold girl, named April, who was visiting, broke the silence with her weeping. I asked April if she Report from India
2700 NEW HOUSE CHURCHES IN UP, INDIA Around two years ago, Uttar Pradesh (previously a Hindu stronghold with its 175 million inhabitants) began to open for the Gospel. This had been preceded by many Northern Indian Christians intense prayer. Since then, tens of thousands have come to faith; some 2,700 new house churches have been planted in Northern and Central India alone since January 2003. Around 1,800 church planters and house church leaders are involved in the UP Project a long-term missionary initiative aiming to plant 1 million new churches by 2010. Pairs of church planters go to pray in villages, typically visiting ten villages each day. They introduce themselves to the mayor, and ask whether there is anything for which they can pray. They then pray, fast and preach the Gospel until they nd a house of peace one of the villagers opens his house as a house of prayer. This often happens following a healing or deliverance from demonic possession. When the rst people come to believe in Jesus, they are immediately instructed on how to follow Him. There are already around 24,000 houses of peace in 4,000 of Uttar Pradeshs villages. These houses of peace are only called house churches when the new believers seriously follow Jesus and have been baptized.
Report sent to H2H by Kingdom Ministries; Fax (+41)-33-4393091; Tel. 4393099; e-mail: info@kministries.ch

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INSIG H T S

ON THE VERGE OF A
THE FIRST REFORMATION, PUTTING THE SCRIPTURES INTO THE HANDS OF THE COMMON MAN, PARALLELS THE SIMPLE CHURCH MOVEMENT PUTTING THE CHURCH BACK INTO THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE.

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SECOND REFORMATION
There were fty of us seated in an old converted barn in the heart of rural England. Tony and I were there to talk about simple church. There were leaders from various churches across the country. Each person was sharing what they sensed the Lord was doing in the nation. A young woman began to share, I was walking out near my house this past week, and came across a monument to William Tyndale. The Lord spoke to me. He told me that, just as He had put the Bible into the hands of the people through Tyndale, this next move of the Spirit was going to put the church back into the hands of the people. Gripped by this concept, back at home I found myself in tears as I read on the internet about the life of this man (www.williamtyndale.com). Belgium 1536 Picture the scene. The year is 1536. Just outside Brussels, Belgium, in a place called Vilvorde, there is a fortied castle. It is a cold October dawn. A large crowd has gathered just outside the castle walls; they are there to watch the execution of a heretic. At last, the gates of the castle open and a small procession crosses the bridge under which the river Senne sleepily ows. The prisoner, frail, his complexion pale from eighteen months spent in jail, stumbles between two burly soldiers. They come to a halt before the crowd. The charges against the condemned man are read. William Tyndale, you have been found guilty of infringing the imperial decree which forbids any one to teach that faith alone justies. The prisoner is bound to the stake, a hempen noose around his neck, and brushwood is piled high around him. As the executioner ties him to the stake he does not struggle, but suddenly cries out with a loud voice, Lord, open the King of Englands eyes! Immediately following this, the executioner snaps tight the noose that takes his life from him, then lights the re that consumes his body. The Father of the English Reformation, the Apostle of England, has died for preaching salvation by faith alone. The crowd is quiet. They have just witnessed the triumph of a martyr. Someone noted this last prayer, and it was repeated in every clandestine gathering of Christians across England. One Mans Passion William Tyndale (c.1494 to 1536) scholar, linguist and priest had one life-consuming passion: to see the Bible translated into English so that the ordinary man could read it. England at the time, under the reign of Henry VIII (of six wives fame!) was Catholic. The only Bibles available were in Latin or Greek, and therefore inaccessible to the majority of the people. Tyndale vowed to make his translation into everyday English, the language of the peasants. If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plow to know more of the Scriptures than the Pope. The rest of his life was devoted to fullling that vow. Henry VIII was rmly opposed to an English translation of the Scriptures. Forced into exile, Tyndale ed to Germany where he completed his translation of the New Testament from the Greek. In 1530, several thousand printed copies of the New Testament, hidden in bales of wool or cloth, or packed into sacks of our, were smuggled by boat down the Rhine and across the Channel, back into England. Many of these were discovered, conscated by the church authorities and publicly burned. Anyone discovered with one in their possession ran the risk of execution.
William Tyndale

H2H Issue 8 | 13

Scripture for the Common Man

Why was there such opposition to a translation of the Scriptures? The main excuse given by the church hierarchy for not permitting laymen to read the Bible was that untrained people would not be able to interpret it. Laymen were too cumbered with worldly business to understand it correctly and therefore could not be trusted with The Matthews Bible it. It needed to be in Latin where William Tyndales nal prayer was only the clergy could read it and answered. In August 1537, less they would explain it to the people. than a year after Tyndales death, The Bible was viewed as the King Henry VIII gave his permission property of the church, a book to for the Matthews Bible to be be read only at public services and published. It did not have William explained solely by the priests. The Tyndales name in it (to keep from teaching throughout the church embarrassing the government), was that salvation was by works. but around 90% of the work in Tyndales response to this? The this version was his! Most of it layman must have the Scriptures, lives on in the 1611 King James and read it for himself, taking God Authorized Version. 1536 Tyndale Bible. The rst for his teacher (The Obedience of New Testament printed in England had been waiting for a Christian Man, William Tyndale). English. Matthew 27:4-27:18 this, and it was like oodgates I perceived how that it was opening. It literally transformed the nation and impossible to establish the lay people in any truth, ushered in the Reformation. he wrote, except the Scripture were plainly laid It was a wonderful thing to see. Whoever before their eyes in their mother tongue. possessed the means bought the book and read it An attempt was made to seize Tyndale, even or had it read to him by others. Aged persons learnt while he was in exile, and his next few years were their letters in order to study the Holy Scriptures spent on the run, living in poverty, but working of God. In many places there were meetings for now on the Old Testament as well. Finally, in 1535, reading; poor people dubbed their savings together betrayed by someone posing as a friend, he was and purchased a Bible, and then in some remote captured and imprisoned. The quality of his life was corner of the church, they modestly formed a circle, such that his jailer and other members of the jailers and read the Holy Book between them. A crowd of household were converted. He was charged with men, women, and young folks, disgusted with the heresy, and his priesthood was publicly stripped barren pomp of the altars, and with the worship of away. His execution came only a short time later. dumb images, would gather round them to taste the precious promises of the Gospel. God himself spoke under the arched roofs of those old chapels

