In one crisis-ridden area of Northern Nigeria, the following simple document is releasing the church to catch fire in the midst of persecution. Even militant Muslims are finding the simple joy of finding and following Christ.
The document:
Within this framework the church is free to be about the business of prayer, helping others, and sharing the stories of Scripture with others. Perhaps it really is that simple!
Perhaps it’s the season of life I am in, but it seems to have been a year of personal loss: saying goodbye first to a mother-in-law, then to a good friend, and more recently to two very dear friends. Losses, especially when they seem to pile up, can produce a sense of shifting sand under the feet and a disorientation around those parts of life that once seemed rock solid.
A short post like this cannot even begin to deal with the process of walking through loss, pain, and potential renewal. Such a topic is far too big. I only want to point to three overarching works of grace that I have experienced during this season in order to reflect on how I see God working during this time.
Graces in the Seasons of Loss
1. The sufficiency of who God is. Eventually, at the end of the day, loss does give way to a fresh perception and depth of experience with God leading to a deeper sense that He is sufficient in the fullest sense of that word. Again, I do not mean to make light of the processes of pain and letting go that we walk through during loss. I only want to point to the final stages in which God does work in all things to draw us more deeply to Himself. For me, this means that I discover in a more potent way, that God is father, friend, lover, counselor, caregiver, comforter, king, and the one who knows me fully and loves me more than any other. This grace does not remove the pain or grief or loss, it simply works within me a greater awareness of my own vulnerability, the vulnerability of life, and the deeper sense of eternal realities and God’s presence right in the midst of real life.
2. The recalibration of true-north and what is really important. I have also found that my sense of priorities have again been reset. I find myself regularly asking what and who are most important. I find myself re-discovering the passions and motivations that are in me that are God-inspired and God-gifted rather than internal drives that come from self-seeking and self-promoting agendas. While I often seem unable on my own to lay down self and seek first the things that I believe in my heart are most important, loss often rearranges me internally and allows me to receive the grace to refocus my life priorities. I want to hear God’s voice more. I want to see less of myself in my activities and more of God. I am willing to take more time to seek Him and I am more willing to be content with quietness and spiritual rest rather than frantic activity. Not that I won’t digress into more-of-me and less-of-Him, but I find myself drawn a little bit more toward those things that flow from His heart rather than from my needs for self-protecting or self-promoting.
3. The renewal of community that supports both #1 and #2. This last grace ties in with the overall purpose of this blog: organic (simple) community life that supports the church (ekklesia) to live out a reflection of Jesus in the world. Often, we need to live out our existing commitments to our communities whatever they look like or however difficult they seem to be. Other times, we are called to change, renew, or find/start new communities that more fully support our life-in-God as well as our mission-with-God. Either way, we re-discover that even with the loss of key relationships, we still need community and others to live fully our life and purpose. This may push us into new places, new relationships, and new expressions. This may propel us out of comfort zones and into completely different expressions of Jesus-community. This might re-orient us toward God’s current mission in our life which can drastically change who we find ourselves spending time with. All of these things are good as long as we allow God to reinforce in us our need for each other. As we know, this does not require an institution or a sermon because where two or three gather, Jesus is there. But it does require an intentional willingness to do life, however messy, with others.
Wolfgang Simson keeps us up-to-date with the house church movement globally. Here is his latest summary:
"In total there are currently (mid 2021) at least 22.6 million house churches worldwide with a total of around 300 million members. They are, considering all internal and contextual factors, by far the most viral, adaptable and multipliable segment of Christ‐followers globally. If their number continues to grow at a very realistic rate of 20% per year, they will reach a membership of more than 4 billion people within the next 30 years – while most traditional church systems are in overall decline. This is why the author (Simson), in his publications called Starfish Vision and Starfish Manifesto, encourages all servants of Christ worldwide to work together to see half the population of the planet discipled in our lifetime (see Mt 24:39‐41) through the massive planting of house‐based Kingdom Communities."
Many years ago, as we began inviting people to consider 'church at home,' I wrote the following description. It may still be relevant for stirring up our imagination for what God can do in and through His people.
Imagine Being Excited Again About Living For God!
House Church Life is not a new kind of church… It’s not “a church.” It’s not even a specific group of people. It’s a movement. It’s re-discovering what the Christian life is meant to be: alive, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, a movement of Christians going and gathering as God leads.
Church is the people of God. Take down the walls and fire up the passion—it’s a movement!
Imagine Your Heart Beating Wildly For God--And Your Life Making A Difference!
Sometimes our Christian life starts to feel like a religious treadmill—step, step, step—lots of effort but going nowhere. What a contrast to the Book of Acts: “believers met together constantly,” “shared their meals with great joy and generosity,” “the building where they were meeting shook,” “many miraculous signs and wonders,” “believers greatly increased.”
Does “going” to a house church “produce” this? Not at all!
BUT House Church Life IS about pursuing what God intended the church to be: not a PLACE but a LIVING-WITH-GOD LIFESTYLE.
Church at Home: What is a Home Church?
Imagine a close spiritual family.
Imagine food, caring, love, and simple heart-felt worship among friends.
"When Scripture talks about church, it means community. The little fellowships of the heart that are ouposts of the kingdom. A shared life. They worship together, eat together, pray for one another, go on quests together.” John Eldredge
“LOVE ONE ANOTHER” is meant to be at the heart of our Christian gatherings!
Aaron, “This understanding of the church excites me. It leaves the floor open to what the Holy Spirit wants to do. Not just in a far off future sense, but right now, right here, today. It forces us to leave our preconceived agendas behind and move as the Spirit moves us.”
“I just want to love God.”
Recently, a woman admitted how frustrated she had become with some of the complications of her church life. She blurted out, “Why can’t I just… worship and love God… that’s all I really want to do.
We want to get back to the simplicity of our faith. Just Jesus, simply Jesus, all Jesus. Love God with all your heart. Seek first… just Him.
CAN CHURCH BE THAT SIMPLE?
Take a fresh look at Scripture
Church at Home: What is a Home Church?
Everyone discovers his/her gifts, vision, calling, and life-in-God while living the House Church lifestyle. That’s what makes the diverse Body of Christ so powerful. It’s not about the vision of one man or one church, it’s about releasing the calling and gifts of every Christian.
"Note that the only way that Christ can be properly expressed is if every member freely supplies that aspect of the Lord that he or she has received. The Lord Jesus cannot fully disclose Himself through only one member. He is far too rich. In fact, His riches are inexhaustible (Eph. 3:8)! When every member of the Body functions in the meeting, Christ is seen. He is assembled in our midst.” Frank Viola
What a Single Mother Has To Say: “I have found it very healing to be a part of a church community where I am not invisible and can contribute to the life of the group… I am given the opportunity to walk in the gifts that God has given me…”
LIVE PASSIONATELY FOR GOD—SURROUNDED BY A SMALL FELLOWSHIP OF FRIENDS AND ALLIES
Church at Home: What is Home Church?
It is the missional base, the place of care, from which the Gospel and love of Christ is extended out to a hurting world. They know us because of our love, and we are the followers of Jesus living daily to impact the world like salt and light.
Consider how God goes about changing a nation (taken from this op-ed in Newsweek) and what we can learn from this for our own local contexts?
Something religiously astonishing is taking place in Iran, where an Islamist government has ruled since 1979: Christianity is flourishing. The implications are potentially profound.
David Yeghnazar of Elam Ministries stated in 2018 that "Iranians have become the most open people to the gospel." The Christian Broadcast Network found, also in 2018, that "Christianity is growing faster in the Islamic Republic of Iran than in any other country." Shay Khatiri of Johns Hopkins University wrote last year about Iran that "Islam is the fastest shrinking religion there, while Christianity is growing the fastest."
Notice the shape and focus of the church in Iran that is producing this transformation:
As a clandestine phenomenon, the practice of what are sometimes called Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) lacks clergy and church buildings, but instead consists of self-starting disciples and tiny house churches of four to five members each, with either hushed singing or none at all. Its lay leadership, in striking contrast to the mullahs who rule Iran, consists mainly of women.
Notice also that such a transformation of a nation is not taking place within an environment that is friendly to Christianity:
Iranian authorities routinely arrest and jail MBBs, often for extended periods; for example, the United Nations reported in 2013 on "more than 300 Christians" who were arrested in the prior three years, mostly for vague security-related offenses. An inquiry found that "those arrested have been subjected to intensive and often abusive interrogation."
Finally, note how extensive this ‘revolution’ might become:
Indeed Lela Gilbert and Arielle Del Turco argue that the [Khameini] regime considers Christianity "an existential threat." And it should, notes Reza Safa, the Iranian-born founder of Nejat TV ("ministering to Muslims living in Farsi-speaking nations"), who titled a book The Coming Fall of Islam in Iran. He sees Iran's Christians as "an army of God" who are bringing Iran to "the brink of another revolution, this time orchestrated" by a Christian spirit.
Possible lessons to be learned?
His revolution continues...
