SO YOU WANT TO JOIN OUR HOUSE CHURCH?

Wendy and I regularly have to meet with new members, or those seeking to join our house church family, to explain to them about what we do and why we do it.

This usually involves letting them know that we have no statement of faith, and that we welcome anyone to join us as long as they are seeking to know Jesus better and want to follow Him in their daily life.

This means that, at any gathering of the Body, we potentially have Dispensationalists sitting next to people who accept Fulfillment Theology; and Calvinists sitting next to Arminians; and Cessationists sitting next to Pentecostals; and sometimes even homosexuals sitting next to straight people or Muslims sitting next to Atheists who are sitting next to Jesus Freaks.

For most, this is just too much and they have to admit that this is not the church they are looking for.

But, for those who do find this sort of freedom refreshing and who are only interested in knowing Jesus, and hearing Him, and experiencing Him, and focusing on Him with others who are also interested in the same Jesus, they discover a community where they are as loved and as welcome as anyone else.

We know we're different, even from other local House Church or Organic Church groups, and that's ok. For those who are looking for something a bit more traditional, there are plenty of others to choose from...and we are happy to help them find their spiritual home if it isn't among us.

Some who hear about our approach are concerned that someone might come into our group and lead us astray.

I understand that, if you've never experienced what I'm talking about, you might think that it's a free-for-all where "anything goes" and therefore it would leave us wide open for false teachers, cultists, or even other religions like Islam or Hinduism, etc.

Well, the truth is, it would be very hard for any person to do this successfully in a room full of people who are hungry for Jesus.

Hindus can't give us more of Jesus. So, they wouldn't find any takers in our group.

Plus, we wouldn't allow anyone to advance their own agenda, whether it was Amway, or Dispensationalism, or Hinduism, etc.

When we gather together our singular focus is Jesus. We talk to Him, we pray to Him, we listen to Him, we talk about His teaching, we encourage one another to follow Him, we remind one another of His heart and character and example, etc.

It would be hard for a Hindu to introduce their faith into that conversation.

Maybe that's why we've never had any problem with that?

As you might imagine, we are pretty sensitive to this sort of thing. Anyone who tries to advance their own pet doctrines or to sway others to agree with their particular convictions about anything is going to raise eyebrows in our group.

Or, to put it another way: We're not afraid that other people might rub off on us. But we are pretty certain that they should be concerned about how much we are going to rub Jesus onto them.

And also, I am not the leader of our group, Jesus is. For reals.

My personal doctrines and convictions, etc. are not on display or even championed.

For example, I've written several books and I have a blog, but most in our group have never read those books or follow my blog.

I just finished a series against Dispensationalism, but I have never uttered the word "Dispensationalism" in our house church in over 10 years.

Our focus is not doctrine, or anything other than knowing and following and experiencing the person of Jesus.

Some might argue that "just saying that Jesus is your Leader doesn't change anything."

And I would totally agree - if all we are doing is "just saying Jesus is our leader" then we have accomplished nothing.

But if we are actually working together to allow Jesus to be our leader whenever we come together - and it does take cooperation from everyone - then we have done something pretty amazing.

Having done this for 10 years now I can tell you that we have only enjoyed more of the presence of the Lord Jesus in our midst and over time our love for Him and for one another has only increased.

Those who are hungry for more of Him find themselves thriving in this community and those who want to find a group that believes everything the way they do finds that they're unsatisfied by our constant focus on Jesus.

Of course, it's very challenging to explain what our gatherings look like in a post. I wish everyone could visit one of our gatherings and notice how I almost never talk and how everyone else is sharing spontaneously from their heart about what Jesus is teaching them or showing them or how different people spontaneously encourage one another and pray for one another, etc.

As one brother said who visited us a few years ago: "If I didn't know that you had started this church, I would never have guessed it after what the Lord did today."

I've heard people suggest that what our group is experiencing is simply peer pressure at work.

I understand that we are so jaded by our previous experiences in what has been come to be called "Church" in America, but seriously, the regulating mechanism in the Body of Christ is not peer pressure [although, certainly it can be if the Spirit is not present in the Body].

It's really amazing what happens when everyone in the Body surrenders themselves to the Holy Spirit all at once!

