Category: Uncategorized

Tony at theoblogy just out and out says it… More and more of us are now convinced that something new cannot happen within the existing organizations and institutions. They are irredeemably reified into patterns of institutional conservatism and survival; they are irredeemably sold out to market forces and have thus commodified the radical, liberating message…

Next Wave has their November issue out.  Always good reading.  Here’s an excerpt from an article called "Incarnational Mentoring": Learning the ways of Jesus is more like making pickles than listing the fruits of the Spirit in a classroom using a PowerPoint presentation. You cannot diagram or sprinkle salt on a cucumber to get a…

I always find it interesting and fun to peek in on someone else’s house church gathering.  Following is from Rachelle at a gathering called thursdaypm: Mike broke out his electric guitar and worked up a worship set. I asked him to only bring us songs that focused on praising God and naming God’s attributes. I’m…

Sometimes I need to remind myself… it’s not about big churches, little churches, mega-church, house church, or even having the "right" definition or understanding of church. It’s all about Jesus. It’s not about how we worship, who we worship with, what kind of service we have or don’t have, or who is qualified to lead…

Every week I receive emails from people who are leaving behind traditional churches and launching out into simple forms of church gatherings and a desire to live kingdom-lives 24/7. Something is drawing us out of our traditional church backgrounds into unchartered waters. Something is compelling us to leave the familiar for the unknown. Skeptics might…

I think one of the saddest dysfunctions in much of our church world today is the worship of pastors or other spiritual leaders. I know this dysfunction well from both positions: worshipper and worshippee. I ran into some wonderful friends today who attend a good, large church in the area. As so often happens when…

Here is a comment from a friend of mine (John) that he wrote in response to my post “How Do I Explain It To My Pastor“: About 7 years ago, my pastor asked me to go on a visit with him to give a message to a “house church”. We went there and worshipped awhile…

Rad Zdero has a book out this year called “The Global House Church Movement.” It’s a relatively brief (140 pages) yet comprehensive look at what is happening today with house churches and house church networks. Rad’s personal experiences involve planting and coaching an emerging house church network in Canada. He offers a chapter on Biblical…

On the topic of children and house church I have offered this quote before from Wayne Jacobsen before. I think it’s extremely insightful: But don’t our children need church activities? I’d suggest that what they need most is to be integrated into God’s life through relational fellowship with other believers. 92% of children who grow…

One of the wonderful things we have discovered in our simple churches is how much we learn from children. We want our children to see themselves as just as much part of church as anyone else. Each church works differently with children but in every way we value them and embrace them. We learn so…