Articles

A list of the values that we’ve observed to be commonly shared among those who are gathering together in simple ways.

The Kingdom of God

• Our emphasis as Christians is on building the kingdom, not a church, or even “The Church.”
• New churches are planted and outreaches are planned in an endeavor to build the Kingdom of God, not necessarily a church or an organization.
• Allegiance within our groups and networks is to the King, not to the leadership within those groups and networks.

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Many people regularly visit this site. More and more churches are adding their information to the list of churches on the site. Since many of you are putting into practice the Biblical principles that are discussed on this site, we would love to hear your testimonies of how God is working. What are you learning about incarnational evangelism, making disciples, practical priesthood of all believers, Christ Headship, nonhierarchical leadership, and participatory gatherings? Share just a few sentences, or even more if you would like. Post it under our forum

Also our blog section is a great place to share what God is personally teaching you. If you from time to time or even often write down your thoughts of what you are learning in your relationship with God, please write a blog and share it with the rest of us for our encouragement.

Finally, we have recently been organizing training events for those involved in simple churches. If you are involved in a simple church or a simple church network and would like to hear about training opportunities, please contact Maxim Nikolaev at m.nikolaeff@gmail.com or Timmy Powers at timmy.powers@gcmweb.org

I was recently moved by this quotation by a Brazilian theologian, J.B. Lebanio. Simple reproducing churches…”are not a movement, an association, or a religious congregation… They are not a method (or the only method) of building up the church: They are THE CHURCH itself… They are THE CHURCH committed to the ordinary person, to the poor, to those who suffer injustice.”
Simple reproducing churches (organic churches, home churches) are absolutely theologically necessary. They are the foundational level of the church for the church to be THE CHURCH, the first level at which the church is to exist. The second level is the regular coming together of these basic communities to worship and fellowship together. A third level is the periodic coming together of all congregations to express Christ to the city. Are we focusing on the second level of church meetings while short changing the absolutely necessary foundational level? I think so!

Do you want to be a more passionate disciple of Jesus Christ? Do you desire to multiply your life and make disciples more effectively? Do you long to see churches started that are centered on Jesus Christ, that experience deep loving relationships, and that are able to reach the lost and multiply? If this describes your heart and if you are active in a simple church, then this conference is designed for you.

Special Guest: Ed Waken from Phoenix, Arizona
Ed is a disciplemaker and church planter who has trained and coached leaders in cities around the world. He is a close personal friend and co-laborer of Neil Cole(author of Organic Church). Ed and Neil regularly conduct training times together. You will discover that Ed is passionate about knowing Christ and about building His kingdom. Ed has done a training time in Kiev in the past, and he is greatly respected and appreciated by all those who have learned from him.

Participants: Teams of people who are involved in multiplying disciples and simple churches

Cost for Food and Lodging: $60. There are limited amount of scholarships for those with financial needs.

For more information or to register for the conference, please write Dima Sezlonov at simplechurch.books@gmail.com

Space is limited, so if you are interested contact us soon.

We are excited to announce the publishing of a new book in Russian - Reimagining the Church by Frank Viola. The book will be available in April, but until then we would like to share with you some excerpts to give you a taste of the book.

Open-participatory meetings do not preclude the idea of planning. Nor do they have to be disorderly. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul formulates a number of broad guidelines designed to keep the meeting running in an orderly fashion.

In Paul’s thought, there’s no tension between an open-participatory meeting and an orderly one that edifies the church. The order of the meeting is organic. It’s the by-product of each member seeking to edify the whole.

“Now it came to pass in those days that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles.”
Luke 6:12-13

Jesus selected apostolic leaders from among his new-found disciples. Finding leaders is the greatest challenge leaders face. Yet, some leaders attract more leaders and others struggle to find or keep any leaders. Why? Certainly part of the answer lies in the gift of a leader, but there are also certain truths we can practice that will make us attractive to the emerging leaders in our sphere of influence.

The most gifted leaders I know practice these seven laws of leadership selection ...

Dave Ferguson shares five ways to bless your neighbors. He says, “From the very beginning, God’s way of reaching and restoring the world has always been through what I would call a blessing strategy…how do we in a very practical way that’s theologically grounded explain to people how they could bless people in places they are incarnating? We came up with this… B- Begin with prayer. We want you to ask, ‘God how do you want me to bless the people in the places you’ve sent me to?’ L- Listen. Don’t talk, but listen to people, their struggles, their pains, in the places God sent you.

When I get busy, I tend forget the most important reason why I’m here, my prime directive – to make more and better disciples (Matt. 28:18-20)! In fact, unlike Jesus, the busier I become, the more I lose compassion for the lost. It doesn’t take much for the multitudes to become more of a stumbling block to impede my effectiveness rather than a reason for becoming effective. Freeway traffic is a cause of frustration rather than compassion. A busy parking lot gives me a headache from the confusion rather than a heart that aches with compassion.

Compassion cannot be something pushed on us from obligation, it is something that comes out from within. In fact, the word “compassion” used of Jesus in scripture literally means “bowels” – it is something you feel in your gut. Compassion, real compassion, doesn’t come about by lawsuits. It is a natural feeling that stirs in your stomach and comes out in your eyes, your words, and your actions. It takes “guts” to care for the lost!

There are times when I intentionally go to a crowded shopping mall or a busy restaurant and just stand among the throngs asking the Lord to break my heart.