We can probably relate to what it's like in our individual lives when we do so. But now imagine a room full of people who are all submitted to Christ and who are all seeking Him as their leader and Head.

Imagine that they don't speak to be heard, or to show off their wisdom, but only if the Holy Spirit gives them an encouragement for someone else in the Body.

Imagine that they don't speak unless they honestly feel that they are speaking, as if "the very words of God" [1 Peter 4:11]

Imagine that they don't do anything apart from the direction of Christ within them whispering in His still, small voice.

That is closer to what I'm talking about.

And until we started doing this 10 years ago, I never thought it was really possible.

Granted, we are only really beginning to experience this in a greater measure these last 2 years or so, but it has been so worth it to partner together with the family of God to arrive at this place.

So, our house church family might not be what you're looking for. We understand that. But for those who are hungry and thirsty for this sort of group where Jesus is the center and we all work together to keep Him as our focus, it's a wonderful opportunity to experience Jesus as the Head of the Body.

It really is the best thing I've ever done with the word "Church" on it for the last 10 years, now.

-kg

How To Leave A Traditional Church

I recently received an email from someone who had a question after reading my book.

"Hi Keith,

Thanks for your book, "This Is My Body". I've been on a journey for the last two years or so as I work out what organic New Testament Christianity looks like.

 There is one thing I am wrestling with that I hope you can help me process: How does one leave a traditional church gracefully, without losing the relationship of genuine spiritual mothers and fathers? While I may not agree with the model of church that they subscribe to, my issue is not with them personally as believers. These are people who have laughed and cried with me and encouraged me to pursue the dreams God has placed on my heart. I'm now convinced of the need for Christians to gather in a more organic way like a house church setting, but equally convinced that there has to be a better way to do this than just telling my church "You guys have got it wrong. I've found a better way. See ya!” 

Does that make sense?"

Since I believe this is a common question that many struggle with, here’s my answer:

First of all, when it’s time for you to go you’ll know it. The pain of staying will be greater than the pain of leaving to pursue a more organic form of New Testament church.

But, when you do leave, be sure to leave well. As it says:

"If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." (Romans 12:18)

Just so you know, it might not be possible to leave without a few hurt feelings, especially on the part of your pastor and leadership staff. They will most likely see your exit as a betrayal and as a criticism of their ministry no matter how hard you try.

Even so, make sure to bless them on your way out. They may not bless you, but you need to bless them.

To do this, ask the Lord to give you love and mercy and grace for them, even as they mock you and shun you and slander you behind your back. Consider this is an exercise in sharing in the sufferings of Christ.

Also, remember that you are not "leaving the church" because the Church is the Body of Christ (all over the world). Yes, you are choosing not to fellowship with a specific group of Christians in a certain place and time, but you are not leaving Christ - therefore you are not leaving His Church.

This also means that you are still a member of those people. They are still your brothers and sisters, and you should treat them as such even after you step away from that fellowship. In other words, don’t break the bond of love, even if you break the bond of weekly fellowship.

Now, I have to ask, “What are you leaving for?” I mean, where are you going next? Are you looking to start a house church in your community? Are you looking to join an existing group? What's next? Where is the Lord leading you?

This is just as important as “How do I leave?” because you have to know what it is that God is leading you to go and do next. Even if all you know is that you’re going to pursue a more open meeting where every believer is free to participate and share according to their gifting, you still have to have some idea of what comes next.

Finally, just remember, you are not alone. There are hundreds and thousands of other Christians who have made this same step.

If you're not already part of a house church community, I'd suggest joining a few Organic Church groups on Facebook.

The important thing is to move closer to Jesus in this process, and to move closer  to the Body life experience that you know is part of God's plan for you and your family. Don't walk away from one fellowship into a vacuum. That's probably even worse than staying where you are.

Blessings,

Keith

Painting Women In A New Light

From the earliest days of our house church gatherings we have always encouraged everyone to share a testimony of what God has done in their life, or to talk about what God is teaching them, or share from scripture what they’re learning in their daily walk with Christ.

Because we’ve rejected the modern practice of elevating a pastor or teacher above the rest of the Body, the issue of women operating within their gifting as members of the priesthood has never been an issue for any of us.