Just before his arrest, Tyndale had passed his translation of the Old Testament into the hands of Miles Coverdale. He and Thomas Matthews (whose real name was John Rogers) were able to complete the work and have it printed. Great precautions were taken to prevent persecutors from destroying the presses on which it was being printed.

or time-worn cathedrals, where for generations nothing had been heard but masses and litanies. The people wished, instead of the noisy chants of the priests, to hear the voice of Jesus Christ, of Paul and of John, of Peter and of James. The Christianity of the Apostles reappeared in the Church (History of the Reformation in the Time of Calvin, J.H. Merle dAubigne). A New World England was not the only nation to be affected. The Bible that the rst settlers brought to America, and the one on which her constitution was founded, were both versions of Tyndales Bible. How is this relevant to us, nearly ve hundred years later? Simply this: When the Bible was released into the hands of ordinary people, their spiritual lives changed. The change in people led to the Reformation, through which the whole of society was transformed, and the courses of nations were altered. Imagine what will happen when the church is released into the hands of the people! Simple church allows ordinary men and women to be church. The objections to seeing this happen are identical to the objections of those who felt the Bible should not be in the common language. But God is doing something. All over the Author Info world people are getting Felicity Dale is on together in homes, in the Editorial Board of schools, in ofces to House2House magazine. have fellowship together. With a background in medicine (family practice) The Holy Spirit is putting and years of experience in the church back into the church planting, she brings her British perspective to hands of His (ordinary) this vital time in church people. The results may history. astound us!

Report from Wales, UK

BREAD, FISH, BEER LIFE IN A PUB CHURCH Bar None began with three friends who met at a Christian festival and discussed ideas of how to be church in an unchurchlike manner. They came up with the idea of a pub church. A group of Cardiff Christians decided to check out the citys pubs, to nd out if any were open for the idea of being a pub church on Sunday. They expected rejection, but were astonished that most were excited by the idea. They nally settled on The Oz Bar in the city centre. In the rst meetings, they laid Bibles and newspapers on some of the tables, held discussions and sometimes a 10-minute talk, a songwriter presented a song, and discussed the meaning. The best evenings were often the ones which we did not plan, says Chris Coffey, one of the founders. Someone would ask Why do you believe what you believe? and things would go from there. To start with, we had around 100 people each evening, including many curious Christians from local churches. We now have thirty to forty regular visitors, many of whom do not attend a normal church because they think they would not t in. Bar None is one of four fellowships belonging to the Glenwood Church. It is important for people to recognize that they are not in a waiting line for a real church, but that this is real church! And one of the most important things that we have learned is that we do not need to have an answer to every question, and do not need to justify everything that we do, he says. Report from www.pubchurch.com

14 | H2H Issue 8

CSIMP LH G ROWTTS HURC E SHOR H

GOD HAS UNLEASHED A VISION OVER

NORTH CAROLINA, AND HE HAS

RALEIGH RELEASED
,
China ministry and will take two teams to China this year. Some of the home churches have a vision to simply shepherd the people on their own street. One such church has had more than ten different houses on their block attend at least one meeting. The couple who leads this house church literally pastors their neighbors, even the ones who have not yet attended. My own self-image changed from Pastor Les with a capital P, to Les, a pastor. I was a Senior Pastor for twenty years. During that time we had just about every type of home group, care group, zone group, cell group or any other name you want. My goal was to have these groups serve as a way to funnel people into our church, which was dened as our Sunday celebration, and to grow this one church as large as possible. The change came when the Lord showed me that it is simply not about my church at all. It is about expanding His Kingdom by planting His churches. I no longer see the home churches funneling people in, but instead training people and then sending them out to start churches in their own homes or neighborhoods. At the end of 2003, I was meditating on goals for the New Year and thought I would try to help start three or four new groups in 2004. This was concluded without really consulting the Father. A couple of weeks later the Lord had a little conversation with me. He asked me how many groups I hoped to start. I said I was thinking of three or four. Then I heard Him say in my spirit, I was thinking more like twelve or so. The evidence that it was really His voice is that we have already seen six new house churches in the rst three months! He has been the One who has done this! In all of this growth activity, we see the sovereign hand of God moving. There is a denite stirring of the Holy Spirit across the land calling people into an intimate relationship with one another and with Jesus.

BELIEVERS

TO EXPAND THE KINGDOM. THE STORY IS REMARKABLE BECAUSE IT IS MORE ABOUT HIS SOVEREIGN WORKING THAN ANY PARTICULAR PERSON OR LEADER.
he Lord is giving the Bride of Christ a facelift ... she is going to look nineteen hundred years younger! God is restoring the church to its original intimacy, relationship and simplicity. One year ago, four couples began meeting together, hungry for friendship in Jesus more than doing religious stuff for Him. They began to have revelation about home church. It was not just a Bible study or a religious meeting in a home. It was church! They soon realized that there was something about this radical kind of church that was incredibly real. These four incubator couples shared their lives with each other and then shared their vision and their core values with others. What follows is a description of what the Lord has done in just one year since then. Part of what is happening is the result of applying the practical teaching found in the House2House Getting Started manual. With at least 50 copies circulating, people are reading it and then saying, I can do this! There are now over twenty home churches connected together in four networks that are owing together in a larger network. There have been seven new homes added in the last two months. In addition, there are new relationships forming with others of a similar heartbeat. These are not cookie cutter meetings, but are fascinating for their variety. One is all high school kids with adult leaders. There is a college house church near the campus of NC State University led by students. One of the newest started with four believers and eight pre-Christians. Another group meets in a pizza restaurant and spends most of the time discussing Bible prophecies being fullled before our eyes. Two of the newer home churches, started at the invitation of the hosts, are meeting in a low-income project area. Another two have a strong focus on the churchs Jewish roots. Still another group has a theme of

Author Info

Les Lawrence lives in Raleigh, NC with his wife, Doreen, where he pastors Harvest Celebration Church and oversees Harvest Homechurch Network. He and Doreen are also on the leadership team of Sojourners, a network of house church networks in Raleigh. They have three daughters and ve grandchildren. Les was born and raised in Prophetstown, Illinois. He pastored Maranatha Chapel in Clearwater, Florida for 24 years. His Masters degree is in theology from Christian Faith College. Les also authored the book: Prophecy to the Land! about Israel in prophecy.

One home church meets in a pizza restaurant.

Another church regularly celebrates the Hebraic roots of Christianity because of its Messianic Jewish members.

One of Les Lawrences home church gatherings.

