People of every age, race, and class. Leaders from Virginia, Denver, Chicago, Oregon, Boston, Colorado Springs, Ottowa, L.A., Maryland, San Francisco, and… Southeast India.

“I don’t want to plant churches. Jesus said ‘I will build my church’ and he’s a lot better at it. I would rather build families, because we know the church is not somewhere we go, something we do…it is who we are.”
That is my quote/paraphrase of the opening remarks of the facilitator.

I have long desired one family under our Father, yet have seen divisions along racial, theological, denominational, and class lines.

Father, thank you for work in simple churches, small communities of faith…families which are laying aside the old divisions under the headship of Jesus Christ.

Brian

I started reading Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham Jr. a few nights ago. It’s not a house church book, but I read something that really touched and challenged me. It totally fits with house churches. Here’s the quote:

“Our homes must be rife with the aroma of love. Those who visit us should notice immediately that they have left the world of self-serving, egocentric narcissism and have entered a safe harbor where people value and esteem others above themselves. Outsiders should enter our homes and never want to leave. Our neighbors should find excuses to visit us just to get another whiff of the fragrant aroma of love. The brokenhearted should long to be near us. The downtrodden and the abused should seek us out. Families on the brink of disaster should point to us and say, “Why can’t our home be like that?”

Wow. That is my desire and yet, we fall so short of that! Lord, please forgive our selfishness and help us live out 2 Corinthians 5…

11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

May we be more aware of our broken state, His redeeming love and those who are lost and blind.
~Rose

I recently posted this on my personal blog and thought it would be good to share here. ~Rose Starr

Some of you may know that we are a part of a house church network. Desi, my husband is a pastor/house church coach/mentor here in Denver. We have had a very interesting journey these past 4+ years in this lovely city. We came out as inner city missionaries to start a traditional church. After meeting in our home weekly for awhile (doing house church but not calling it that!) we ended up being given a large donation from an anonymous donor and began renting a small chapel. Although we had a sizable core group, we didn’t grow. We moved to another location and again did not grow. I struggled with not enjoying Sundays at all. It was so much work to haul tub after tub of stuff only to go through these church motions and then have to clean up again. We moved to another location and started meeting on Sunday nights. Again, no growth…people left instead! It was discouraging. We felt like we were wasting God’s resources and after much prayer and about 6 months at that location we went back to Sunday mornings at a house.

We decided to pray and seek God and His will for our group which had grown and shrunk and grown again with people leaving and God bringing us together with another small group. Turns out we had the same vision and heart for the city as this other group who joined up with us before we moved to Sunday nights renting space at a local church. Desi and Bruce (his ministry partner) along with Carrie (another inner city missionary) began to meet/pray regularly and in earnest. I’m not sure how, but we heard of a large house church conference that would be in Denver that summer that was put on by House 2 House. We felt led to go and wouldn’t you know it, that was our start into house church gatherings. We had a lot of ‘traditional mindset’ to re-think as we searched the Scriptures to see what ‘church’ was really about. We discovered some simple and profound things: That were two or more are gathered in His name, He’s there and really that is church…the believers…we are His bride…the church is people and when we are together, we are doing church! Now this may be too liberal a definition for some folks, and that’s ok, but we love it!

Our group met on Sunday mornings at one house for about a year, getting used to being a part of something so different than most of us had been a part of. We began to minister to one another in beautiful ways. We used resources to give to the needy in our own group as well as in the city. We grew in friendship, love and life. We saw some leave and many more come. We joined up with large traditional churches for outreaches and VBS’ in the summer. We prayed that God would send laborers for the harvest and He did! Story after story of how He grew us and brought new people. I love it! Near the end of last year, we realized our core group was getting too large for the house we met in. We all began to pray and ask God to lead us, to move in our hearts and give us a desire to multiply in order to grow and continue to make disciples.

Since then, we have grown into a network of five house churches. One meets Sunday morning, two on Sunday nights (alternating between two houses), one Tuesday night and one Thursday night. Each church looks and feels a bit different, but each is active, alive, nurturing and growing. Desi and I are hosting every 2nd & 4th Sunday evening partnering with another couple who live about a mile from us who host the 1st and 3rd Sundays at their house. It’s nice to start off just every other week and share the hosting and cooking. At our Sunday evening gatherings we share a meal at 5:30 and have our gathering after the meal. Our first gathering was last Sunday. I felt led to have us do an activity I found in a book about Lent for kids. It was a family tree where we all drew/cut out a symbol with our name to represent our branch. We then wrote on leaves qualities that we saw in others that were a blessing and glued the leaves to their branches. It was a wonderful way to start off our gathering and include our 4 kids. We then moved into a time of sharing while we sipped tea and after a little while the kids retired to the basement for a movie. We adults continued to share and fellowship till almost 11pm!

Here’s our Family Tree

Our gatherings will be a bit ‘loose’ as we seek to listen to the Spirit’s leading. Our desire is to encourage spiritual gifts and give place and time for those gifts to be shared. We want to come together with something learned from the week that we can offer to each other. We desire transparency, honesty, respect, to honor one another and to grow in relationship with our father God. We will invite neighbors, friends and whomever God leads us to with no expectations other than to see what God has for us.

Our network will plan regular large gatherings, outings, trips, parties, outreaches, celebrations, ect…in order to stay connected with one another. Desi and I will host a game night once a month with the invite open to all the house churches and our neighbors. We are praying about various VBS’ put on the the various house church homes/neighborhoods for this summer to reach kids and neighbors with God’s love.

I wanted to share what we were doing and how blessed I am to be a part of something that has helped me grow in my spiritual walk more than ever before. I have been challenged to be an active participant in every meeting. To be open to different views, different people, different ways of interacting with God. We still have much to learn, will probably make mistakes, will start something- realize it doesn’t work- and change our plans, and that’s ok! I have so much to learn as a daughter, wife, mother, friend and neighbor. I am learning to be ok with the process, to enjoy the journey, to see events in my life as a small piece of a much larger picture, to see God’s hand of grace in every aspect of my daily life. It’s mind boggling really.

~Rose

The season leading up to Christmas, which has already begun for this year, is an opportunity to celebrate, ponder and engage a little-talked-about Truth. In our dash toward Christmas, we race right on by a power-full rest stop – one that is good for our entire life. This is the Truth of the Incarnation!

IN-CAR-NA-TION: (noun) “assuming human form or nature”

As Followers of The Way, we do not accept just any “incarnation.” A careful reading of the key teachings of other worldly religions reveals an awareness of “incarnation,” often under the idea of “reincarnation.” In fact, not long ago, because of the power of incarnation to move people, the Chinese government passed a law that no one can be re-incarnated without their permission! Tibetan Buddhists acknowledge incarnation. You’ve probably heard that various factions of Islam are also awaiting yet another “incarnation” of one of their great teachers.

As Jesus-followers, we believe The Incarnation. This is the teaching, or doctrine, that the second Person of the Holy Trinity assumed human form in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He is the God and man – fully God and fully human – a Divine Person intimately and permanently united to a human nature with a human body. And, he needed no one’s permission to be so!

For years, I have quietly pondered the Nicene Creed’s confession: “Who for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made man.” Too bad we read this so quickly thinking we have confessed this transforming Truth. Here, we believe The Incarnation is for the purpose of our salvation – rescue.

The Incarnation of the LORD causes me to pause for it speaks of the condescending nature of our God: “he came down from heaven.” So many want a God who is larger, bigger, stronger, above it all, what we call “transcendent.” Yet, in The Incarnation, He comes to us! He enters into the world he made! He takes on the human form designed to bear the Image of God! He becomes the servant among us … living as we live … speaking as we speak … learning as we learn … working as we work … laughing as we laugh … crying as we cry! In a specific place and within time, God the Son empties himself, submitting to all things and everything human – being tested in every way as we are – even to death. Too many people still overlook this mystery of Grace; this God-coming to us as we are – and for our benefit!

What could happen today if Christians believed The Incarnation? I know, many read the Nicene Creed and claim to agree with what it says. Others will take the less-than-thoughtful position “the Bible teaches it; I believe it; that settles it.” Still others will say “I’ve been to pastor’s bible study on incarnation and I believe what he taught” or “I’ve read the textbooks on the topic.” My question is “So?”

What this exposes is a faulty understanding of “believe.” To “believe” something – like The Incarnation, let’s say – is not so much being able to agree with the doctrine, studying it, intellectually assenting to the teaching or even accepting it as true for those who believe it. When I listen the conversations many “believers” have nowadays, I regularly hear “belief” is what I can agree with, understand. Too many overlook this mystery of Grace because they think they “believe” it.

Here is where it is helpful to move beyond the Hellenized world of our culture and enter into the Hebraic world of the Incarnate One. Jesus did not live in a world where to “believe” something primarily meant you agreed with it. He served in a world where “to believe” meant you drew strength from what you “believed.” Since words tell stories, the Scriptural words for “believe” tell the story of “one who is weak drawing on and from the strength of one who is strong.” In other words, what you “believe” is fully relational and life transforming!

Consider the man whose son is healed and blurts out “I believe, help my unbelief.” This grieving father’s confession rarely impacts our lives. Most of us think the man was saying to Jesus “I agree with what you’re saying/doing, please help me to overcome my ignorance.” That, to me, would seem an odd way of hearing what this father was crying out for. Consider the alternative: “I have drawn strength for living from you, but I still need your help in drawing strength further so that I can continue to live.” I like that a lot better!

OK, so you say “I believe in the Incarnation.” My question is “really?” Do you mentally assent to the doctrine or do you draw strength for daily living from this even-now Reality? Do you claim to know what this means or do you recognize the Life-Changing Truth offered to you? Just imagine, if we “believed” The Incarnation, how this transforms everything about the world in which we each live. The Living God has honored my human nature, my human body, my human vocation, my human living of life! And, “Faith” is not so much agreeing with the teaching of such-and-such or so-and-so, but is the daily drawing of breath and strength, vitality and hope from the One who knows – really knows – what it is to live in this world!

So, back to my question, what could happen if Jesus-followers “drew strength for living” from the Incarnation? While I suspect there is likely a multi-faceted response to this question, let me suggest at least one opportunity: Jesus-followers would themselves be “incarnational.”

IN-CAR-NA-TION-AL: (adjective) “the act of assuming the form or nature of a local neighborhood.”

I so appreciate the paraphrase of John 1:15 from The Message: “The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood.” That Jesus – the fully Incarnated Son of the Living God – “moved into the neighborhood” is a pretty good understanding of what the Spirit moved John to record for our learning. The original text says that The Logos came to “tabernacle” among us. He was the mobile Presence of the Living God! This highlights that Jesus lived the human life as we do, that he used human language, that he developed human relationships, that he learned to speak, read and write as we learn, that he faced temptations as we do, being as we are. To meet Jesus is to meet the Living LORD!

This short verse unites the reality of the Incarnation (the Word became flesh) with the life-focus of being incarnational (moved into the neighborhood). As I suggest, to “believe” the Incarnation leads to incarnational living. We draw from Jesus the pace and direction of our lives as his apprentices.

Jesus-followers are like a van load of people on tour observing him in the local culture while learning to live as he says is best. We “move into the neighborhoods,” placing our lives alongside the mission of Jesus to the people of the world in the places where they live, work and play. This is certainly a multi-faceted, life-on-a-mission approach. Using our sanctified imagination, engaging our creative gifts with a life toward loving God and our neighbor, the incarnational life opens many possibilities for Jesus-following in the local places of life where he is already active.

Consider: “as the Father has sent me (Incarnation), so I am sending you (incarnational).” Suddenly, Immanuel – God with us – is real! Being incarnational is stepping out of our safe places and engaging people and neighborhoods around us as Good News. Francis of Assisi reminds us: “preach Christ often, sometimes use words.”

“Drawing strength” from The Incarnation makes possible the life that is Incarnational. Not automatically, however. Sure, you can agree with the doctrine of Incarnation, you can even know what “incarnational living” might look like in your community. There is no end to the conversations that could be had if all you do is talk about what Jesus says is best. What must take place at some point in your journey with Jesus is choosing to become an “incarnationalist.” And, as part of your choice, you must take action – “you” being plural!

IN-CAR-NA-TION-AL-IST: (noun) “one living an incarnational life”

Frankly, I’m not even sure if that is a word regularly used by Jesus-apprentices, but it does seem to capture one aspect of our privilege in life today. Being an incarnationalist asks that we move from our understanding of Incarnation and beyond our agreement with incarnational living to the actual, everyday being with Christ and living along the relational contours He offers. Up to this point, learning to live as Jesus says is best keeps us in the house with our buddies doing the necessary study to make sure we’ve got it right. Becoming an incarnationalist moves us from being a living-room learner to one who lives what we believe (remember what “believe” means?) in the places where people live, work and play – where Jesus already is.