Within the Organic Church movement the emphasis is on Christ being our Leader, therefore everyone else is treated as an equal within the Body. Teaching is not seen as "exercising authority over" anyone, so the question of whether or not a woman can teach in that context has never been a problem for us.

Our goal has been to live out of the reality of the priesthood of every believer found throughout the New Testament. As Peter said at Pentecost, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit was a fulfillment of God’s promise to empower the Church, and that promise was made to “all people,” including “sons and daughters” (Acts 2:17). Quoting from the prophet Joel, Peter went on to say:

“Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” (Acts 2:18)

From the beginning, God’s intention was that women and men together would equally receive the outpouring and empowering of the Holy Spirit.

Women are included among those who the New Testament authors refer to as “a holy priesthood”:

“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” ( 1 Peter 2:5)

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” ( 1 Peter 2:9)

“And has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 1:6)

“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:10)

“The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6)

Therefore, women in the New Testament church are not only allowed to behave as priests, but they are highly encouraged to do so. Why? Because the health and well-being of the Church is dependent upon one very important practice: the mutual sharing and serving of every single person in the Body of Christ. (See 1 Cor.12)

Without this practice of operating as organs that support and strengthen one another, we cannot rightly call ourselves the Body of Christ, can we?

We don’t believe so.

-kg

HOUSE2HOUSE PODCAST: KEITH GILES & KEN EASTBURN ANNOUNCE NEW MAGAZINE

REVIEW: THIS IS MY BODY BY RAD ZDERO

A REFRESHING LOOK AT GOD’S ORIGINAL DESIGN FOR THE CHURCH

Keith Giles’ book “This Is My Body: Ekklesia As God Intended” is 167 pages long, it has a foreword by well known house church leader Dr. Jon Zens, and it has several pages at the end of recommended resources. Its main premise is that God actually has an original intention for the church, as prophesied in the OT and as described in the NT, which we would do well to consider once again as modern day Christians.

From a scriptural and practical point of view, the book challenges the method and the mentality of the traditional/denominational church system, and calls us all back to God’s original design for Christ’s body.

There are a number of strengths to this work. I found myself metaphorically nodding in agreement on a number of points. It is very easy to read and could be considered almost a “conversational theology” on the house church movement. There are some personal stories, feelings, and thoughts the author gives, rather than just “theory”, which makes it a very accessible and practical book.

Giles provides a generous tone toward the institutional church and those who might disagree with him on some scriptural interpretations. Giles, however, does demonstrate a clear conviction that the New Testament does provide an actual model for the church’s form and function. One thing I found particularly interesting is Giles Old Testament analysis about prophecies concerning the nature of the Church to come, which is something that is almost never discussed in most simple, organic, house church books, which usually stick to the New Testament only. There is also an excellent contrast between what the New Testament church is and is not, as well as an excellent teaching and encouragement of the priesthood of ALL saints. I also appreciated much about his scriptural analysis about local and translocal leadership in the church.

There are several areas, however, I wish could have been addressed better. I felt that Giles’ discussion on several issues was not entirely convincing to me (and sometimes was absent), such as the decision making and organizing role of apostles and elders/pastors/overseers (ex. Acts 15:6,23; 1 Tim 3:4,5), the teaching and rebuking role of leaders (1 Tim 4:11, 5:17; 2 Tim 3:16,17; Titus 2:15), and the need for larger public meetings and cohesive networks of multiple house churches like in Jerusalem in Solomon’s Porch or in Ephesus (ex. Acts 2:41-47, 5:12, 5:42, 20:20).

Also, I felt there was too much fuss made against things like bank accounts, technology, etc, as tools to accomplish the tasks of the church. In light of Giles’ prior role as an ordained denominational pastor, it may be understandable that he is perhaps reacting a little too much to things that remind him of the institution, but in time perhaps he may come to a more moderate view on these items.

Overall, this is a refreshing book on the growing house church movement, it offers some personal and practical insights, it provides a fresh look at the scriptures about the form and function of the church, and it would be a good introductory read to those asking questions about whether God is calling them into this spiritual revolution. I give it at 4 out of 5 stars.

