HELP HANNAH CHANGE THE WORLD

Let me tell you something about this young lady in this picture.

Her name is Hannah Dulaney and she is one of the most breath-takingly fierce women of God I have ever known in my life.

She grew up in our house church and has become one of the spark plugs that ignite our collective passions for more of Jesus.

This young lady will share Jesus with a total stranger at the drop of a hat. Her testimonies have inspired and astounded many of us on a weekly basis.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because she is about to embark on a grand adventure to share this amazing light and love of Christ with the unsuspecting people of San Francisco.

She leaves in a few months for a long-term missions trip where she will spend a year serving the homeless and the outcasts in one of the most dangerous and challenging communities to reach.

To support her in this audacious mission to carry the light of Christ into the darkness, we are asking you to buy one of her awesome, hand-made t-shirts based on a phrase I introduced a while back, "Agape Against The Machine".

*To refresh your memory, the article is here: Love Against the Machine

The shirts are $25 plus $5 shipping [US only] and every one sold will go 100% to help her complete this bold mission to San Francisco.

NOTE: Every shirt will be hand-made by Hannah herself.

We've already sold about a dozen of them, but we still have a long way to go to help her reach her financial goal.

If you're able and willing to help, and if you're interested in owning and wearing one of the very coolest t-shirts ever made [by hand, mind you], then please leave a comment below [or send me a private message with your address and your sizes and I'll send you her PayPal info.

If you'd like to know about her mission to serve in the Bay Area [or if you want to make a donation] visit her GoFundMe page here>

If you can't help out financially, please pray for her as she steps out to change the world with the love of Christ with "Apape against the Machine".

Thanks!
-kg

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

All The Ways You Give Yourself Away

Our house church family continues to amaze me.

Every single time we get together, the Lord reveals something more exquisitely beautiful about Himself to all of us and takes our breath away.

A few months ago one of our dear sisters shared something from her journal with us. She was in a place where the voices of self-doubt and defeat were beginning to drown out the voice of the One who loves her completely.

In her journal she wrote: 

“Lord, I really do feel like I am having to constantly fight against the negative thoughts of my mind that are telling me I am alone or unwanted, or unworthy or not worth anyone’s time.”

Rather than give in to those lies, she instead stopped and prayed. She confessed her feelings and doubts and asked Jesus to remind her of who she was.

In a few moments time, literally only a few seconds, the Lord spoke out these five verses to her one at a time. She wrote them down in her journal under the bold heading:

"Things that are TRUE"

Here's what the Lord spoke to her:

“I am your inheritance” - Ezekiel 44:28

“I am doing something new! Even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make ways in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” - Isaiah 43:18

“For you alone know the human heart, so that they may fear you and walk in your ways.” - 2 Chronicles 6:31

“Keep asking and it will be given to you. Keep searching and you will find. Keep knocking and the door will be opened for you.” - Luke 11:9

“The Lord paid attention to Hannah’s need.” - Samuel 2:21

Through these five verses the Lord whispered something beautiful to our sister. He revealed to her all the ways that He sustains her, and that He is at work even if she doesn't perceive it, to make her a new creation in Christ. He showed her that He knows her heart, and that if she keeps searching, she will find Him. Then He reminded her that he is well aware of her need and He intends to fill it with all of Himself.

As she went through her day these thoughts continued to swirl around in her heart and she began to meditate on all the ways that He gives Himself away to us.

God is giving Himself away to us. He is our inheritance. All that we have is His. All that He has is ours. He intends to make us One with Him, and to make us all One with each other.

Doesn't that give you such great hope today?

God sees you. He knows you. He pays attention to you. He is working behind the scenes to make you like Himself, and to draw you into a place where all you know is more of Him.

Today I am praising God for all the ways He gives Himself away.

-kg

Ten Years Ago Today

Ten years ago today, my family took a huge step off the traditional church wagon and into the great unknown of organic ekklesia here in Orange County.

Here's the post I shared ten years ago about that step.

**
CLOSED DOORS, OPEN WINDOWS


Yesterday I had one of those days that you anticipate with dread.

Wendy and I have been slowly transitioning out of the church we had helped to plant in Tustin over three years ago. Since October of last year we have been meeting with our friends and fellow pastors about feeling called to leave and start a new church elsewhere.

The journey itself has been a painful one. Saying goodbye, asserting your convictions, standing for what God has called you to do, and defending your vision is always difficult when those who disagree with you are your brothers and sisters in Christ.