Once upon a time there was a beautiful church building filled with beautiful people who loved to come together. Fellowship was wonderful, music was brilliant, and small groups were meaningful and helpful for living peaceful lives. People loved to come to the building, see each other, smile and make friendly talk, and pray.
But one day something happened. Everyone came to the building on a Sunday morning and the door was locked. This was quite confusing, but the people thought about it and said, “We can still meet right here just outside the building.” So they did. They still had music and fellowship and discussions about why they were locked out of the building. But not much changed as they continued their activities outside the walls of the beautiful building.
Until one day. Someone wondered what it would be like to experience their faith-walk in a new way. This person went out and took ‘church’ into the streets and into the homes of people who did not know God. This person sought out those who had not gone to church yet and those who had become disillusioned with God. Shortly, though this person missed his church-building experiences, he began to experience something richer, and deeper, and even more meaningful.
With excitement, this person returned to the folks-outside-the-building church and began to share what he had experienced. Sadly, he found few that were interested. Instead, they insisted that the building would open again and all would be like it once was.
But the person who went out realized that for him it would never be the same. He had found something new that he would never give up. Sometimes lonely, but never with regret, he has discovered a new way to ‘be church’ in the world where the adventure of faith has come alive.
Surely, though perhaps only a small army, there are those who have come alive to a Jesus-adventure during this past year who will never go back to how life was before.
Who is the hero in the story?
As humans, we love heroes. We want to create heroes. We even want to be heroes.
Our heroes are slightly more than human. They are important. They are politicians. Or people of great giftedness. Or people in important positions. They are doctors. Or they are religious leaders. Or they are ‘our pastors’ or 'our priests.' They are people with influence in the world and whom people follow. They are people that we believe are speaking for God. We look to them and often revere them. We view them as world-changers.
Who is the hero in the story?
Often the hero is someone other than ourselves. We are ordinary and heroes are extra-ordinary. We are everyday people while heroes are people with special gifts or positions of influence within our world and society.
Sometimes we seek to be the hero ourselves.
But we need to ask this important question. Who is really the hero in the story?
A person going about his business was robbed and beaten and left along the side of the road desperately needing medical care. The typical heroes walked by him. These were the people with titles and influence. They were revered as those with special gifts and positions. And they passed by the person in need of mercy.
Who is the hero in the story?
The ordinary person, considered an outcast by many, walked by and saw the man on the side of the road with a need. He went out of his way to help the injured person and provide mercy. He took him to the hospital, cared for his needs, and even paid his medical bill.
Jesus tells this story in order to turn our human perceptions upside down. I wonder if we are listening. The hero is the everyday person, even the person considered less-than, who does an act of love for someone in need of mercy. No, this is not just a sappy story. This is a declaration of the way it is in the Kingdom of God. Those we humanly revere are not important, or highlighted, or lifted up in the economy of God’s Kingdom-- the eternal rule of God throughout eternity. No, the Kingdom of God is not built upon those who are naturally acclaimed by this world. Instead, God’s Kingdom is built upon the simple everyday acts of mercy that every follower of Jesus does by sowing the love of God into a lost and broken world. Simple, yet profound, acts of Kingdom love. And, these are the truly important actions that take place daily by everyday followers, who then are the true and real heroes of the story.
The only true hero in God’s story is the one who, today, sows an act of Kingdom love simply and in obedient love for God. Collectively, these acts become the mustard seeds that bring the Kingdom of God to earth in abundant fruitfulness declaring Jesus as King and establishing his reign forever. There is nothing more heroic or fundamentally significant in this world and in the world to come.
My practice of simple/organic/house church is simply an outcome of my longing to be amongst such heroes and to encourage such acts.
You can now register for the upcoming “Simple/House Church Revolution Online Course.”
Beginning date is March 2.
NOTE, you can register immediately as there are only 8 spaces remaining on a first come, first served basis!
The goal of this course is for participants to discover more fully God's story and the nature of His church in a way that fully celebrates the freedom of the Gospel and the simplicity, reproducibility, and joy of simple, participatory, 24/7 church life.
Who is this course for? It’s ideal for those who are newly exploring simple/house churches or who are in the process of starting simple/house churches or networks of simple/house churches.
This course helps move us from head knowledge to the practice of principles that can release the DNA of living, reproductive, Jesus-led, simple-house churches that are making disciples who make disciples.
We continue to offer this course when possible because of the feedback we have received from people who have participated in the past:
"A unique and extremely insightful collection of resources, experiences, and other people who will finally let you know that you are not crazy for hoping that there is more of Jesus to be known and shared in a way that is actually simple."
Read more of the description and register here. Look forward to this journey together!
