To Expensive to Multiply!

"Mission methods must be cheaply reproducible for maximum effectiveness. Americans have developed expensive methods that cannot be duplicated elsewhere. In fact, we have come to rely so heavily on borrowed money that many churches are seeing declining contributions to missions because of needing to repay loans for expensive buildings. Such luxuries did not characterize the early church, which had no buildings for the first couple of centuries. For Christianity to spread rapidly throughout the world, missions need to return to sustainable methods that do not require huge sums of money for success."

(Robert Reese. "Best Mission practices for the 21 century" Christian Standard, November 29,2009. pg844-45)

10% Of Church People Also Attend House Churches!

This article encourages me because it's not either or, but both- and. The idea behind my H4H philosophy is just that. I encourage people to "Go to Church" as usual, but then start new churches in their homes on Thursday too! Be church for people where every they will assemble. Become a worshiping people where where we are.

This was in Standard Publishing's "LOOKOUT" November 29,2009

Americans splitting their church commitments

A recent Barna survey finds that 10 percent of adults surveyed attend a worship service in a home at least once a month. Ken Eastburn, founding minister of The Well, a church birthed in a building that transitioned to a network of home-based churches in Orange County, California, says the statistic invalidates the idea that some Christians are house church Christians while other Christians are conventional church Christians. “Christians sitting in a traditional bricks and mortar church on Sunday morning are often the same ones strumming guitars in someone’s living room Sunday afternoon,” he said.

Eastburn, who recently moderated the House2House national conference on house churches in Dallas, Texas, attributes the overlap to a reluctance on the part of Christians to completely abandon the customary structure of church. “It’s very common for someone to give his tithe and committee service to a congregation in a building because he feels it is too difficult to cast off all structure,” says Eastburn. “At the same time, [he may not feel he] is growing sitting in the pew, and loves the idea of dialoguing about Scripture instead of being on the receiving end of a lecture all the time.”

According to the Barna research, the number of those claiming to worship in a house setting depends on how the question is asked. When researchers asked the question in the strictest sense the number dropped to five percent. Eastbum sees this as an indication that five percent or more of individuals surveyed split their time between conventional and house church.

Says Eastbum, “We believe that a simpler model of church is part of the answer to helping people grow in Christ. Our challenge is to provide an environment where people can leave the building without feeling like they’ve lost all structure or accountability.”
—Evangelical Press News Service

Simple Church Movements Growing. House Churches Are Still Not Dying! Why?

I asked an editor of a major Christian magazine what he new of house churches. Not much was his reply. A well respected "Church growth" man in our brotherhood, and he said most of them die within a year. I affirmed that he was correct in that many "die" but actually within 2 years. What do we mean by die? The home group no longer meets at the same home and place? Disbanded, does not mean the participants lost their faith, it dismisses the fact that other groups form from these very same people. This group served it's purpose for a time and the people moved on to something else. This is why home style churches have often been refereed to as "liquid church". They change, location, participants, and ministry focuses, often. It's not always negative "They died" as spun by traditional structured people thing.

The Simple reality is that this growing world phenomenon is fundamentally not even on the lips of the guru's of the western traditional church planting model. It's there in mission circles, and Eastern Churches- it's the majority church now. Let me simply point out that Worldwide, churches are being planted in a very simple and economical fashion.

Churches are multiplying, worldwide, without bands, amps, and video projectors, and 5 steps to a better marriage. I thought we need all this stuff to meet peoples "needs" to get them to come? No, globally people are gathering in simple Acts 2:42 worship, study, prayer, fellowship, and communion. Groups in homes, courtyards, under trees, but the river, and they are multiplying, rapidly, right under our noses in North America. (Read on) More music or programs are not the issue. "His Divine power gives us everything we need for life & Godliness through our knowledge of him .... "(2 Peter 1:3) What we need comes from God, and his divine power supplies it. Our minister is the Holy Spirit of God working within us, mediating through the word of God.

So, if so many simple (& or) house churches "die" within 2 years, why is the number still growing at a staggering pace?

Here's a recent quote from Wolfgang Simson that was brought to my attention by John White.

"The latest research indicates that the number of house churches in Europe have already reached or surpassed 10,000, Australia could have up to 10,000, and New Zealand up to 6,000 house churches. Research in the US shows that between 6 and 12 million are already attending house churches, making house churches one of the three largest Christian groups in the country. In the case of Bangladesh or India, with many hundreds of thousands of house churches, the various networks of house churches have already become the largest Christian movements in their respective countries." Wolfgang Simson

This, of course, isn't counting China where there are perhaps one million house churches.

Some more fodder.

(emergent and postmodern injections in many simple movements in the west are not good in my opinion. It diminishes the value of truth. But that has occurred equally so with market driven, seeker sensitive churches with buildings also.)

Is the Devil Ignoring You?

"I believe that the enemy divides all people into two categories; those he can ignore and those he has to fight. I want to be one of those that he has to fight."

(Robert Logan & Tom Clegg. "Releasing Your Church's Potential" regal 1997, pp 4-12)

A Crossroads in Maritime Leadership Models

IS Leadership a pyramid or a rectangle? Most see it as a pyramid even though they will say rectangle in or churches. .