All in all, this could have been worse. As painful as this process has been for our family, and for those who remain behind at the church, God’s grace has been sufficient to sustain our friendships, and to maintain our fellowship.

For the last five months my family has been continuing to serve in the elementary class we started called “Kids Rock”, training new teachers, handing over responsibility and becoming advisors rather than leaders in a ministry we dearly love, for children we have pastored for three years.

Yesterday was our last Sunday. We had agreed upon the date of March 5th as our final Sunday in attendance.

We had been dreading the goodbye, and especially the pain of closing the doors. Even though we know we’ll still see many of our friends again, and we aren’t moving away, the process of saying goodbye itself is most painful, especially when so many of our friends still don’t understand why we’re leaving and don’t support what we’re doing now.

But God has a way of healing wounds and mending hearts.

As a tribute of sorts, they had put together a short video collage. Thankfully, the video was brief, and even humorous at times, but we still cried. Wendy and I were invited up front, along with our two boys, and the entire pastoral staff laid hands on us and prayed a blessing over us, to send us out in our new, strange, ministry of house church.

After this blessing, they presented us with a baseball bat which had been signed by everyone in the church, encouraging us to “step up and swing the bat” for the King in all that we do.

I prayed over the elementary children, one last time, and then we went out with them for our final class together. The Kids Rock class itself was great. Wendy and I had a great time with the kids, and there were no tears (thankfully) as we gave our final lesson.

After church we took the kids to the Pizza Party, and then over to a friend’s house for a Baptism.

My final day at this church, I stood in the hot tub, side by side with my Pastor and friend, Robert Crabbe, and together we baptized a little boy from our Kids Rock class, a little girl whose family we met while ministering at the motel in Santa Ana, and an older gentleman who had never been baptized in his life, even though he had served the Lord faithfully for many years.

Afterwards, as we stood waist deep in the warm water, Robert and I were able to talk, and to share about these last few months of transition, about the pain, and the tears, and the way God had held things between us together for His Glory, and His Purpose. In that moment, there was healing, and an agape kind of love for my brother in Christ that transcends words. It was a sweet moment of grace between the two of us that only God could have orchestrated.

After all the disagreements, after all the pain of tearing ourselves away from our friends and church family to launch out into the unknown, there was something healing about doing the work of the Kingdom alongside my brother in Christ that last day. In the act of initiating these few children into the family of God, Robert and I became brothers again. Our differences faded into the background for those few moments, and our words lost all value and meaning in the simple obedience of baptism.

I am thankful for the time we spent at The River, serving the poor, teaching the children, and sharing our lives with the good people there. I’m grateful that we’ve been part of the legacy of this church in these areas of compassion and ministry to children, and to know that these ministries will continue under new and capable leaders.

Planting a church like this one has been one of the most dynamic and spiritually stimulating experiences of my life. In truth, it has been a sort of laboratory where I’ve been free to try new things, dream big, and lead others in the kind of Christianity I’d only dreamed of before. I’ll never forget my time in this church.

Now, we turn our full attention towards the work of God at The Mission, the small house church that meets weekly in our home. This is our new adventure. This is the next laboratory of the Spirit for us to discover more of Him, walk deeper into the Kingdom, and become more like Jesus in the process.

Wendy and I take strength from the experiences of serving at The River and set our hearts toward the new thing that God is doing in our family, for His Glory.

God has been so faithful to us, opening a window for us, even as he closes a door. We know that He has so much more in store as we continue serving Him and seeking His face.

-kg

*Here's to another ten years on the grand adventure!

Giddyup!

THIS IS THE MOTEL WHERE WE SERVE

[FROM THE ARTICLE]

Police allege trouble with the hotel goes back more than 20 years. In the past year and a half, they said they've had 365 calls for service, ranging from drug problems to domestic violence.

"It's affecting everyone. It doesn't stay just in there," said Santa Ana resident Jose, who only wanted to be identified by his first name.

Jose worries about children's safety with two schools nearby, as well as the low income families who live at the hotel.

"I think our kids are in danger, because not only there's drugs but there's prostitution going on in there," said Jose.

Police say they are working with the city and looking at nuisance abatement as a way to try to deal with the problems at the hotel.

"They attempt to contact the owner and see if the owner will abide by certain rules and if they don't, we can try to fine the owner or do something with the property where he's forced to make changes," said Gonzalez.

It's a move applauded by some who would like to see the hotel shut down and the crime disappear. The hotel management has not returned our calls for a comment.

HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS: There is a growing church that meets every Sunday morning in the back parking lot of this same motel - and has been for over two years now.

There are people who live in this motel who love and follow Jesus and they are living out their faith in this place every single day.

The gates of Hell will be crushed beneath the advancing army of Jesus Followers who will not stop praising God, serving people, and loving others daily.

Let His Kingdom come!

-kg

Easter Sunday in the Park 2013

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

BEING CHURCH?

Those of us who are part of a house church or an organic church often speak of "being the church" rather than "attending a church".

A fellow house church leader recently emailed me and a few other house church practitioners to ask us how we would answer this question: “How are your house church communities doing at ‘being the Church’ rather than ‘going to Church’?”

Here’s my response.

Over the last few weeks I've had conversations with several in our house church family and they’ve indicated to me that they've started to experience a paradigm shift between "going to church" and "being the church". Here's how some of them have expressed this phenomenon:

*"Once I realized that being who God created and called me to be was all that He expects of me, I started to realize that I have a ministry to children already. I don't have to travel to Africa or even to Mexico to minister to children who don't know the Gospel. They're in my 5th grade class I teach every day."

*"I had only been coming to this house church for two weeks when I offered to host the next meeting in my home. Everyone was like, 'That's great!' At first I thought, 'Don't you want to see my house first?' but then I realized that it didn't matter to anyone what my house was like. They were all eager to allow me the freedom to contribute to the Church in whatever way I wanted to."

*"All my life at other churches I was always on the outside of that myterious inner circle of leadership, but now I'm one of the many other contributing members of the Church. Suddenly my voice counts for something. My gifts are relevant. My family is truly known and loved. This is what Church is all about!"

*"Growing up in Church I never understood what the pastor was saying. But now I'm free to ask questions and people are free to question me and to challenge me in my walk with Jesus. It's the Body of Christ that has changed my life where all those sermons never did."

*"For the first time in my life as a Christian, when I think of "my church," I now think of the people in it. Not the building or the pastor because we don't have any. The faces of the people I fellowship with come to mind."

*"Instead of going to church and attending a meeting, the house church experience has allowed me to see that all of my life is a ministry to God. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, the Spirit of the Living God is alive in me and that's where 'Church' can happen."

Our house church is called “the Mission” because we hope to encourage everyone to see that they are missionaries equipped by God to minister the Gospel in their own neighborhood, workplace, community, etc.

In addition to these statements, I’ve personally witnessed individuals in our house church family as they discover their own personal mission. Some have felt a calling to start a weekly prayer meeting in their home. Some have felt compelled to take regular trips to an orphanage in Mexico. Some have taken it upon themselves to put together survival kits for the homeless. Some have responded to God’s calling to use their teaching gift to lead weekly Bible Studies with people outside our house church family. Some have stepped out to help teach Chinese students how to speak English as a second language. Others are still trying to understand what their personal mission is and we’re patiently standing by them and encouraging them as they continue to follow Jesus daily.

While no one in our house church family feels pressure to participate in anyone else’s ministry, they do know that they are free to join in if they want to. No one feels pressure to start a ministry of their own either. Unless God is genuinely speaking to them about stepping forward, we’re content to meet them wherever they are.

Our house church family has a saying that goes, “We’re all in process.” That means we recognize that none of us is in exactly the same place in our walk with Christ. While we encourage everyone to grow deeper with Jesus, we don’t set our own expectations of what that should look like. We allow the individual person to listen for God’s voice and to respond accordingly. We strive to have grace for one another and not to impose our passion on others.

For example, my family has been serving at a local motel for nearly 9 years now. We go every month and pass out free groceries which our house church family purchases using the offerings that are freely given to help the poor. Not everyone in our house church goes with us when we serve at the motel, but they know we'd love to have them join us if they wish. They also know that they don't have to give their offering to this cause if they don't want to. No one forces them to give or looks to see who is giving or how much. We don't impose our vision and mission on them and they don't try to convince us that their personal ministry should be everyone else's.

Rather than exploit one another to benefit our ministry, we empower one another to step out and serve others in whatever way we feel called. We help when we can. We encourage one another, and we cheer each other onward.

So, in a nutshell this is how our little house church family is learning to “be the Church” to one another and to people we come into contact with each and every day.

How are you learning to “be the Church”?

-kg

10 THINGS I'LL DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME WE PLANT A CHURCH

Over the last five years, my wife and I have been helping to facilitate a church which started in our home and has now begun to grow outward into various other expressions recently.