H2H Issue 8 | 15

C OMMUNI T Y
Purely Reproducible On November 21, 2002 the Lord called me to servant leadership with a vision of Purely Reproducible. During the previous twenty years, I had been treasurer in two denominations, and had held other, extra-biblical titles. Like members of any worldly club, we paid our dues and attended regularly. This new call to serve with simplicity and multiplicative reproduction was a major shock to my friends, family, wife, nine kids, and me! Because I did not know anyone with this vision, it took six months of prayer and counsel before we started. My rst weeks were spent reading the Bible. Then I added stacks of books on purpose, evangelism, and house churches. In the last thirty weeks, there has been more impact than the previous thirty years. Several house churches have started in Austin. Their combined growth and funded evangelism has resulted in over one hundred conversions and almost two hundred families being assisted with food, clothing, and more. Purely We sincerely want to imitate Acts 2:42-47 [Everyone] was devoted to the teaching, fellowship, bread, prayer...Everything in common... many wonders and signs... Every day met together and ate in homes...Lord added the saved daily. Author Info Acts 4:34 No one had Keep it pure and simple, any need, and James the best is yet to come. Tim Abels is in senior 1:27 pure religion helps management at Dell orphans and widows. Computers in Austin. Research estimates He and his wife and family have been walking that 70% of church this organic church funding goes to the path for the past nine clergy, 25% goes to months, and are thrilled buildings and expenses, at all that they are learning and all that leaving 5% for evangethey are seeing God do lism, benevolence, and in their lives. missions. Our vision for purity is to be serving shepherds who truly love each individual with our time and nances. Sunday checks are cheerfully made out to the charity God places on each heart. We have helped multiple neighbors who had called ten or more churches asking for food. Beyond hearing No, they were told, We never do that dont call again (cf. Matthew 25). Prior to my calling, I was part of a church project to research corporate bylaws from major denominations. Some needed over sixty pages to build in safeguards for the extra-biblical complexities of property, clergy, staff and levels of membership. Even doctrinal statements that could have been simple were of PhD complexity. Jesus entrusted the church to simple carpenters, shermen, and tax agents. How did Paul reproduce churches in months and not decades? Reproducible A second challenge is that were adding too many members instead of multiplying disciples. First time visitors hear that each person can contribute, because its the same Christ in each Christian. They can start planning a church in their own neighborhood. Establish a discipleship pattern immediately, because its much easier to give birth than raise the dead. In October, the home churches funded Heavens Gates, where fty were saved. One pastor was given an index card to list non-Christians to invite, but handed it back saying, I only know a couple non-Christians. Shepherds should be able to give many names across a variety of categories: homeless, addicted, near divorce, near bankrupt, etc. My brother is a pastor and a good listener. I asked him: Imagine if all doctors were plastic surgeons that only helped each other. Is that how irrelevant we are, when we dont help the truly hurting? At the next family reunion, should I set up chairs in rows and one of us will do all the speaking and well call that fellowship? If we as church leaders played football, would we be the owners, coaches, and quarterbacks? Shouldnt we be the cheerleaders (in word, deed, and writing)? We have almost weekly conversions in backyards, living rooms, movie theatres, restaurants, and local outreaches. One father and daughter passed out free tickets for The Passion movie to non-Christian neighbors followed by pizza and discussion. One lady hosts neighborhood backyard BBQs for major holidays. A teenager organizes trips to concerts, volunteers, and baby-sits free for single mothers, cleaning their house spotless while theyre out. We pass out Simply Church and a sample H2H magazine to each guest. For Christmas, I sent these to four of my relatives who are in institutional churches in Indiana and North Carolina. They have since replaced their Wednesday services with simple cell groups and are ordering more for friends.

keep it simple
teaching fellowship food prayer

16 | H2H Issue 8

RE S OURC E SEC T ION

Resources
simple church
Simply Church
by Tony and Felicity Dale

Get ready to change the way you view church! Have you ever read about the early church in the New Testament, and longed for that kind of relationship with other believers? The early church spread and spread, and touched lives everywhere. Do you ever wish that you had more power to change your community? Do you want to follow the Great Commission, to GO, but dont know how? In this book, Tony and Felicity explore some dynamic trends in society and church that are pushing believers into simpler ways of doing church. It gets back to the basics by bringing it all back to the Lordits Simply Church. 119 Pages, Paperback, $10.00 Available through www.cmaresources.org or by calling 877-732-3593 For bulk orders, Email: info@house2house.tv or call 512-282-2322
Order 10 copies or more and receive a 50% discount!

Getting Started: A Practical Guide to House Church Planting

Edited by Felicity Dale

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, duplicate it in our living room and call it a church. Simple church is not really about a change of location its about a change in the way we do church. This practical guide will help you change the way you view church and church planting. You can use this manual by yourself, in a small group, or in a larger seminar style setting. It is the basis of the Luke 10 Training offered by House2House. 180 Pages, Paperback, $18.00 Available through www.cmaresources.org or by calling 877-732-3593 For bulk orders, Email:info@house2house.tv or call 512-282-2322
Order 10 copies or more and receive a 50% discount!

H2H Issue 8 | 17

Cultivating a Life for God

By Neil Cole

Cultivating a Life for God calls upon us to rethink our busy, fast-paced lives. If there is a stirring in your soul for something more in your spiritual journey, take a risk on what God might do in and through your life. Discover the compassion that comes from heaven and can be experienced in a Life Transformation Group (see LTG cards below). You may never be the same again! 136 Pages, Paperback, $9.00 Available through www.cmaresources.org or by calling 877-732-3593

Life Transformation Group (LTG) Cards

25 pack, $19.99 100 pack, $50.00 Available through www.cmaresources.org or by calling 877-732-3593

A Life Transformation Group is a simple way to release the most essential elements of a vital spiritual walk to people who need Jesus. This tool empowers the common Christian to accomplish the uncommon work of reproducing spiritual disciples who can in turn reproduce others.