-Rad Zdero 

**

RAD ZDERO, author of LETTERS TO THE HOUSE CHURCH MOVEMENT and THE GLOBAL HOUSE CHURCH MOVEMENT , www.scribd.com/rzdero, www.twitter.com/radzdero, www.facebook.com/radzdero

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Introduction to Alt Church - October 8th

On Saturday, Oct. 8th I will join Bill Faris (Vineyard at Home) and others as we gather for an Introduction to Alt Church (or, a day long conversation about organic church).

I'll be leading an hour long discussion entitled "Being Church: Finding Your Mission In Your Community" which will cover the concepts of "being church" versus "going to church", and how we as a body of believers can impact our actual neighbors, serve the poor and bring the Kingdom to our community by "being the church" right were are.

DETAILS:
Intro to Alt Church
Saturday, Oct 8th
9am to 3pm
COST: $10 at the door (Includes a light lunch)
*No child care provided

LOCATION:
Vineyard Anaheim
5340 East La Palma Avenue
Anaheim, CA 92807-2021

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
Vineyard at Home is excited to announce a one day conference on House Church / Alternative Church to be held on Saturday, October 8th, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The location for this event will be on the campus of the Anaheim Vineyard Church in Anaheim, California.

“Introduction to Alt-Church” will be an opportunity for you to learn about – and share about – simple churches, house churches, hybrid churches and other non-traditional church structures that focus on bringing the ministry of Jesus deeper into the lives of believers and deeper into the fabric of the neighborhood, nation, and world.

TOPIC COVERED:
* Leadership in the Alt-church milieu

* Biblical principles of Alt-church ministry

* Being Church in the Community

* and much, much more.

WHY THIS CONFERENCE?
Mainly, we just want to gather people who are interested in starting Alt-churches, joining them, learning about them and sharing about their experiences with them.

Let’s see what God will do!


TO REGISTER: Use the Facebook page to indicate that you're coming so we can plan lunch, etc.
FACEBOOK PAGE
HERE

Or, email Bill Faris at Bill@vcmn.org to let them know you're coming, or to get more info.

Hope to see you there!

Starting with "What if...?"

It all started with "What if?"

About five years ago, my wife Wendy and I were part of a local church plant. We were serving the poor in our community and leading an exciting Kids Rock program that we loved every week. But God began calling us to plant a new church in Orange County.

At first, we thought it would be a traditional church like the one we were helping to launch, but over time we began to make our lists of what this new church would be like. We began to hear the Lord's voice leading us to make serving the poor a priority; about involving children in the service; about welcoming the poor to sit alongside us and to be more than an outreach but become our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Eventually I came across an article written by Ray Mayhew called "Embezzlement: The Corporate Sin of American Christianity." I can't remember now where I found it, but that little 30 page PDF document rocked my world and it changed everything we thought we knew about Church.

Essentially, the article simply documented the high priority the early church placed on the poor. Starting with the book of Acts, the article quoted first and second century Church Fathers and referenced church history to reveal that God's heart for the poor was an essential ingredient for those who followed Jesus from day one.

In one section of the article I read about how one community of faith responded when a stranger showed up in the village just after they had distributed the weekly allotment of food to the needy. Rather than say, "Sorry friend, but we've got nothing to share with you right now" (which frankly is probably what I would have done), these dear followers of Jesus nearly fought one another to see which one of them would have the honor of fasting for one week in order to let the stranger eat their food, or sleep in their home.

As my wife and I marveled over these testimonies of faith and charity, we started to ask ourselves, "What if our new church family shared all their money with the poor like this?" The more we considered this, the more we knew that the Church that God was calling us to plant should give 100 percent of our offering to help the poor in our community. There was no question.

Our hearts began to beat faster as we imagined a church like this. I tried to picture the conversations I'd have as I explained to people that our church didn't spend one penny on salaries or utilities, or anything other than the poor. I couldn't wait to get started, actually.

But then one evening, as Wendy and I were talking about the new church I asked, "How are we going to pull this off?" We both sat there for a second or two, and then Wendy looked at me and said, "We're talking about a house church."

I knew she was right. I searched her eyes for a glimmer of resignation or defeat, but all I saw reflecting back at me was joy. "Yeah," I said. "I think you're right."

