Category: Uncategorized

One of the marks I have personally seen of rapid disciple making movements is that new believers are empowered early to do the work of ministry. Simple church is less about gatherings and more about developing disciples who make other disciples which I write about here. Part of that process is that we see disciples…

It's always interesting to see the press covering expressions of house church. This article is called "House Churches Swap Steeples For Sofas, And Say They've Never Been Closer." With new church construction at its lowest point since 1967, and with more religiously unaffiliated Americans than ever before, many congregations say they've become more committed communities…

We used to have a term for mission organizations that worked outside of the traditional church. We called them ‘para-church’ organizations as if they were not quite the substance of church but, instead, ministries that came alongside the ‘real’ church. Over the years, most of us have realized that those ministries which we called ‘para-church’…

I see many people get tripped up because they do not understand this basic premise: keep the principles, change the method if necessary. Principles are the foundational concepts that you believe are Biblical. They remain the bedrock of all that you are doing. They do not generally change. Methods, on the other hand, are the…

Some things don’t change. We may seek new wine skins. We may adopt new methods and tools for seeing God’s Kingdom come. We may give up worn out programs, systems, and paradigms. We may adopt the newest and most ‘in’ way of making disciples, living incarnationally, or gathering together. But the most significant thing does…

As we gather a new group in our online course (Simple/House Church Revolution), I find myself surrounded by enthusiasts who are daring to experiment, step out of old boxes, and risk trying new things for God. My feeling is, ‘these are my people.’  It’s not even about trying to fit people into a different “simple/house…

I am excited that David & Paul Watson’s book is finally available entitled Contagious Disciple Making.  Their material has helped to shape our work, particularly in East Africa, for years. The first part of the book lays out some key principles for seeing the Gospel multiplied (the mind-set of a disciple-maker) while the second part…

The church, of any form, is made up of disciples, followers of Jesus.  When disciple making is not taking place, then the church consists of converts rather than followers. Too often we provide substitutes for disciple making: Church attendance Conferences and seminars Listening to our favorite teachers All of these are good things, and some…

Having just returned from another two month trip through Africa, I paused to reflect on what I learn from traveling in another continent among people from various cultural and socio-economic backgrounds: 1. Starting small does work.  Jesus’ example of beginning with only twelve disciples reflects his many examples of how the Kingdom grows from a single…

(Note: reprinted from 2007) One of the most difficult things to communicate regarding simple/house church is that we really, really do not want to just re-invent a new (or ancient) form of church.  Instead, we are seeking to re-capture the essential “church life” that Jesus taught—a way of life.  We are, at the core, radical…