Houses That Change the World

By Wolfgang Simson

Millions of Christians around the world are becoming aware of an imminent reformation of global proportions within the church. In this book, Wolfgang Simson brings to light what God is saying to Christians everywhere. All who read this book will be challenged in their churching and will have their priorities refocused in a life changing way. 303 Pages, Paperback, $15.00 Available through www.cmaresources.org or by calling 877-732-3593

The Church in the House: a Return to Simplicity

By Robert Fitts

The most dramatic church growth in history in ancient or in modern times has occurred where there were no church buildingsjust believers multiplying from house to house. This book looks at the philosophy and practicality of home church for today. It is must reading for any believer interested in seeing the Great Commission fullled in our time. 116 Pages, Paperback, $9.95 Available through www.PTWpublish.com or by calling 503-585-4054

18 | H2H Issue 8

The Way Church Ought to Be: Ninety-ve Propositions for a Return to Radical Christianity
By Robert Lund

Vol. 1: NinetyFi

The Wa y Chur ch Oug ht

ve Prop osition s for a

Robert Lund issues a call to return to simple, pure, and powerful Christianity. The Christian Church has weakened as it has embraced the worlds values and structures. Strength is returning as it presses back into the traditions that the early apostles laid out in the New Testament. All over the globe, people are tired of dead, lifeless, and religious Christianity. They are going back in order to go forward... back to the Bible... back to the heart of God... back to the simplicity and purity of knowing Christ... back to basic Christianity. 464 Pages, Paperback, $15.00 (or for a donation for those who are committed to restoring pure, powerful, and simple Christianity and cant afford the cost of this book) Available through Robert Lund, by email (bob@lund.com) or by phone (541-259-5900)
L d un
Outside-th e-B PRESS ox

Volum e I: N inetyfor a five Propo R sition Radic eturn to s al Ch ristia nity

The Way Ought TChurch o Be

Return to Ra

dical

Chris tianity

to Be
Resto ring N Prep are th ew Testam e Chu en rch fo t, Apostol r Har ic Pr incipl vest. es to

Robert A.

Robert A. L und

Church Planting Movements: How God is Redeeming a Lost World

By David Garrison

These are days of great harvest, and nowhere on earth is the harvest greater than in the growing number of church planting movements God is stirring around the world. If you want to be on mission with God, to share in the joy of being His instrument in these days of harvest, youve come to the right spot! 257 Pages, Paperback, $18.95 Available through www.churchplantingmovements.com or by calling 888-795-4434

The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-century Church
By Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch

The Shaping of Things to Come explores why the church needs to recalibrate itself, rebuilding itself from the roots up. Frost and Hirsch build their case around real-life stories gathered from innovative missional projects from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Canada and England. These spirited experiments of Gospel community serve to point out just how varied a genuinely incarnational approach to mission can, and indeed needs to, become. They present vital modes of missional learning for the established church as it seeks to orientate itself to the unique challenges of the 21st Century. 236 Pages, Paperback, $16.95 Available through www.cmaresources.org or by calling 877-732-3593

H2H Issue 8 | 19

FE AT URE

Sowing, Reaping and Keeping

The heart of God centers on having His people from the four corners of the earth gathered unto Himself, eventually to sit with Him at the Marriage Supper of His Son! Jesus shared this same burden and passion with His Father. When John the Baptist prophesied about Jesus, he proclaimed that His winnowing fork is in His hand and He will gather His wheat into the barn (Matthew 3:12). Probably the most well-known verse in the New Testament in this regard is Jesus lament over Jerusalem: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem how often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings(Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34). Much of the spirit of both the Old and New Testament is the same: the gathering of Gods people into one ock, with one shepherd (Ezekiel 34, John 10). See what Jesus said about those who do not gather with Him: He who is not with Me is against Me; and He who does not gather with Me, scatters (Matthew 12:30)! Jesus says that if, in our labors for Him, we are not gathering people, we are scattering them! As Eugene Peterson picks up on in The Message: This is war, and there is no neutral ground If youre not helping, youre making things worse! (Luke 11:23) As missionaries for the last 20 years, Maria and I have had to take this word from Jesus very seriously. We have been convicted by the Holy Spirit many times throughout the The house church model unlocks church years for making things worse by not putting planting, empowering the most simple-minded enough emphasis on gathering what was reaped. of us to reproduce churches! Just like the original We, along with many other people with good shermen and tax-collectors: and [they] understood that they were uneducated and intentions, stressed sowing and reaping... but at the high cost of keeping! untrained men (Acts 4:13). Often the problem is not our The Spontaneous Expansion hearts, but our wineskins. Many of the Church people around the world who focus Many times the issue is the on evangelism at the expense of so called follow-up we leave to gathering people into churches do locals once our team has blitzed so by default, not by design. Many Author Info an area. I have searched long and people do not feel comfortable Jeff Gilbertson currently hard for this in the NT and can only works in central Asia (or condent) trying to reproduce see something similar in Philip and with his wife, Maria, church as they know it. the Ethiopian eunuch. Well, if you and their four children. Unknowingly, the missionary quite They are actively seeking are snatched away from the area to reproduce simple often goes carrying with him preby the Holy Spirit, ne. Otherwise, I conceived ideas about what a church churches. Jeff has been think the biblical mandate is to stay with Youth With A looks like, Dr. Ralph Winter explains Mission (YWAM) since until believers have been gathered (Missions Frontiers, Sept. 2003). It is 1983 and has lived and together (see Acts)! not necessary to impose an American- ministered on three Roland Allen, a missionary to continents. His passion style church. True, the great twentieth- is to see the church China from another century, makes century missiologist McGavran taught restored to its New the point so simple I dont see how Testament roots and missionaries that evangelism is not see missions and church we keep missing it, but we do: I good enough. People won to Jesus believe that we ought to return to planting return to the Christ need accountable fellowship as Apostolic model. the apostolic practice and found well. Thus church planting becomes [start] churches in every place where the almost universal rallying cry, largely in place of we make converts, churches equipped with mere evangelism. However, what if our American all the divine grace and authority of Christian idea of a church is itself extra-biblical?... The churches(The Spontaneous Expansion of the so-called churches of the New Testament were Church, 1927), worshipping households like that of Cornelius, These are great and mighty days to be about Lydia, or Crispus. They were what are nowadays the Fathers business! Lets begin now to start called house churches. thinking ocks instead of sheep and follow the biblical principle of sowing, reaping and keeping!

20 | H2H Issue 8

BOOK RE V IE W

THE PRESENT FUTURE

by Reggie McNeal
Reggie is a denominational guy (hes a consultant for the Southern Baptists). He is writing to traditional church people but what he says is highly relevant to house church people as well. His insights are shocking (in a good sense). In each chapter, Reggie presents a new reality that the church must face: Each reality requires the church to shift its thinking from answering the wrong question to pursuing the implications of a tough question (p. xvi).
A Few Quotes from Chapter One, New Reality Number One: The Collapse of the Church Culture The imminent demise under discussion is the collapse of the unique culture in North America that has come to be called church. This church culture has become confused with biblical Christianity, both inside the church and out (p. 1).
JW - Wow! This is coming from a denominational leader.

