Articles

Advantages of Having Elders
It would be a serious blunder to conclude that elders are unimportant to the life of a church.  Paul warned that "fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock." (ESV, Ac 20:29).  Some wolves are schismatic, others promote false doctrine, and still others practice immorality.   Too often, house churches without qualified elders fall in a type of spiritual malaise.  No one takes leadership responsibility.  There is no 'point man" to offer direction.  Things just coast along.  Discipleship is minimal.  In many cases, it becomes a case of the blind leading the blind.  Pooled ignorance in "teaching" becomes the norm.  Evident sins are overlooked.  Social problems are not dealt with.  The church can become vulnerable to wolves in sheep's' clothing.

In my normal time with the Lord one morning, Jesus spoke to me--not an audible voice, just that thought from nowhere that I've learned is often the way he speaks to me.

"Walk Oltorf Street," was what he seemed to say.

I would like to tell you that I immediately obeyed him, but that would not be true. It took me about two months, and it was only because a Texan summer was fast approaching that I finally obeyed what I had sensed him say.

A few months later, Tony (my husband) and I happened to be driving along Oltorf Street. We had some time to spare.

"Let's prayer walk Springfield," Tony suggested.

So we parked the car well away from the housing project and walked past the "Loitering is forbidden" sign at the entrance. We prayed as we walked. Suddenly, there was a huge downpour. The heavens just opened.

There was no way we could make it back to the car without getting drenched, so we ran for shelter  under a balcony where there were two middle-aged Hispanic ladies sitting in lawn chairs. As we chatted with them, they asked what we were doing there.

"We're praying for this neighborhood," we said.

Editors Note:
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When teaching about the organic church, a question I am asked more than any other is how we handle the threat of heresy. I understand this concern and want to address it in an intelligent and articulate manner because it is very important. The organic church movement is not going to last if we simply ignore the challenges it faces. But I also believe that the issues that are raised in response to our movement can find solutions that are not only satisfactory but even better alternatives to the way the church has addressed these issues in the past. If the organic church movement is not a move forward toward better health and wholeness, then it is not worth pursuing at all.

When God answered Rosa's prayers in such a clear way, we asked Rosa:

"Would you be willing to bring together some of your family and friends to hear about this Jesus who has been answering your prayers?"

Rosa jumped at the idea. But that same day, she introduced us to a friend who lived four doors down.

"You'll like her," Rosa told us. "She's a Christian just like you are."

Some call them house churches. Some call them organic churches. Some call them simple churches. We prefer to just call them churches. They are rapidly multiplying, simple communities of believers, meeting in homes, offices, campuses, wherever God is moving. This is the pattern common to many parts of the globe, and is now becoming more and more common in the U.S. as well.