As I consider this call upon our lives, I realize the unique way each of you will bear witness to the Incarnate One. It is within this marvelous diversity of living that the “nations” (local cultures) of our world can be shown a glimpse of the Life our Lord gave his life for us to have. My dream is for this “glimpse” to become an “apprentice” of our Master, and a community without walls.

Enjoy your time with family and friends, with your local church as you are equipped, graciously living with gratitude “for you and for your salvation.” Then, quietly ask for guidance as you’all “draw strength” to live as an incarnationalist in the coming … If we can help, let us know.

Craig W. Henningfield, M.Div., D.Min.
Missionary – Coach
The Church Without Walls
craig(AT)thechurchwithoutwalls.info
303-725-6760

A Miracle is something only God could do, and I can confidently say I have been blessed to be a part of a very unique one.

    Over a year ago, my family left our traditional church, feeling the call of God to start gathering from house to house in Aurora and east Denver – just as the believers did in the New Testament. When we first started, we did not know that there were so many others doing the same thing all over the place! A few months later, through a series of God-ordained events, we made our first contact with another “Simple church” in the five points area near downtown Denver. I remember emailing Desi Starr (I had found him by chance through house2house.org) and going over to their home a couple nights later to meet and share what God had been doing with us. This began a close friendship between us and our house churches, which shortly thereafter included a meeting with John White, local DAWN associate and house church friend.

    Well 4 or 5 months ago Desi, myself, and another brother started talking about the need for holding a larger gathering of simple churches every few months for support, fellowship, and a larger vision. We proceeded in presenting the idea to a few other simple churches we knew around here, and it seemed that nearly everyone was feeling the same desire to be connected to other simple churches around the front range. So back in October, on a Saturday evening we gathered for the first time in Golden, CO for an evening of sharing food, testimonies, and fellowship. We weren’t sure how many would show (at least 50 would’ve been nice!) but when the event arrived there were an estimated 150 or more people (not counting the kids) packed into this fellowship hall from house/simple churches all over the front range (from down in Pueblo all the way up to up in Fort Collins!). People from different denominations, different backgrounds, different beliefs – but all gathering with one purpose - to love Jesus and love and build up one another.

    What’s the miracle? The Christian church here in America has been segregated by denominations for so long, it is hard to see how it will ever regain its original unity (remember the wonderful diversity and unity of the “love feast” gatherings of the early church?)… Personally, in all my life I’ve never been a part of a church gathering with such incredible diversity and such incredible unity at the same time - but God is doing it, right here and now!  In our planning sessions alone between gatherings (of 8-12 people), we have at least 8 different denominational backgrounds represented (Lutheran, evangelical free, southern baptist, foursquare, presbyterian, campus crusade, grace brethren and united pentecostal). Imagine how many denominational backgrounds are represented when we come together in our larger gathering of 150+ people! What could people from such different backgrounds and belief systems possibly have in common? Well, at least 2 things: A sincere love for Jesus Christ, and a burden to see simple churches of all kinds in every neighborhood along the front range.

    You can experience this miracle as well.

Our next Colorado house church gathering is Saturday, January 12th at 5pm! (see below)

Much love to all the brethren :) 

-Sean Hyatt, Aurora CO, 303.523.2315

________________________________________________________        As always, we seek to keep the Head of the Church (Jesus) at the head of our gatherings, but here are the general details:

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

I have been an urban missionary for the past 19 years. Although I have been blessed to be involved in planting two (traditional) urban churches, I have always been frustrated that so much time went to raising money to pay for buildings. This left little to actually help meet the needs of the poor. One year ago we started a house church network to start churches in Denver’s inner-city. We presently have 3 house churches with several more close to starting. The benefits of house church with the target of reaching the urban poor are:

• The cost of house church is almost zero as we don’t pay salaries or a mortgage. The money we receive goes to help those in need. We have been able to help our people with money for rent, food, gas, clothes and whatever the need may be.
• As our house church is diverse racially, economically and intergenerationally we are able to see barriers broken to truly be a church where people from lots of backgrounds are experiencing being a vibrant family of Jesus in the midst of great diversity. House Church works great for accomplishing this as everything we do from going bowling, having picnics in the park, going to the mountains, etc is something we all do together and the poor don’t get left out. House Church is a great model for urban church planting.

