The site is back up!

Last week a malicious script got into our database, and my website host was no help (“we have escalated this help ticket”), even after a half dozen emails and phone calls. And of course, as I administer this site in my free time, it was in the middle of two of my busiest weeks.

My apologies for any inconvenience caused by the down time. Some notes

• We are on a brand new host, with a fresh install of wordpress
• You may need to create a new account to comment on the site or subscribe. Or you might be able to hit “forgot password and it will email you a new password.
• If you know anyone who stopped coming to the site because of the damage by the hacker, let them know the site is back up

I must admit it felt like an attack on several levels, and was very frustrating. It is a reminder to me that this world is “not as it should be!”

THE QUESTION:How does your house church deal with (or avoid) the issue of finances?
Leave a comment, we want to hear what you have to say

Money matters. We all know this. For those of us who are part of the movement to return to the simple roots of the New Testament Church, we have also recognized there is something quite wrong about how the “traditional church” in America has dealt with finances. Neil Cole, a simple church thought leader, says that nothing slows down organic church multiplication like Buildings, Budgets, and Bigshots. I would say we have alot of all three. One might even look at the American church and surmise that church and finances are like oil and water…they just don’t mix.

Many house churches have sought to eliminate the resource draining “three B’s,” but in their place is a vacuum. I have been apart of, and read about, a multitude of church networks. Almost without exception, there is a lack of clarity around the issues of finances. I have felt prompted by the Spirit to begin revisiting what the Scripture has to say about finances, and hear what other spiritual families are learning. Also, since I have a full time job in web design, I can ask these questions without some of the awkwardness that others might feel who raise support.

So I would love to hear from you…How does your house church deal with (or avoid) the issue of finances?

Here are some questions I am exploring.

• What does the Bible say about how we are to use our finances to further the kingdom of God?
• Can we, or should we, prioritize how we use our money? Potential areas of usage are the poor, brothers & sisters in Christ, apostles (overseers of larger church networks), etc.
• We are the richest nation in the world, and yet we as a nation and individual people are increasingly in debt. What are the consequences of this as a body of Christ? How can we show a “different way?”
• Who are the people in our church networks that should be freed up, or kept free, to lead the church without the potential distraction of outside employment? Are we supporting them? If not, do they feel free to ask for support?
• The issue of finances can raise such confusion and fear. I know as a pastor’s kid, I saw how money could divide in church politics. How can we approach this differently, organically, simply?
• Jesus was far more concerned about questions than answers, he almost never directly answered a question. So, what are the QUESTIONS Jesus wants us to be asking about money, what questions DID he ask about money? How will joining with him in that dialogue enrich our spiritual families?

What are your thoughts?
What are your questions?

A note from Brian: whether or not you agree with this book, it raises important questions that need to be discussed. So leave a comment to this post and join the discussion.

A heart-felt “thank you” to all of you who have written me such encouraging emails and letters regarding the new book, “Pagan Christianity.” I’m so glad it’s having such an impact on so many people.If you’re following the Blogosphere, you are aware that many are writing great reviews on Pagan Christianity while others are doing their dead-level best to prevent people from reading it. (Some of which are by people who haven’t even read the book.)
Right now, some people are saying ( rather loudly) that they want this book to “go away” and “disappear.” And they are working hard at persuading people NOT to buy the book. There are even rumors about book-burnings afoot. George and I have been called a few names, including “anti-Christs” by some who hate the book.

***A Very Important Request***

Those of you who support the book and its message can help off-set the movement to discredit the book by doing something very simple. Tyndale House has suggested the following and we are asking for your help on it:

1. ORDER THE BOOK FROM AMAZON.COM on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12th. Please mark this down on your calendar so you won’t forget. (If I don’t write something down on my calendar, I’m prone to forget. Perhaps you’re like me.) Here’s the direct link to the book at Amazon.com (or go to Amazon.com and type in “Pagan Christianity”) If you don’t want to order online, order the book from a Borders or a Walden Books near you on that day. It’s important that you order only from these bookstores if you can’t order from Amazon.

We ask that even if you have a copy of the book (the new OR old edition), that you buy a copy from Amazon.com or Borders/Walden during this week. Why? Because this will help the Revolution tremendously. Orders will be counted that week. And the more orders, the more the publisher will support the book. That means, more people will read it and hear its message.

If you can’t order the book from Amazon, Borders, or Walden on February 12th (if you didn’t get this email in time for instance), then please order it from one of these stores between Wednesday, February 13th to Sunday February 16th. Again: That’s Wednesday, Feb. 13 to Sunday, Feb. 16th.

We want to see the Amazon.com rating get below a #100. The more people who order it on Feb. 12th, the better the chances are for that. If the book drops below #100, then the book will gain much more support by the publisher and from bookstores everywhere, which is what we want.