And that was it. We both knew that God was calling us to start a house church, but we didn't know (yet) how to pay our bills and support our family. Only that I would find a job in the workforce and our yet-unformed church family would meet in our home.

That little "What if?" started the ball rolling. I had no idea just how long it would take for me to find full-time employment outside the church (about a year), and I had no clue that in between our "Yes" to God and our first day of house church we'd have to endure so much pain, condemnation, uncertainty, and self-doubt. But now, five years later, I can honestly say that it is still the best thing I've ever done with the word "Church" on it.

-kg

9 MARKS OF A HEALTHY CHURCH

What are the marks of a healthy church?

About a year or so ago, a friend of mine on Facebook posted a video clip for something called "9 Marks of a Healthy Church" by a popular christian leader.

Of course, on this guy's list "The Gospel" came in at #3, right behind "Expositional Preaching" at #1 and "Biblical Theology" at #2. In the #4 slot was "Conversion", followed by "Evangelism", "Membership", "Church Discipline" and (finally) that crazy idea that Jesus came up with - "Discipleship" at #8, and "Church Leadership" closed out the list. (We can't leave that one out, can we?)

So, of course, after some reflection I had to come up with the 9 Marks of our Mission House Church:

1- Giving 100% of our money to the poor
2- Loving one another
3- Loving others
4- Making disciples
5- Serving one another
6- Encouraging one another
7- Knowing and using our spiritual gifts to bless one another
8- Sharing meals together
9- Learning to be the family of God

BTW- Our house church has no expository preaching, no youth group, no paid staff, no programs, no board of directors, no building, and no bank account.

This is still the best thing I've ever done with the word "Church " on it!

kg

The Pitfalls of Organic Church

My wife and I started an Organic Church in our home about five years ago. It's still the best thing I've ever done in over 20 years with the word "Church" on it, but the process hasn't always been smooth.

After wrapping up a recent blog series, (What's Wrong with Organic Church?), I thought a natural follow-up to that would to talk about the Pitfalls of Organic Church. So, here goes:

*Break your liturgy. Embrace spontaneity and freedom.
*Draw out the wallflowers and reign in the soap boxers.
*Let Jesus be the leader.
*Rotate locations early and often.
*Practice brutal honesty and shocking truth. No masks allowed.
*Plan to multiply into new groups from day one.


I'll take each of these over the next few weeks and write a bit about each one. If you've been participating in an organic or simple church for a while now and you see that I've left some things off my list, please feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments.

Looking forward to this series.

Peace,
kg

WHAT'S WRONG W/ ORGANIC CHURCH? CHURCH DISCIPLINE

What’s Wrong With Organic Church? Part 4 - Unequipped to deal with internal conflicts

In part four of our series, I wanted to talk about how Organic Churches sometimes struggle with church discipline issues, or even dealing with conflict inside the church itself.

What do you do when someone in your house church family is unrepentantly walking in sin? How do you respond? Do you just ignore it and hope it will go away? Do you talk about it behind their back with others in the group? Or, do you quietly pray for them and keep it to yourself because you feel uncomfortable with confrontation?

Frankly, most Christians tend to gossip about, ignore or avoid the sin of others in their church – house church or otherwise. Mainly because we don’t like to get into other people’s business, and because we just don’t like the idea of confronting sin in others.

Now, I know from experience that any discussion like this will inevitably lead to discussions about judging others and casting the first stone, or the plank in your own eye. I’m not talking about creating a legalistic, judgmental atmosphere in your church family. We need to have grace for one another and there is room for maturity over time on certain issues, but when someone in the church body is having sex outside of marriage, or committing adultery, or abusing drugs or alcohol, or otherwise damaging their witness and slandering the name of Christ by their actions, we do have a Biblical mandate to lovingly correct such behavior.

Both Jesus and Paul outline a clear series of steps towards reconciliation and restoration of a brother or sister trapped in sinful activity. The goal of this process is always restoration. The tone and the spirit of the process is always deep, sincere love and integrity. Church discipline, if it’s done properly, should always be entered into with tears and the aim should always be to bring the person back into full and complete fellowship with the Body of Christ.