Bruce Duell, Denver, CO BKDuell[AT]aol.com
(Posted on behalf of Bruce by Brian)

This is a brief note that Michael Tummillo sent to all the folks on his mailing list and it is very simple yet very powerful, so I thought I would share it:

Last Saturday, I drove 3 hours to a small Texas town where a man had asked me to come and explain the Simple Church/House Church concept to him and some others at his home. We had a wonderful 2 hour meeting and I left by laying hands upon them and releasing them into this new ministry.

Yesterday, that same man wrote with the questions: “How do we begin the meeting? What atmosphere do we try to create?”

As I responded I wondered how many others might have similar concerns. So, I am sending the response I sent him to you, too!

Here it is:

1 Cor 14:26 says, “What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.”

I’ve stopped inviting people to “church” or even “Home Church,” “House Church” or “Simple Church.” This whole thing is to happen organically. Since everyone we know EATS, I simply invite people to dinner! During the course of the evening, we may wind up counseling, praying for people the way I prayed for you guys on Saturday. We have even piled in the van and gone places to minister to others. At times, we’ve wound up playing games. The #1 goal: become a family! Think “family reunion.” We share our lives, not merely an hour. Someone with a guitar may lead us in a few songs but it’s not something we do every time. Worship, after all, is a lifestyle. Even our work is actually a form of worship. Before anybody leaves, we ALWAYS ask if we can pray for them. Most times, that winds up with laying on hands, anointing with oil, tears and even deliverance!

At the proper time, you will be given the opportunity to share that this IS as much church as anything we Christians do on Sundays in a building. The BEST part of House Church is the meetings AFTER the meetings…the lunches, the movies, the phone calls and emails, the walks in the park with people who feel loved enough to open up and seek counsel and prayer.

Resist the urge to get “churchy” and just be brothers in Christ. Don’t argue doctrine. Don’t preach. If teaching is done, try and teach the Doctrine of Christ (just ask and Ill give you my “Jesus Said It” study). Focus on the many “One another” verses in Scripture. People are lonely, hurting, feel unaccepted, judged…people listened to Jesus because He sounded different among the religious voices of the day. So, love them, accept them, make them feel special and remind them of their worthiness before God.

Does that help?

In time, you’ll get to know more people who are into meeting this way and you’ll fellowship with them. On occasion, a traveling minister will pass through town and you will all gather your church families and eat and love and laugh and listen as The Church did when Paul was in Troas. I’ll keep you abreast of regional things you can tap into.

Some of your people may still wish to attend traditional church. Fine! They’re family, too! Let your people know that it’s Ok. The most important thing is to be led by the Spirit and do as He says.

October 20th is the date for the upcoming Denver Gathering of house churches! For this first gathering we will be joining a network of house churches in Golden, CO who have been holding these types of gatherings for many moons now. We have perhaps a dozen different house churches in different locations around Denver (and along the front range) who are planning on representing that we know of (probably many more than that).

The meeting is for networking, worship, sharing, and fellowship among all the house churches who would like to participate. Please invite ANY and ALL who would like to join us there!! A few details about the upcoming evening:

-Childcare will be provided for young children

-Anyone who can is invited to bring a dessert to share (desserts only this time to keep it simple, so eat dinner before you come)

-ANYONE who would like to help with worship during the gathering (if you play an instrument, or sing, or just like to pretend to do either one please come early at 4:30pm to practice. Anyone welcome!

-The forum will be a time of fellowshipping, a time of worshipping together, a time of sharing (different folks will be sharing their stories, or their visions for what God wants to do in Colorado)…

-WHERE will it be? *** Hillside Community Church, 103 N Ford St, Golden, CO, @6:00PM ***

I am convinced that this gathering will be a huge blessing to all in attendance, so please join us in prayer that the Lord’s will be done!

***********************************************************

October 20th, 6:00PM – Hillside Community Church, 103 N. Ford St. Golden, Colorado, 80403

Join us for a night of worship, celebration, sharing our journeys, and vision casting for the future! We believe that “house churches” and alike are some of the most relevant expressions of God’s Church today, but we do not limit ourselves from understanding that God is going to use many expressions of His Body to reach people for His Kingdom!

Come let us seek God together for our cities and communities realizing we are a part of something much bigger than ourselves!!!

For more information: Call Dan Thoemke at 720-373-9605 or email at dan@hc3.org Sponsored by Community Faith in Action “Unifying our faith based community around a common purpose, serving together to experience God in our daily lives.”