Click here for the direct link to the book at Amazon.com (or go to Amazon.com and type in “Pagan Christianity”) Our goal is to have 5,000 people order the book on TUESDAY, February 12th. And 10,000 orders from February 12th to the 16th. So please join us in this effort.

2. Encourage all your friends via phone and email to buy the book from Amazon.com on Tuesday, February 12th. If not, then have them order it Wednesday, February 13th to Sunday, February 16th.

I’ve been told by detractors that those who agree with the book are “a tiny number of disgruntled souls who have been hurt by some pastor. This book will not do well at all.”

What would happen if thousands of people bought the book from Amazon or Borders/Walden between Feb. 12th and Feb. 16th? For one thing, such statements could no longer be made. And the Revolution would pick up major momentum. We wrote “Pagan Christianity” for this very reason. To help foment a Christ-centered Revolution in the Christian faith.

Finally, if you’ve read the new version already, please send your feedback to Jeanette at PTMIN@aol.com. We’d love to hear how the book is impacting those who read it. And if you write a review for your web site or blog, please let us know.

Thanks for your help and support in the Revolution. I’m deeply appreciative. And I look forward to seeing what the Lord will do in February. I shall keep you posted!

Your brother in the forgotten quest,

Frank

Popular Reviews and Audio Interviews

To read editor reviews and hear audio and print interviews on PAGAN CHRISTIANITY, go to www.ptmin.org/answers.htm

Pagan Christianity Discussion Guide

**New*** Download the free discussion guide at www.paganchristianity.org/pcguide.pdf

Ex-Pastors Web Page

If you are a former or struggling pastor, visit the new Ex-Pastor’s web page. The site contains stories from ex-pastors who have written about their journey of leaving the pastor-system. These stories include the challenge of following their conscience at the expense of losing friends and the struggle to find new employment. It also includes an “Ex-Pastor’s Survival Guide” to helps pastors who have little to no employable skills to find work outside of paid ministry positions.

Friends,

All of us have been drawn into simple/house churches believing that Jesus had more in mind for church than what we had been experiencing in the institutional church. At this present moment, we have the opportunity to explore more deeply Jesus’ idea of church by partnering with simple churches in Kenya in this time of their desperate need.

Let me give you some background.

In the Fall of 2006, three of my friends Greg Strand (Indianapolis) and Jan and Tina Cowles (Denver) were asked to come to Kenya by church leaders there to teach on simple church. What they found during their 16 day stay was a situation prepared by God. They ministered in several different cities but here is a comment from Greg following their 4 days of training in one of those cities called Kitale:

“Incredible conference! God has been moving powerfully. These men and women have been prepared by the Spirit with the same message we have been learning… The major training in listening to the voice of Jesus, Luke 10 teaching, community and doing life together has been readily accepted. They have a renewed vision to reach this area as the Spirit guides each one.”

Since that trip, scores of simple churches have been planted by the Kenyans in their own country and in surrounding countries. Greg and Jan and Tina have continued to stay in regular contact with the Kenyan leaders through email and phone (Skype).

In November of 2007, my friends, Roger and Brooks Thoman (Central California) traveled to Kenya to further encourage the leaders of the growing simple church movement there. Here’s what Brooks reported:

“But what I saw in Kenya, I also see in America and other parts of the world…The Reformation of the 21st Century, led by the Holy Spirit, is taking Christianity out of containers into the open spaces of the neighborhoods and nations of the world.”

Then, this last December, shortly after Roger and Brooks returned to the US, widespread violence broke out in Kenya as the result of a disputed presidential election. Thousands have been killed, hundreds of thousands have lost their homes. Many of our new simple church friends have been deeply affected. Here’s an email from Isaac Cheduke to Roger just a couple of days ago on 1/31/08:

“So far since you left us I and my wife Colleta had managed to teach and multiply our Nakuru house church membership to thirty houses which has total number of 100 people. From these houses being the meeting points, people were being mentored to go and begin more house churches and continue multiplying in other surrounding areas.”

Roger – Obviously, the situation has now greatly changed and the following report is hard to even imagine:

“It’s unfortunate for us that in our process of the Good News spreading to broaden our Nakuru House church network in Kenya calamity has befallen us. All of us are displaced and our houses looted from, our businesses closed down, our women and girls raped, our members killed. Right now as I speak we need to bury ten of our members killed in this violence. Some of us have received death threats, but in the camp where we are, we have learned to stick together as a family. We pray together, read and discuss the word, sing praise and worship songs. We share our experiences and put all our trust in God. Surprising, for when we begin our services many people are joining us and we are telling them we are Nakuru House church and teaching them the gospel of multiplication. So far we have ten families which have joined us right in this camp.”

Isaac goes on the describe some of their imminent needs:

“I personally need to move my family to safety. My wife is being threatened to be raped and I have also received death threats. My two boys are not going to school anymore.” (Note from Roger: money we are sending this week has been partially earmarked specifically to get Isaac and his family to safety).