The excellent magazine, Mission Frontiers, has devoted an entire issue (available online) to movements in western contexts, specifically the USA. Some of the articles are good for sparking ideas and dreams of what can happen as God releases his church ‘out of the building’ and into the process of making disciples and gathering simply. And, isn’t it interesting how many traditional worshipers are, in fact, out of their buildings at this time!
The lead editorial is titled: “Movements Can Happen Here Too, If We Are Willing to Work for Them.” Here are a couple of highlights:
The model of ministry pursued by most churches in the U.S. where we go to a big building once a week, sing a few songs, listen to a sermon, go home, forget what was said in the sermon and then repeat this process week after week, is killing the Church in America and everywhere else it is exported. At best the Bible-believing Church in America is barely holding its own and is likely in a slow decline with an increasing number of people moving into the “no faith” category. We are losing the culture to increased secularism, biblical illiteracy and moral decline. We are also often losing our own kids to unbelief. The status quo is unacceptable.
The doing-church-as-usual crowd may be comfortable with a Christian faith that requires little of them and provides the worship experience they are looking for, but this model of doing church is leaving the great majority of lost souls untouched and the surrounding culture unchanged.
Employing an attractional approach to ministry in the hope that the unsaved will come in the door of your church, hear the gospel and be saved is at best a passive approach to ministry that leaves most of the unchurched, untouched. According to Barna research, two-thirds of the unchurched have been to church and do not wish to return. Creating all sorts of new programs in the hope of attracting them will not work. We need a new strategy.
Instead of asking the unchurched to come, why not equip your church members to go and make disciples of their friends, family, co-workers and acquaintances? People who will not darken the door of your church will very likely respond positively to an invitation to dinner at a friend’s home where the gospel may be sensitively shared. They may even respond well to an invitation to see what the Bible says about God.
This, for me, captures the heart of what I refer to as “simple church.” Not a different way to 'do church’ but a lifestyle that is primarily outside the confines of buildings and traditions where believers are interacting with, loving, and reaching those who are far from God. It is not so much a strategy as a Jesus way-of-life. Simple, reproducible, engaging organically with people, gathering for growth and accountability, and motivated to join the Jesus-mission of doing the same with others.
Jeff Christopherson writes an article in Christianity Today that is pointing in the right direction. You can read the full article here: When Culture Tilts Away from your Church.
Here are some highlights:
Thinking differently can be difficult. Our ruts testify to our staggering preferences for the familiar. Even if they slow us down to a creeping clamber, they’re ‘our ruts,’ and we prefer what we know.
But at some point, in our crawl, some of us look up and around and ask, “Is this familiar path that I’m traveling taking me where I need to go?”
...Few among us believe that we are still in the “golden age” of church growth, yet many of our systems are still calibrated with methodologies designed for a previous era. We prioritize launching worship experiences which bake in the preeminent consumeristic value of excellence with the principal metric of attendance...
When culture is tilted toward the church, we instinctively know what to do. We position ourselves as a preferred, or at least viable alternative. We welcome them in with a warm and sincere greeting. Hand them a nice gift bag with a quality T-shirt and a mug. Invite them to a casual meet and greet with the pastor. And get them to sign up for the new member’s class.
Its muscle memory for most of us.
But what happens when the culture is tilted away from the church? What do we do when there are only social disadvantages to our evangelical ties? What do we do when our golden era techniques no longer have an attraction?
Make no mistake, this is the current reality of our mission field.
But to that difficult question, there is some very good news. Much of the disciple-making within the majority world, and numerous immigrant and inner-city churches within North America, and the entirety of the book of Acts embodies three priorities that appear to be alien to our “golden-age” thinking – but serves as living proof to the Jesus-way of his community.
From here, Christopherson outlines three priorities the first of which is this:
We need a different kind of church. Rather than a hyper-focus on the gathering, we must prioritize equipping people for a disciple-making movement. Disciple-making is the goal, not a hopeful byproduct of the gathering. By decreasing our focus on the gatherings as an end, we now have the margin to increase our effort to make disciples who live vibrantly sent lives. We are no longer a church of the intentionally gathered and unintentionally scattered – but of the gathered and intentionally deployed.
Amen. This paragraph alone is worth reading the article for. Again, you can read the entire article here.
On Spiritual Formation: "Fire Within" by Thomas Dubay
On Reaching Out To Others: "The Insider" by Jim Petersen
On Leadership: "Leadership and the New Science" by Margaret Wheatley
On Community: "Waking the Dead" by John Eldredge
On Church Planting: "Church Planting Movements" by David Garrison
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