Wrong question: How Do We Do Church Better? All the effort to x the church misses the point. You can build the perfect church, and they still wont come. People (in the world) are not looking for a great church (p. 10).
JW - Reggie says that most of the growth of megachurches represents people transferring from dinghies to cruise ships.

Report from Holland TAKING THE CHURCH TO THE WORLD

I was at a local house church conference today. In the evening, we had the practical part: a pizza party! Do you want to know what happened? asks Roland van der Molen, a young Dutch church planter, on his home page, www.dutchtraveller.blogspot.com That evening, we had six teenage guests, including a 17-year-old mother. I asked If you could ask God two questions, what would they be? They came up with some good questions: Why is God invisible? Why do demons exist? Is God a man? A woman? We searched the Bible for answers, following which I asked them, Who wants to trust in this Jesus, and start a new life with Him? They all raised their hands fast, saying, Me, me! We prayed for one of the boys, who then prayed for the others, that they would be lled with the Holy Spirit right from the beginning. Later, they said things like I feel so free, so happy. I sense the peace. I can feel someone else living in me! As the evening closed, I challenged them to be baptized the following week. Two wanted to be baptized right away. Last Sunday, we held a baptism party with around 80 people, half of whom were non-Christians. I didnt preach, but simply told the story of God and explained why we baptize people. The resonance was overwhelming. Many asked questions, wanting to know more, and some said, We can tell that you really love each other! If the world wont come to the church, well take the church to the world.
Report sent to H2H by The Friday Fax

A growing number of people are leaving the institutional church for a new reason. They are not leaving because they have lost faith. They are leaving the church to preserve their faith (p. 4).
JW - Wow, again. And I thought I was saying some controversial things.

Tough Question: How Do We Deconvert from Churchianity to Christianity? In fact, many have observed that there is a spiritual awakening occurring in America. However, it is not informed by Christian theology, and its not happening in the church (p. 12).
JW - Weve been praying for revival for years in this country. Maybe God has begun the answer but our wineskins prevent us from seeing what He is doing.

Not only do we not need God to explain the universe, we dont need God to operate the church. Many operate like giant machines, with church leaders serving as mechanics. God doesnt have to show up to get done whats being done. The culture does not want the powerless God of the modern church (p. 6).
JW - Ive got to meet this guy.
Author Info

God is pulling end runs around the institutional North American church to get to people in the streets. God is still inviting us to join Him on mission, but it is the invitation to be part of a movement, not a religious club (p. 16).
JW - And thats just the rst chapter!

John White is a house church coach residing with his wife, Tamela, in Denver, where they help to lead a network of home churches.

H2H Issue 8 | 21 H2H 2Q.04

FE AT URE
A Bit Unconventional

A SPECIFIC ORGANIZATION? NO, CHURCH IS PEOPLE. AN ASSEMBLY. A GROUP GATHERED FOR A COMMON PURPOSE. JESUS WOULD HAVE SEEN IT AS A WAY OF LIVING IN RELATIONSHIP TO HIM AND TO OTHERS IN HIS FAMILY.

I know the way I relate to the church is a bit unconventional, and some even call it dangerous. Believe me, I understand that concern because I used to think that way myself, and I even taught others to think that way as well. If you are happy with the status quo of organized religion today, you may not like what you read here. My purpose is not to convince you to see this incredible church the same way I do, but to answer your questions as openly and honestly as I can. Even if we dont end up agreeing, hopefully you will understand that our differences need not estrange us as fellow members of Christs body. Where do you go to church? I have never liked this question, even when I was able to answer it with a specic organization. I know what it means culturally, but it is based on a false premise that church is something you can go to as in a specic event, location or organized group. I think Jesus looks at the church quite differently. He didnt talk about it as a place to go to, but as a way of living in relationship to Him and to others in His family. Asking me where I go to church is like asking me where I go to Jacobsen. How do I answer that? I am a Jacobsen, and where I go a Jacobsen is. Church is that kind of word. It describes a people and how they relate to each other. If we lose sight of that, our understanding of the church will be distorted, and well miss out on much of its joy. Are you just trying to avoid the question? I know it may only sound like quibbling over words, but words are important. When we only ascribe the term church to weekend gatherings or institutions that have organized themselves as churches, we miss out on what it means to live as Christs body. It will give us a false sense of security to think that by attending a meeting once a week we are participating in Gods church. Conversely, I hear people talk about leaving the church when they stop attending a specic congregation. But if the church is something we are, not some place we go, how can we leave it unless we abandon Christ Himself? If I think only of a specic congregation as my part of the church, havent I separated myself from a host of other brothers and sisters that do not attend the same one I do?

22 | H2H Issue 8

The idea that those who gather on Sunday mornings to watch a praise concert and listen to a teaching are part of the church, and those who do not are not, would be foreign to Jesus. The issue is not where we are at a given time during the weekend, but how we are living in Him and with other believers all week long. But dont we need regular fellowship? I wouldnt say we need it. If we were in a place where we couldnt nd other believers, Jesus certainly would be able to take care of us. Thus,

into error or backslide into sin. But doesnt that happen inside our local congregations as well? I know many people who live outside those structures and nd not only an ever-deepening relationship with God, but also connections with other believers that run far deeper than those they found in the institution. I havent lost any of my passion for Jesus or my affection for His church if anything, theyve have grown stronger by leaps and bounds in recent years. Scripture does encourage us to be devoted

that trusting Him would. He gave us an anointing of the Spirit so that we would know the difference between truth and error. That anointing is cultivated as we learn His ways in His Word and grow closer to His heart. It will help you to recognize when expressions of church you share life with become destructive to His work in you. So are traditional congregations wrong? Absolutely not! I have found many of them with people who love God and are seeking to grow in His ways. I visit a couple dozen different

SCRIPTURE DOES ENCOURAGE US TO BE DEVOTED TO ONE ANOTHER, NOT COMMITTED TO AN INSTITUTION. JESUS INDICATED THAT WHENEVER TWO OR THREE PEOPLE GET TOGETHER FOCUSED ON HIM, THEY WOULD EXPERIENCE THE VITALITY OF CHURCH LIFE.
Id phrase that a bit differently: Will people who are growing to know the Living God also desire real and meaningful connections with other believers? Absolutely! The call to the Kingdom is not a call to isolation. Every person Ive ever met who is thriving in the life of Jesus has a desire to share authentic fellowship with other believers. They realize that whatever they know of Gods life is just in part, and the fullest revelation of Him is in the church. But sometimes that kind of fellowship is not easy to nd. Periodically on this journey we may go through times when we cant seem to nd any other believers who share our hunger. Thats especially true for those who nd that conforming to the expectations of the religious institutions around them diminishes their relationship with Jesus. They may nd themselves excluded by believers with whom theyve shared close friendship. But no one going through that looks on that time as a treat. It is incredibly painful and they will look for other hungry believers to share the journey with. My favorite expression of body life is where a local group of people chooses to walk together for a bit of the journey by cultivating close friendships and learning how to listen to God together. Should we be committed to a fellowship? That has been said so often today that most of us assume it is in the Bible somewhere. I havent found it yet. Many of us have been led to believe that we cant possibly survive without the covering of the body and will either fall to one another, not committed to an institution. congregations a year that I nd are far more Jesus indicated that whenever two or three centered on relationship than religion. In these people get together focused on Him, they would congregations, Jesus is at the center of their experience the vitality of church life. life together. Those who act as leaders are true Is it helpful to regularly participate in a local servants and not playing politics of leadership, and expression of that reality? Of course. But we all are encouraged to minister to one another. I pray that even more of them are renewed make a huge mistake when we assume that fellowship takes place just because we in a passion for Jesus, a genuine concern attend the same event together, even for each other and a willingness to regularly, or because we belong to the serve the world with Gods love. But same organization. Fellowship happens I think wed have to admit that these where people share the journey of are rare in our communities; many knowing Jesus together. It consists only last for a short span before of open, honest sharing, genuine they unwittingly look to institutional Author Info Used with Permission. concern about each others spiritual answers for the needs of the body Wayne Jacobsen was well-being and encouragement for instead of remaining dependent on a pastor for 20 years people to follow Jesus however He Jesus. When that happens, do not and currently acts as a Contributing Editor leads them. feel condemned if God leads you to Christianity Todays not to go along with them. Dont our institutions keep us from error?
Leadership Journal.

Im sorry to burst your bubble here, but every major heresy that has inicted Gods people for the last 2,000 years has come from organized groups with leaders who thought they knew Gods mind better than anyone around them. Conversely, virtually every move of God among people hungering for Him was rejected by the church of that day, and the people that were part of that move were excluded, excommunicated or executed for following God. If that is where you hope to nd security, Im afraid it is sorely misplaced. Jesus didnt tell us that going to church would keep us safe, but

Because of the length of this excellent article, we want to point you to the rest of the article on Waynes website. In the remainder of the article he covers further questions such as, So should I stop going to church, too? and Then is just meeting in homes the answer? Also such penetrating questions as, Arent you just looking for the perfect church? and But dont our children need church activities? Go to www.lifestream. org/LSBL.May01 to see the rest of this article and many other articles that Wayne has written.
Copyright 2002 by Lifestream Ministries.

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FE AT URE

Report from India

PRAYER WALKING BECOMES A POWERFUL TOOL Prayer walking is rapidly becoming a movement, with several teams routinely out every day. Many of them feel that prayer walking nibbles away the kingdom of territorial spirits as nothing else does. They have been closing bars, gambling dens, and video parlors just like Joshua demolished the walls of Jericho. One sister reported that she had been prayer walking a temple near her residence for two months. Suddenly a crack appeared on the idol. The worship was stopped as people consider it an ill omen to worship a broken idol. Then the son of the priest got very ill and after trying pills, potions and the occult, approached the sister for prayer to Jesus. She prayed, and he got healed and baptized along with 20 more families who now worship Jesus together. A goat gets into the act: A poor woman owned a goat which got ill, and in spite of all the medicines and the mantras was dying. The woman approached the believers in her community, who prayed for her and instantly the goat got up and walked. The whole village was amazed and some twenty-ve people believed and got baptized. Electric shock treatment: A young man was a heavy drug addict. Our senior church planter happened to be in his village one day, and met this young man. As they shook hands, the young man got an electric shock which jerked him out of his haze of intoxication. He asked many questions all night, and by the next morning he was baptized, as were many of his friends. About 275 in his village have been baptized and they are now reaching surrounding villages.
Report sent to H2H by a church planter from Central India

Church
Since the publication of David Garrisons booklet, Church Planting Movements, the North American church has started talking more and more about church planting movements (CPMs). I believe that North American CPMs are possible, but will remain an impossibility unless we change the way most of us understand church and church planting. I believe that CPMs in a post-modern, post-industralized, postchurched, and highly individualized nation will not look like CPMs that are occurring in other nations that sociologically speaking, are radically different. If they occur in North America, the resulting church growth will be slower than what we read about in Garrisons work. God is sovereign, and nothing happens apart from His will. Author Info We can, however, erect unhealthy barriers that hinder us from Dr. Payne, the author of this article, is the Assis- receiving His blessings. There are three shifts in the general realm tant Professor of Church of North American church planting that need to be made before Planting and Evangelism CPMs will occur.
at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.

North American

What is church?

The rst shift is a shift in our understanding of the nature and purpose of the church. We have allowed our understanding of the biblical teaching regarding the church to be distorted by our cultural understanding of the church. As long as church planters believe that our current cultural expectations for church are biblical requirements, then CPMs will remain an impossibility. Church planters must have an understanding of the essence of what is necessary for a church to exist in any geographical location, in any culture, in any people, throughout the world. This basic, yet universal, essence can only be discovered as we allow the Scriptures to shape our understanding of the nature and function of the church. This essence reveals the difference between the essentials and the non-essentials.