Here’s what Jesus teaches us about how to handle conflict in the Church:

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”- Matthew 18:15-20

This passage deals, specifically, with how we should handle interpersonal conflict in the Church (“If a brother sins against you”), but it’s a perfectly good process for handling the restoration of fellowship with someone in the Church family who is unrepentantly continuing in sin. Notice the first step is to go privately to the person in the hopes of restoring fellowship. If this isn’t successful we are told to take “one or two others” with us – again with the hope of restoring right fellowship between members of the Body of Christ. The goal is not to shame anyone. It’s not to point out their sinful failures. It’s simply, from the very beginning, about seeking peace between members of God’s family and bringing someone back into right relationship with Christ. The very last step is to take it to the Church body. This final step, again, is to be done with an eye towards hopeful restoration of the person’s dignity and fellowship. It should be done with tears and with a sincere desire to bring this person back into the fullness of Christ. It’s only if all of these steps fail that anyone should be removed from the community of faith.

Why should we employ this process in the church? Because we’re protecting not only this person’s spiritual health, we’re also concerned about the message they are sending to the world about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Paul is especially clear about this aspect of protecting the witness of Christ in one another when he urges the church to deal with error and sin in their midst. (see 1 Cor 5: 1-13)

Church Discipline is necessary because it’s not only important to help one another follow Christ with integrity, it’s also important that we stand up and together to more faithfully define for those outside the Body what a true follower of Jesus looks like. Someone who openly lives in disobedience to the clear example of Christ is not a true follower of Jesus, and if we will not point this out to the world, then who will?

Over the years, our house church family has only had to confront these sorts of things a few times. Only once did it come to asking someone not to return to the group, but in that case it was only until we could verify some disturbing information from another church about this person’s past history. Specifically, this person’s previous pastor provided some information that appeared to show that this person had lied to us, taken money from the church under false pretenses and was avoiding a host of addiction-related issues. I offered to meet with him privately at a time and place of his choosing until we could sort it all out. He nearly took a swing at me, but declined my offer to talk this out and never returned.

I wish I could tell you that we’ve always handled this process perfectly, but sometimes we’ve had to learn from our mistakes in this area. Thankfully, no one was damaged as a result of our foolishness and we continue to remain in good fellowship with everyone involved. (Except this person in the above example, although I did run into him about a year later and he embraced me and prayed for me and said that everything was much better now...so, I guess even this one worked out too, by the Grace of God).

So, whether you’re part of a house church, or an organic church, the need for church discipline remains, and it’s commanded by our Lord Jesus.

The major difference in the organic church is that church discipline is done by the Body, and out of relationship, not through an external or artificial hierarchy. Even Jim Belcher, local pastor and author of Deep Church, agrees that hierarchical structures aren’t necessarily capable of bringing about true repentance.

About a year ago I was interviewed by Jim Belcher for his book, and in it he references our discussion in two different chapters, touching on this very issue, saying:

“My greatest concern about house churches like Keith Giles’s is that there is no formal structure for discipline. When I asked him how he would mediate a struggle between him and another member or leader...he really did not know. He would try, he said, to convince that person based on the strength of their relationship. But I have seen firsthand that this is not always enough. Sometimes a higher court, like an elder board or a denomination is needed.”

Although Belcher sees a need for a denominational authority in these cases, he goes on to agree with my assertion that relationships are more powerful than hierarchy when it comes to addressing these concerns:

“Keith would agree that they have no hierarchy, offices and fluid structures. But he would disagree that they have no accountability. When I asked about discipline, he said it is done through the relationships that are built in the house church. He mentioned a few times that he has had to confront wrong choices people have made.

'If they are not going to listen to me, when I love them,' he said, 'why would they listen to someone above me in a hierarchy?'

I would have to agree." (Jim says)

In the actual interview between Belcher and myself, he went on to share several very specific instances where he personally confronted people in his church who were behaving sinfully and they did not waver when he brought in the denominational authority.

Still, the issue of church discipline in an organic church can be a tricky thing. Mainly because most of us do not like conflict or confrontation, and if we’re going to respond to sin in our midst, or correct someone who is teaching something heretical, we’re going to have to do more than a little confronting.