Lynn Anderson is helping Elders and churches avoid the great dangers of Managerial model. Look at what the managerial model is doing to leaders, let alone churches. Its putting an impossible burden on leadership, one that is meant to be shared by the whole body of Christ.

"If you wish to be a shepherd, not a manager, but don't know where to start..." is what Anderson says his Leadership mentoring program will help churches with.

Anderson's latest book, "They Smell Like Sheep Vol 2" goes further:

"According to Anderson there are two types of leaders: those who tower over everybody and those who quietly get down and dirty with the struggles of ordinary people. Which was Jesus?", he asks.

I'm in with Lynn Anderson's view of leadership, because I feel it reflects the heart of the NT more accurately. Elders don't cast a single vision, manage, and then micro manage everything to that effect in the life of the church. Elders live, eat, do life with, and among the sheep, sharing, living the biblical pattern of love and service with the people, from among the people. Safety and Food is where we lead them - to the word! Loving God, and loving others is modeled through their simple humble obedience.

I'm still convinced there should be no single "vision" of how obedience is manifested in a church. This is the beauty of the gospel. There are so many good ways to sow seeds, to do ministry, at various times, according to the various needs and circumstances of the people/person in front of us right now. No one vision is complete. If members serve only in the chosen areas a team decides for them, the ministry is often too imbalanced.

Look at every letter in the New Testament. Eldership is important, certainly. However, when the writers wrote the letters to the churches pointing out their issues, disobedience, false teaching, lack of unity, whatever - there is something important to notice. Interestingly, notice that Paul never once singled out the Elders to deal with these issues in the church. Not once did he correct the Corinthian Elders for "permitting" immoral situations arise. If Elders are the "Spiritual overseers" they must have let it happen under their watch, correct?
Why not correct them then? Yet not once did Paul challenge the Colossian elders to take up the challenge and correct doctrinal issues. Not once did he ask the Galatian Elders to fix the doctrinal error in the Galatian churches. In the Letters to the churches of Revelation, not once where Elders singled out and held responsible. Why is this?

Because elders functioned among the sheep, as a wise sheep, with the sheep. The problems where "body problems" not just "Elder problems". When Paul addressed the church body, the Elders did not rise very high out of the "body of Christ". Why? because CEO leadership is unknown to the NT church. That's Gentile leadership. Positional leadership is Jewish leadership, not "Church" leadership. Yes elders will give account, Yes, we are to lead, and guide, and teach the sheep in our care. But it is far from managerial and more mentoring. I suspec they spent more time in "Livingrooms" than "board meeting" rooms.

At times leaders take too much upon ourselves, and it kills us, and makes spectators of other brothers and sisters in the process. Look up the NT word phrase "One Another". List al the things the Body is to do for "One another". After you are done ask yourself this question. If we do this for one another, what's left for "Leaders" to do. There is noting on the list that is for the minster or Elders only.

We either have a pyramid leadership casting down a single vision, or we seek to sow grassroots vision born in the redeemed hearts and minds of the whole body, in the many. - A Rectangle. Thus resulting in diverse obedience, a diverse rainbow of various kinds of loving service. Many kinds of diverse ministries springing up from the body naturally, versus dictated down, and limited in scope, and small in participation under the name of vision.

Jesus rejected the Gentile CEO Model of Leadership

Mark 10:42 - 44 (NIV) 42Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.

Jesus also Rejected the Positional Jewish Model of Leadership

Matthew 23:8 - 12 (NIV) 8“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ.£ 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Jesus instead left us with the "Shepherd" and shepherding elders who smell like sheep. He is teaching the sheep under his care, how to obey, and find their place of service. This does not mean plugging people into pre-packaged programs of the church. It is more organic than that. Helping them discover how to develop meaningful redemptive relationships with others in the world, and incarnate the kingdom where only they can incarnate it. This is the strength of ministry in any church.

My conversations with church leaders has made something very clear to me. Those who are tired and frustrated, are so, because they feel they have to "manage" too much. Mentoring (proper kind), on the positive side, leaves leaders refreshed, and recharged, and excited because they with the sheep enough to see the changes The Spirit & the word are making. . There is nothing more powerful than a plurality of leaders in the homes of their sheep build relationships with their sheep, over the Word, sharing in interactive spontaneous circles of prayer.

For your consideration.

West African Crazy

On Our Way Back to Africa!

5 -50 -500- 5000 prayer plan!
What is it?

Almost "empty-nesters" now and a 5 year plan is in mid season,believe it or not.

We must give our lives to mission work again!

In 2006 we set a 5 year goal to be back in Africa by 2011. 2009 is year three. 2010 is year 4 of this plan. The region & people I will describe in more detail later (Islamic) . However, my time in Mali in 2006 and in Burkina Faso this 2009 (on the border region between both countries) was for a strategic reason. We have been looking at several unreached people groups to engage. This will be the hardest work we have ever undertaken.

Step one: Starting January 2010 we begin learning the Bambara language, Promoting the new work.