What strategies do CPMs need? The second major shift is a strategic shift. Many church planting strategies do not embrace church multiplication. Strategies need to be developed that emphasize the planting of simple churches that are highly reproducible by any believer. If strategies require

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Report from Colombia

CHANGED THINKING TRANSFORMS CHURCHES

Planting
Movements
advanced knowledge of missiology and theology, and can only be carried out by those who are professional church planters, then the majority of our converts will never be able to imitate the church planting model, even if God calls them to plant churches. Strategies need to reect the priority of evangelism. One of my concerns with simple church planting in North America is that much of what is taking place is based on the transfer of believers from other churches into simple churches. I fear that in the attempt to return to a healthy form of fellowship, discipleship, and worship, many simple churches have abandoned evangelism. Strategies need to embrace the importance of a Pauline approach. Whenever Paul entered a city and evangelized some of the people, he gathered them together into congregations and made sure elders were appointed over the churches. He then moved on to repeat the process. Throughout the world, missionaries who are participating in CPMs are not planting churches and pastoring those churches. Rather, they are planting churches, raising up pastoral leaders, and moving on to repeat the process. Though there is nothing wrong with planting a church and then remaining permanently xed to it, we must understand that CPMs are occurring where missionaries are releasing the new, Spirit-lled believers to be the church in their areas. New methodologies are needed! The nal shift that needs to occur is a change in our methods. Simple church planters must understand that not all church planting methods are appropriate for CPMs. CPMs will take place where churches are being planted with a variety of highly contextualized and highly reproducible methods, instead of a single one-size-ts-all approach. Our methods must be evaluated in light of three questions: First, do the methods accurately communicate the gospel and the basic essence of church? Second, are the methods effective in making disciples and raising up leaders; or, are the methods causing the new believers to be dependent upon the church planters for all their teaching, evangelism, leadership, nancial support, decision-making, and worship expressions? Third, are the methods simple and easily reproduced by ordinary Christians; or, are the church planters the only ones who can apply the methods?

A true transformation is taking place in Cali, starting with the church itself! reports Berna Salcedo (Dawn Ministries, Colombia). Christians in the city are spreading explosively by leaving their walls behind them. In Cali, people no longer ask what is a church? but what is actually not a church? That overcomes the greatest obstacle to church planting in South America, where church is equated with a church building. We tell them, the church is the people, so a church can be anywhere where people are. It is astonishing to see the potential released once people realize this. Are churches socially relevant? Today, Cali is at the forefront of planting socially relevant churches, says Salcedo. Studies brought more and more of the citys pastors to the conclusion that traditional models of church dont really work in difcult social settings. Christians recognizing their social context means that a growing number of churches are planted where the people really are. The trend is clearly in the direction of house churches, cell churches and so-called marketplace churches. In poor neighborhoods, social and communal facilities are becoming Christian churches. Ironically, the threat from the guerrillas is a signicant factor encouraging this change, he says. Cali lies at the foot of the mountains in which the guerrillas hide out. In the past, the guerrillas have kidnapped entire churches, so it is no longer advisable or practical to erect church buildings the people simply do not come. The well-off inhabitants of prosperous neighborhoods need little convincing to meet as a church in their houses in discreet and safe places. The poor are attracted to house churches and fellowships in social centers, where their practical needs are taken care of.
Report by Berna Salcedo, Dawn Ministries, Colorado Springs

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B A SIC S

The

oure not going to teach! If you have visions of yourself preparing piercing insights into Scripture and holding your group spellbound as you expound on your knowledge and touch them with applications to their lives forget it. Forget any ideas that you have gathered from the hundreds of Sunday school classes or pastor-led worship services to which youve been subjected. That institutional setting, with one person expounding their version of the truth to rows of truth-absorbers, is a model, acceptable in the past, but no longer relevant to the needs of your friends and neighbors. The 21st century world is crying out for hightouch, interactive, relevant experiences hitched to immediate answers to questions.

member experienced resolution. Thats it! she thinks. Hope for my situation! She feels like the Holy Spirit spoke directly to her need through the life experience of the other group member. And thats exactly what happened. Now, imagine that kind of experience happening throughout the evening. Got the picture? Good! Your job is to help make that kind of thing happen. As the group facilitator, you create an atmosphere that allows the Holy Spirit to work through the group members ministering to one another and learning from each other. You see, its not important that you teach. It is important that the group members learn. And theyll learn best when the Holy Spirit speaks to their needs through one another. You help that happen. Youre a Holy Spirit facilitator. So, exactly what is your job? Simple: to make yourself unnecessary. Youll know youve been successful when the group gets so good at interacting at deeper levels, and including every group member, they can do it without you.

Develop a clear picture in your mind of what your mature group would look like. Group members would share Scripture and challenge each other to think deeply and to act on it. There would be an atmosphere of love and acceptance, no one person would dominate the discussion, and everyone would be involved. People would share deep issues and concerns and report on what God is doing in their lives. In short, the group would be a conduit for the Holy Spirit working through each individuals life to stimulate each other to grow. It would be an arena for the practice of the biblical one anothers. Think of two goals: To create a place where individuals grow spiritually through interaction with the Holy Spirit and one another. To create a group that stimulates that growth without your intervention. Do you have a clear picture in your mind? Good. Your job is to make that happen. OK, its not quite that simple. There will be a number of challenges on the journey. Lets identify three distinct segments of that journey.

To do that, you cant teach. You must facilitate. Imagine this. A group of people is sitting around a living room, discussing a passage of Scripture. One describes a moment when that passage gave her insight into how to handle a difcult situation. Another grows excited. Thats exactly the problem shes facing! She listens carefully to the description, the insight, and the way the other

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of Facilitating
The beginning phase is characterized by a sense of timidity. Group members are often tentative and guarded, noticeably waiting to take their cues from the group leader, and sharing in supercial ways. Ask for prayer requests and someone will ask for prayers for Aunt Berthas cold. This is the most challenging phase of your work. The early events in the life of the group will cast a pattern for the future. Youll need to establish the atmosphere as you draw people out. Phase two occurs when the group has become comfortable with one another, people are sharing their thoughts, and some patterns have developed. Mary only responds to these kinds of questions, John is always the rst person to speak, etc.

The Simple Church Model is that of an intimate setting where the participants are feel free to share, support and grow together as a group. It becomes quickly self-evident that its Gods Church and the Holy Spirit leads the group. Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God Romans 8:14

Its easy to remain at this level. Your challenge here is to prod the group to deeper levels of communication and new patterns of interaction. Some groups never make it beyond this level. In phase three, the group becomes more concerned for one another, members share more deeply-held needs and joys, and the Holy Spirit uses individuals to reveal power in the Scripture. The interaction is intense, comforting, relevant, and unpredictable. Comfortable patterns of interaction fall by the wayside. And the group does it without you. If the group is going to attain your vision for them, they will proceed in an uneven, zigzag fashion through these phases. Your job is somewhat different at each phase. But in all cases, you prod and direct them through to the next level.

