Coffee Community

Source: LK10.com, article by John White While I don’t want to see house church reduced to a “program”, I do believe that there are certain values that are present in healthy churches. These values are often conveyed best in pictures and stories. Here’s one of those stories…

Here’s an email from a church planter in Uganda who is becoming a part of the “revolution”:

Hi john,

I am indeed greatful for your consideration to me as part of this great ministry of dawn. Concerning church planting missions in Uganda and the areas I do opperate my missions we are beginning without delay. We want to raise a healthy and a church of quality not quantity! Please John I have a qoustion,when starting a house church do you need to build a struture or fellowships are done in believers houses? Is there a differance between a cell group fellowships and the house church fellowships? How large should a house fellowship be? God bless you indeed and my the Lord of harvest bring many labourers to His field.

These are great questions and I suspect that there are many others who are just starting on this journey who have similar questions. While I don’t want to see house church reduced to a “program”, I do believe that there are certain values that are present in healthy churches. These values are often conveyed best in pictures and stories.

I want to share with you the picture of a house church in Portland, Oregon led by Rich and Kimberly Hagler (See below).  Here are some of the important values that I see portrayed in what they call “the Isaiah 61 House Church”…

1. A clear goal. See the comments on Isaiah 61. The goal is not the meeting. The meeting is a means to the end of life transformation. That is, “being shaped” to look more like Jesus.

2. A clear process. “Hearing and following the leading of the Spirit”. This is the alternative to implementing programs and it results in intimacy with the Lord and each other.

3. Not just a meeting. They do meet together (almost all day!) but the church is not limited to the meeting. Or, perhaps we could say that the “meeting” goes on all week.

4. Unbelievers reached. Not from an “evangelism program” but as a natural result of being “drawn to the Father’s glory”.

5. Church planting. The Hagler’s church was planted by the Mayhew’s church. Now, the Hagler’s church is planting other churches “in Portland and beyond”. At least three generations of churches are represented in this story in a little over one year. This kind of church planting comes from “sensing the Father’s call” and feels natural and spontaneous.

6. Part of a network. The Hagler’s church is part of a larger community or network of house churches called the Columbia-Williamette Simple Church Co-op. For those of you concerned that house churches may become isolated and ingrown, see the attachment for the excellent newsletter of this Co-op which is produced by Dan Mayhew. These three simple church networks partner in all kinds of equipping and missional activities. One of the wonderful things about the house church movement is the glorious diversity and creativity that is emerging. The Hagler House Church is not the way to do it but simply the way that the Lord has led them. Learn from them but don’t copy them.

Allow the Holy Spirit to create something wonderfully unique in your home.

John White
Lk10 Community Facilitator