We need to bury our members who have been killed as a result of this violence. Currently there are ten bodies: 4 women, 3 men, and 3 children.

We have had three girls and five of our Nakuru house church women raped before their husbands and children. Three of them were raped with more than ten people and two of them with more than seven people. These women have not been thoroughly examined by a doctor and treated for lack of finances.

I need to move our members who are not the tribe of this place (Nakuru) to western Kenya. Otherwise they will be killed. There are ten families. What they need is only transport and Police escort. Here we pay police escort. These ten families are all numbering 30 people. Transport which includes police escort fee is KSH 3000($50) per person. Without police escort here traveling is like committing suicide…

Even though we are weak now but we are strong. Some of us have never been in such a situation, sincerely we don’t even know what to say or how to act. The more days go by the more it sinks in for us that it’s happening.”

This is where simple churches in North America and the rest of the world come in.

A number of us have felt that we are to present this situation to the simple churches here so that they can ask Papa how we are to partner with the simple churches in Kenya.

Here’s what we have done…

1. A Kenya Listening Team has been assembled. This is comprised of Greg Strand, Jan and Tina Cowles, Roger and Brooks Thoman and Dawson Mudenyo (a house church leader in Kenya). Their mission is to listen to what is going on in Kenya and to listen to what God is saying about what to do about it. Specifically, they will direct whatever funds are contributed to help in Kenya.

2. A website has been set up. Roger has set up a website to keep us informed on what is going on and what the Listening Team is hearing. http://www.simplechurchescare.com

Make sure you look at the short video at http://www.simplechurchescare.com/learn.html

Information on contributing finances is at http://www.simplechurchescare.com/donations.html

Here’s what we are asking you to do…

1. Look at the website. Take a look at the website to see what is happening. Share the info with your simple church.

2. Ask Papa. As a church, ask Papa what He want you to do.

3. Pass this on. Send this email on to other simple churches that you are in contact with.

So, here’s the bottom line.

This is an opportunity for us to step up and partner with brothers and sisters who are on the same journey we are on. We are not working through huge organizations or ministries here. We are working through relationships. I know the people on the Kenya Listening Team and I trust them. They know the house church leaders on the ground in Kenya and trust them.

Isn’t this the way we pictured simple church working?

Your brother,

John White

“The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gifts to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.” Acts. 11:29,30.

Thanks to a collaborative effort, here are photos I took from last Saturday evening. Click on “show as slideshow” to enjoy a slideshow or click on a single thumbnail to see it larger.

I really enjoyed bringing our dinner to have a time of fellowship to start things off. Everything from the wonderful times of worship, to breaking up into discussion groups to drawing our thoughts on paper and having a time for people to share was tremendous. I have been blessed to be stretched in my journey of following God the past few years. Going from traditional mega church in CA, to struggling to plant a church here in Denver to discovering that God was leading us to house church, Desi and I sure have learned a lot. I think one of the most beneficial things for me has been to be open to the unfamiliar, different or unknown. It’s been amazing to see that when I am open, these differences (whatever they may be) have been catalysts for my personal growth. I love to hear people share their story…their struggles, questions, answered prayers…what God is doing in their lives. It’s times like these gatherings that show me how much BIGGER the world (and God for that matter) truly are. Thank you to all who participated and made this gathering come together for a second time. I look forward to the next one!

~Rose

p.s. thanks Brian for helping me get these photos up and doing so much for this website

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

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35

Jesus message was startlingly simple. Despite our attempts over the past 2,000 years to complicate and obfuscate his words, they remain revolutionary. These simple words from a middle eastern itinerant preacher slice through time to remind us of a powerful truth: the world will know we are His by our love for each other.

Simple…Powerful.

In the house church, or “simple church” movement, we carry this spirit of powerful simplicity into our ecclesiology (what church is).

As my mentor in organic church, Neil Cole, used to say, complexity is not always good. As a certified techie and owner of a web design company, this is most certainly the case in my field. There are literally dozens of available technologies for every client we work with. We select the tool that not only has the features they need, but is simple enough for them to use effectively. Regardless of the features a tool possesses, if it is too complicated for our clients to operate it has become useless to them.

The same is true in how we do church. I recognize the usefulness and blessing of a variety of church styles and expressions. However, for too long we have required a particularly high level of complexity in our church expressions. It requires an almost “professional” class of highly trained Christians, which is neither biblically required nor practical.

“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:13

Jesus disciples were anything but trained, professional, clergy. If we desire a worldwide movement of Christ, it will require lowering the bar of what it means to do church and raising the bar of what it means to be a disciple (from “Organic Church” by Neil Cole).

In closing…apologies for my incredibly cheesy article title. What can I say, I’m a cheesy guy

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One of the key principles of organic church is the priesthood of all believers. In church, we are all priests.

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