Another friend of mine, Todd Hunter (now a Bishop in the Anglican church), once told me that the condition of the person’s heart is actually more of a determining factor in these cases than anything else, saying, “A good man will remain faithful, even with a poor structure of accountability, and a degenerate man will frustrate and resist even the most iron-clad system of accountability.”

I must agree.

So, while it may be one of the more difficult aspects of participating in an organic church, discipline within the Body is still a necessary part of growing in community with one another.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject.

Peace,
kg

What's Wrong With Organic Church?

In our recent OC/Organic Church Forum, our facilitators Paul and Lori Byerly from House2House.com asked us to make a list of what’s wrong with the house church movement.

Specifically, we were tasked to look at how our brothers and sisters in the traditional church were better equipped than simple churches to handle certain tasks, and to contrast what they do well with areas where we sometimes struggle.

It was a refreshing break from our usual flag-waving, back-patting conversations and allowed us to really step back and take a look at ourselves and gain some much-needed perspective.

Here’s what our list looked like:

•Organic churches are often invisible to the community
•Too inwardly focused
•Isolated from traditional churches
•Unequipped to deal with internal conflicts
•Too much spiritual pride – i.e. “We’re doing it the right way”
•Lack of networking and connection with other house churches
•Too closed and secretive
•Reluctance to confront error, sin, in the Body - i.e. "Church Discipline"
•Lack of resources to deal with divorce, addiction, depression, etc.

In addition, we also identified perceived problems that our traditional brothers and sisters see in us:

•Perceived lack of strong leadership
•Lack of spiritual covering
•Prone to heretical doctrines and practices

What would you add to this list? How do we address these problems or weaknesses within the organic church?

I’d love to hear your thoughts as I will be blogging over the next few weeks on several of these topics.

OC/ ORGANIC CHURCH FORUM: This Saturday

You're invited to join us for our next OC/OC FORUM on Saturday, Feb.26th.

We'll hear from local house church leaders Wendy and Keith Giles as they share their story and answer questions about their journey into organic church in Orange County.

*** RSVP REQUIRED! ***
Seating is very limited for this event.
TO RSVP: Please reply to this email with names of all who wish to attend.

Check-in will be required at the door. Please bring a picture ID with you when you arrive.

Info:
OC/ORGANIC CHURCH FORUM
Saturday, Feb. 26th - 9am to 11am
Fuller Seminary California Coast
2021 Business Center Drive, Suite 115
Irvine, CA 92612

Need more info? Post questions here or visit
http://www.OCHouseChurch.com/

ORGANIC CHURCH FORUM: MONDAY, OCT. 11TH

You're invited to join us at the Orange County Organic Church Forum (OC/OCF)
- MONDAY, OCT 11TH, 7PM to 9PM

This will be an opportunity to gather with local organic, simple and house church practitioners.

Our topic will be: "Learning to Put Jesus at the Center"

This free event will be an open dialog style meeting. No speaker or experts will take the stage. Instead, we will sit in a circle and allow everyone to interact with one another.

This evening fellowship and dialog is a united gathering of various members from differnt organic church groups including the Mission, The Well, Vineyard at Home and many others.

Details:
OC Organic Church Forum
Monday, Oct.11th, 2010
7pm to 9pm

Location:
215 S. Glenview Place,
Orange, CA 92868-4615

PLEASE RSVP - We need to know how many people to plan for so please send an email to elysiansky@hotmail.com if you are attending.

For more info:
e-mail: elysiansky@hotmail.com
web: www.OCHouseChurch.com

THIS SATURDAY: Orange County Organic Church Summit

If you're in Orange County, California, you're invited to our first ever, OC Organic Church Summit this saturday.

Our Theme: Organic Church: One Size Does NOT Fit All
Sept.11th, 2pm to 4pm

Not every organic church is created equal. Each takes on a different personality and practice, yet there are some core values that they all share in common.
Come join with others who are currently involved in a local organic church and meet those searching for an organic community too.

This will be an open dialog between current practitioners and those seeking to learn more about the organic church model.

Members from various local house churches, simple churches, organic and hybrid churches will share ideas and insights with those seeking to learn more and with one another.

Details:
OC Organic Church Summit
at St. Matthew's Catholic Church
1111 West Town and Country Road,
Orange, CA 92868-4615

For more info: elysiansky@hotmail.com