Author Info

Dave Kahle is a motivational speaker, author, and home church planter. For the remainder of this excellent article, see www.house2house. tv/articles. H2H Issue 8 | 27

P R AY ER

In 10:2, we notice People are catching this something unusual. virus, and it is changing Jesus was sending out 36 their prayer and their church planting teams. experience of church planting. The virus in this That seemed like a lot to case is the 10:2b Virus. In this article, Ill tell you why you might want to catch this virus and us. But Jesus had a different evaluation. He said, The harvest is plentiful why you might even want to begin infecting but the laborers are few. If Jesus considothers with it. ered 36 teams to be a small number, how 10:2b refers to Luke 10:2b. Over many would He consider adequate? the last year and a half, my prayer Perhaps hundreds of teams? But, that partner, Kenny Moore, and I have raises the question: How do you get become convinced that this half hundreds of church planting teams? verse holds a key to seeing church Then it dawned on us that He planting movements spring up Author Info was giving us the key in verse 2. ... around our state (Colorado) and John White is part therefore, beseech the Lord of the around the world. Let me explain. of the leadership team of a network of home harvest to send out laborers into the In Luke 10:1, Jesus appointed 72 churches in Denver, harvest. It was as though He was and sent them two by two to every Colorado. He and his saying, Ive primed the pump with city and place where He was going wife, Tamela, are 36 teams, but your part in getting to go. Although the word church is frequent contributors the rest is to beseech the Lord of the not used, it seems clear that He was to online discussions on home churches. Harvest. giving them the strategy that they If you are interested in In October 2002, Kenny and I later used to plant churches (see being a part of an elist Acts 10 with Cornelius). Each of the of people who are eld decided that we would try this out. testing this prayer, But we realized that we really didnt 36 teams of two was to nd a man email John White at know how to pray the prayer (which of peace, settle down in his house, DenverWH@aol.com we began calling the 10:2b Prayer). heal the sick and say, The Kingdom Were we to just say the words over and over, day of God has come near to you. after day? We decided that we would just ask the
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Lord to teach us along the way. Every day, I would call him or he would call me. If we didnt connect, we would leave our prayer on voicemail. The results of our praying have been far more than either of us ever expected! There have been three kinds of results: We have learned a lot about how to pray the 10:2b Prayer. For instance, we learned that it doesnt mean just saying the words over and over but it means entering a conversation with the Lord about the harvest and about the workers. Out of that conversation, we have found that a strategy for catalyzing church planting movements has begun to emerge. We have found the Lord of the Harvest truly sending forth workers into the harvest. Following are some examples. Kenny, who is the Southern Baptist Director of Church Planting for Colorado, would tell you that the number of church planters calling him about planting churches in Colorado has more than doubled since we began praying the 10:2b Prayer. We both have many specic stories. I met Henry Serrano last fall. Henry was already leading a network of six Filipino house churches in Denver and wanted help with planting more. Neil Cole (Church Multiplication Associates) began infecting his leaders with the 10:2b Prayer. Recently, he told me that the number of church planters that they could identify had grown from 40 to 80 in just two months. One of the principles that the Lord taught us was that we were to teach this prayer at every opportunity. So, everywhere we go, with individuals or with groups, we invite people to begin praying the 10:2b Prayer (infecting them with the 10:2b Virus). Our conviction is that a prayer movement must precede a church planting movement. So, how about you? Are you ready to catch it? And maybe even to infect others?

SIMP L E SHOR T S
Alpha Courses Lead to House Churches In August of 2002 my husband, Graham, and I attended a House2House conference. Neither of us was involved in house churches. In fact, we knew little about their importance in Gods agenda. Graham was in itinerant ministry, and I was only able to travel with him occasionally. I had conducted numerous Alpha courses in our church, but had become very disappointed in my inability to channel new converts into the church. I was excited with the concept that new converts did not need to join a church to be discipled, but could continue in a home setting. I shared the house church vision with our church leaders, asking for their backing and support. Months went by without any feedback. However, we went ahead to implement the vision. We built slowly with those of similar vision, but did not allow any of our church folk to join us. Exciting developments Not only was a house church established in our home, but I began encouraging other friends, it became very evident that God was doing a new thing. The leaders expressed their desire that we continue with the local church as members, and that they would support us as best they could to fulll our vision. They released us to continue what we were doing without any restrictions, free to share our vision with the church members and to use any members that wanted to participate. We were amazed and delighted at their sudden turnaround and desire to make it work! The leaders prayed for me, and I was sent out into this new venture with their blessing. We sowed the vision in the lives of a couple in another part of our province, and theyve started two house churches that are going really well. How wonderful to work together for the Kingdom with others in our local Author Info setting, establishing Shirley Powell, along with her husband, house churches with the Graham, live on support of our church!
Vancouver Island, B.C.

WORKING
F O R T H E

TOGETHER

KINGDOM
believers who did not attend any church, to consider starting house churches. One lady had many unsaved young people, friends of her two teenagers, coming to her home. I was excited about doing an Alpha course with them and then continuing on as a house church. House churches as outreach from a traditional church After several months of involvement in house church, our pastor asked to meet with us. We discussed again our desire for the establishing of house churches to be part of the churchs outreach. Three weeks later we were asked to meet with the elders. As the discussion continued

H2H Issue 8 | 29 H2H 2Q.04

The OCPG Weekend Intensive starts Friday night and proceeds through Sunday. It is an attempt to download the major principles of what it looks like to plant churches organically. The emphasis is on church planting from the dirt and growing disciples, churches, and leaders naturally. It is designed to precede two years of monthly gatherings for those in a region who are desirous of coming alongside one another as leaders longing to plant churches in their communities and towns, as well as a leadership seminar to follow a year later.

To nd out more information or to register for a Greenhouse Weekend, visit www.organicchurchplanting.org and follow the Greenhouse links. If you are interested in hosting a Greenhouse Weekend Intensive in your city, contact Paul Kaak at paulkaak@cmaresources.org

2004 Schedule for Greenhouse Weekend Intensives

June 25 27 Austin, TX contact Jonathan Dale, jdale@clearsightmedia.com Sept 10 12 Abilene, TX contact Kent Smith, smithpk@acu.edu Sept 17 19 San Diego, CA contact Jason Evans, thelivinghome@hotmail.com Sept 24 26 New York, NY contact Paul Gomez, paul@paulandteresa.com Oct 1 3 Ontario, CA contact Doug Lee, the_fountain@juno.com Oct 8 10 Dallas, TX contact Joseph Cartwright, jvcart@sbcglobal.net Oct 22 24 Columbus, OH contact Mike Jentes, mike@thequestcolumbus.com Nov TBA Canada contact Ewald Unruh, eunruh@mbconf.ca.

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H2H Issue 8 | 31

Check inside the back cover for details!

P.O. Box 465 Manchaca, TX 78652-9824 USA

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