Step Two: Back to Africa in October 2010, to stay as long as our support enables us. We will be finalizing our people, and picking the village where our home base will be located. We will be setting up a small/modest living and working base quarters there. Learning language on sight. With our support we will need to be back for Fishing in 2011 for income. After fishing we return to Africa again in 2011 to stay as long as we are able.

I went for a 5 mile hike today and while on the beach,, I was praying for God to give us a "Prepared People", and to prepare us for this demanding challenge. I prayed about a lot of things. However, at one point I stopped as I was praying- looking at he sand and sea, Something became clear to me. For some reason I scratched a 5 in the sand with my foot, and just stared at it while I was praying. All of sudden it became very clear what I need to be praying for, and I ask you to do the same.
I proceeded to form another 5, beside the original, and added a zero -50. I prayed
Then another five with two zero's added. - 500
Then another five With three Zero's added - 5000
This is before us, both to prepare ourselves, and to do what we need among the people of this region.

-5 -

5 Workers Total: Pray for 5 workers total for this people group. We wish to partner with one other couple and then a singe Guy or Girl for kids (49% of the population is 13 or under).

5 Hours for Language: The minimum time for leaning Bambara each week staring January. (We have begun now)

5 Hours of exercise each week. Our health needs to be good. We are just going to have to get out of the office and get some air more often.

5 Central Banka Villages need churches in Mali. (If we target the banka? Its one of the ethnic groups we are looking at)

-50 -

50 Pounds: I need to loose 50 lbs to prepare for this very hot region.

50 Prayer Partners: People who will keep us in prayer regularly personally AND before 50 churches. People who will follow the updates, the news and www site, and report to others and solicit prayer for ever small and picky detail they can find in there.

-500-

500 Family Courtyards: Is what we need to get Contextualized Chronological Bible Story tellers into in the first 5 years.

500 Chronological Story tellers: We eventually need 500 trained women, men and children. 500 People to share the story with the whole region. Adult literacy in the region is only 13%

-5000-

5000 Dollars: We need a monthly budget of $5000 total to do this ministry.

5000 People With Irrigation: 1000 Units gives irrigation to every family unit in the whole Banka ethnic group.

5000 Christians: By the time we are finished.

5000 Days: To a finished project with self standing church. (approx 14 years)

I am not certain it will be the Banka (1 Christian among 5200) , Jula (500 known Christians in 1.5 million)), Samogho Jo in the region. All unreached. We will know more soon. It is likely we will be on the Mali side as it much more neglected. But we are open. However, We have set down this criteria.

1. Luke 10: 4-7 Pray for a “A Man of Peace”. We need a family to welcome us into his family and among his people as our father and mother. A Gate keeper!

2. An Area where no other missionaries or NGO are working. We want to be with a truly neglected people.

Will you join us in prayer about this 5 -- 50 -- 500 -- 5000 need?

We are getting excited.

Seeker Sensitive Questions

No we are not accustomed to people challenging the American CEO model for church growth today. Few have read any challenge about the "seeker Sensitive" mentality. Why? Would you know a single book that examines the weakness of such philosophies? I have felt for a long time that we need to hear both sides of the argument. This video is a good challenge.

1) Sunday assembly is first and foremost about God's need - His need to receive worship.
2) Sunday assemblies are then about the needs of the believer. The Need of the believer to give up worship to God.
3) Assemblies are for Training and Edification of the saints second (Acts 2:42) Training in righteousness.
4) And last, is our consideration of the lost.

The problem is we see the primary place to win the lost is "church". The lost are not to be primarily won "in church", but outside, and then added into the body for step 1-3. They may be in the pew but they are not in the body until they put their faith in Jesus.
I realize that many are not accustomed to have this common thinking challenged, but I encourage you to read books that balance off the status quo a little.

70 Year old Bhojpuri Indian reminds us to "Just Tell The Story!"

Obedience based discipleship. The number one flaw of western church discipleship is the lac of it. What do you mean? That we understand discipleship is a disciple who obeys Jesus and makes other disciples. As Jesus put it, "and teaching them to obey everything I command you". This is not merely a high and lofty ideal, but the actual goal. It's not about "ball parking it!" Most western discipleship is seen as "Show up to church" .... well at least once in a while. But after that is my private affair. I'll bend the worldview when it suits me to gain something I want, and then follow it again Later.

Read the story, Reflect on the story, Repeat the story.

".... the oldest man in the room, about 70 years old, spoke up: `We planted 40 churches this past year.'
That blew me away! I crossed the room and sat at his feet. ~Brother, I need to learn from you. Teach me about church planting.'
He looked puzzled an replied, `It's not hard. Every morning my great niece reads to me from the bible for one hour - I can't read so she reads for me. Then I think about what she read until lunch. I think about what it means and what God wants our family to do. When everyone comes in from the field for lunch, I tell them what God said through His Word to our family. Then I tell them to tell everyone they know what God said to out family that day. And they do. That's all.'" (Bhojpuri man from North India)

So are we telling the story?

There is Truth There is No Truth - Does it really matter?

Truth is the central issue. What is true. We will not accept two contradictory positions.
Should truth be defended at all cost?

Excellent conversation on the subject: