What would seminary and leadership training look like done the “house church way?” Listen to co-founder Jan Cowles talk about “School on the Way.” It exists to train and release teachers for the purpose of equipping house churches for the spontaneous expansion of healthy homes of Jesus within walking distance of every person in Colorado. Click here to view their website.

What to do about giving?- How one house church sent out 8 people to 9 countries while helping start over a dozen house churches at home

When we started the adventure of house church 4 years ago there was a question of what to do with our finances. We wanted every one to pray and ask the Lord what we should do. Every one in our house church agreed that our giving should first and foremost go to me. The joy every one was getting from supporting me was humbling. It began with a small percent of a salary and within six months our one house church was giving me as much as 60 % of a salary. My ministry had already expanded way beyond our house church to coaching and helping others start house churches. Tina, my wife, and I felt that our personal giving should not go back to the same pot from which my salary came and we began to pray about where to give. There were opportunities for giving to the poor and those needing funds for counseling and other ministries. We had faithfully put our 10% in the offering plate with some sense of satisfaction all our Christian lives. Now, a sense of excitement began to take the place of mere satisfaction as we committed to sending our portion out. Once we began giving directly to people, we experienced more deeply than ever before that it is more blessed to give than receive. As for the whole group, when some one had a personal need, or was going on a missionary trip we found our selves giving beyond our normal portions. We found ourselves talking about how to come up funds, even selling things to help support the need/trip. Beyond giving me a good portion of a salary, helping each other and giving to the poor, we helped support 8 people to go to 9 countries for total of 28 weeks. All of this was in about 18 months. We were the missionary church. I remember thinking to myself that we could not have done this when I was pastoring a church of 120 people. I am still supported financially and this has allowed me to be a catalyst to over a dozen house churches in the Denver area. Meanwhile I have had the privilege of being part the Denver network of housechurch planters as well as having a role in seeing three different networks of housechurches from around the state. Not to mention a trip to Kenya training brothers and sisters that has resulted in 100’s of housechurches starting in the last 15 months. For more on information on Kenya click on http://www.simplechurchescare.com/reports.html. Lastly, because of being supported, we have been able to launch The School on the Way. School on the Way is a New Testament household community model of Education. We offer a high level of scholarship in a Hebrew style of dialogue and interaction with an emphasis on listening to and obeying what the Spirit is saying. At present we feel this is very strategic time for training others in the spontaneous expansion of housechurch. For Courses and more information – www.newwinecommunity.org It is simple math that when you reduce the expenses of running a church to zero, you have a ton of money to give directly to ministry and needs. Not only is this the New Testament model but it is a wise use of money.

Learning as we go,

Jan Cowles – House Church coach

Theology of WBKWWD

This last week a phrase comes back to me repeatedly. It is a phrase from Craig Henningflied – “We barely know what we are doing” It is a – WBKWWAD

When I think of going to Africa last fall* with a three week notice, when I think of taking in a little 2 and half year old girl last year with a two day notice, when I think of going before the judge on Saturday to make it an official adoption, We barely knew/know what we are doing.

When I think of a new believer who has been in a HC for a few months and now with her boy friend have started another HC. And today I hear that she was reading her Bible at a Starbucks last week only to have another person ask her what she is doing and then join her along with a third person and because she heard about another person starting a Starbucks HC, decided this is a church too (they meet five days a week). When I think of some of the best things, we barely know what we are doing precedes them as well as continues thru the process.

When I think of a party in which all the neighborhood was invited (we forgot that some haven’t talked to each other for years due to some kind of falling out) and two estranged neighbors connect, even enjoy each other, I am glad I forgot. I think hey we should start a movie night or a book club or come up with something for every one or may be we could…. but then I hear myself trying to keep things going and make things happen …may be I should just follow/watch to see where God is leading.

WBKWWAD, maybe it is best it stays that way. Just some thoughts,

* resulted in a 100′s of house churches started, 87 by one brother alone since last November.

Jan Cowles
House Church Coach
Lakewood, Co

Last year, my network of churches in Lakewood began meeting every 8 weeks with a network from Golden for mutual encouragement and celebration. More recently, we have begun meeting with the leaders of networks in central and east Denver. Out of this flowed a combined Celebration on October 20th which included worship, sharing and vision casting for our city. It was a packed night and some people were standing for over two hours as people shared from house churches all over Denver Metro. We had people all the way from the Black Forest area in the south to Ft. Collins in the north. There were over 100 people from at least 20 different house churches.

This is just wild, not only how many there are and how we are connecting and but the spontaneous growth that is happening among them. There was an excitement of the growing numbers of HC’s… guessing 70 or more in the Denver area. For the next gathering we may need to get a room about 4 times the size. There is a new website and we are trying to get all the house churches on the map. www.coloradohousechurch.com

Our vision of a house church within walking distance of every person in Golden/Lakewood… Denver ….Colorado… North America… is beginning to spread.

Does that make you want to be part of a HC …and the HC movement… and then join to help and/or start one after that?

Living for so much more and it is too exciting,

Jan Cowles
Lakewood, Colorado

jancowles[AT]comcast.net