Over lunch, at the recent House Church Conference, I found myself asking a couple of "more experienced" brothers if they could look at where we were at as a house church network, point out areas to work on, and make any suggestions.
They were, kindly, very affirming at the progress we had made. Sometimes it seems that we are moving in slow motion because you are dealing with the growth of relationships, community, and hearts--all of which takes time.
I realize that there is, in time, an exponential type growth that can take place, like yeast multiplying through leaven, but if something grows organically it starts slow and begins with just tiny glimmers of progress.
I like what Alan Creech writes about this:
Lay your time tables down. This crap takes a looong time. When I first started Vine & Branches I had a much quicker time frame for the growth of new "branches." Uhhh, that didn't happen. Here's the question I had to ask - is that because I wasn't "working" it properly? I asked it, tried this and that, etc. - nope. Oh, you mean "it wasn't God." No, it was Him - still is. It's -- just -- taking -- a -- long -- time. It's about the long-haul commitment of a community to life together on a journey - and as they go along, being transformed, living their normal lives in the world, they infect others with the Life that is in them, and eventually they start walking the journey as well. Yes there are degrees of intentionality in this thing. But I have found that you can't count on "goals" and time tables about when and how your church will "grow." These are false notions of growth and should not be the goal of a faith community. Long, slow, transformational growth and natural, "walk with me as I walk the journey" evangelism - that's where we're at.