Like most people, what I've learned has mostly come from making mistakes. So, while I'm certain that I'll make more than my own share of new mistakes the next time I plant a church, here are the things I've learned from our first time around. Hopefully this will encourage some of you as you consider planting a house church.


1. Don’t call yourself the pastor.
If you're "the pastor" of your house church this means everyone will look to you for everything and it will paralyze the Body life of the Church. Instead, identify yourself as one of the functioning members along with everyone else. Involve others for sharing, teaching, testimonials, etc.

2. Don’t host every single meeting in your own home.
For most of the last five years, my wife and I have hosted a meeting in our home twice a week. That's a lot of meetings. We've only recently started rotating our Sunday gatherings. This allows others to share responsibility and to practice hospitality. The next time we plant a house church (assuming there is a next time), I will encourage others to open their homes as early as possible. As new people join, I will invite them to consider hosting as well. Sharing the hosting responsibility also reinforces the concept that anyone can facilitate the gathering and that they don’t need you to be present in order to gather as a Body.

3. Involve the children more.
In our group, the children have always shared scriptures alongside the adults and many of the greatest insights have come from elementary-age children. Even so, I wish we had involved them even more in our conversations, in prayer times for one another, in the communion of the Lord’s table, etc. I don’t think it’s really possible to have too much involvement from our kids. House Church provides the perfect opportunity to give our kids a hands-on experience of what it means to “be the Church” every single time we gather.

4. Have more fun together.
Over the last five years we’ve had occasional game nights and a couple of afternoons in the park, but I wish we had scheduled even more times to come together and just be the family of God. No songs, no teaching, no liturgy, just laughing and food and genuine intimacy with one another. Sharing life together is huge and later on as you grow deeper into Christ, those relationships will become even more important and necessary for keeping one another accountable and for loving correction. It's also important to reinforce the idea that we are the Church all the time, not just when we're reading scripture or praying out loud.

5. Talk less, question more.
I am plagued by a disease which compels me to answer every single biblical or theological question that anyone asks. I wish I had just shut up whenever a Biblical question came up. Instead of attempting to stun the inquirer with my Biblical expertise, I wish I had turned to the group and said, “I don’t know. What do you guys think?”

6. Emphasize the Gospel of the Kingdom more.
In my experience, people who really understand the Gospel of the Kingdom are able to grasp all the other concepts of the Kingdom more easily. I wish I had spent more time emphasizing that in our fellowship, and I know I will major on this more and more in the future.

7. Major on practicing our faith and less on theorizing.
Being the Church is so much more necessary than attending one. Because this is one of the core values of New Testament Church life, I would encourage everyone to live out their faith in more practical ways in the future – and make more room for sharing testimony and for continually challenging everyone to do so daily.

8. Pray more.
Jesus said that His house would be a house of prayer. If we are His Body, and the Temple of the Holy Spirit, then we should be on our faces before God more and more. “An open meeting requires more time in prayer together, not less.” That’s why I would encourage every home church to gather for prayer as often as possible. Jesus is our Head, without Him we can do nothing. That's why we need to be on our knees, seeking His leadership and listening for His voice.

9. Confess my own weaknesses more.
For too long I’ve kept my own personal struggles to myself instead of opening up to the rest of the Body whenever I felt hurt, or depressed, or discouraged. My wife knew when I was having a hard time with things, but the church was mostly oblivious. In the future, I will openly confess my struggles and allow the Body to comfort me and to heal me and to strengthen me.

10. Share the duties of sacrament with the priesthood of all believers.
In our next house church, I will not perform the baptisms. Instead, I will encourage the Body to operate as equals and to baptize one another and to take turns leading all of us in Lord’s Supper together. Again, if I am the one doing these things, I am behaving like the “pastor” or the spiritual superior and that's the last thing I want to communicate. Instead, I'd want to emphasize the truth that any follower of Jesus is already ordained by the Holy Spirit of God to preach the Gospel, baptize new believers and administer the Lord's Supper to the saints - among other things. The less I am up front, the more the Body can be empowered to step into their priesthood and utilize their gifts in love.

Of course, all of this presumes that I will ever help to plant another church in the future. I'm not sure if I ever will, but if not, perhaps some of this advice can encourage those of you who are feeling called to step out in faith and follow God's calling on your life to do so.

The single best piece of advice I can offer is this: Stop trying to grow the Church on your own. That's not your job. Jesus said that He would grow His Church, and over the last five years I've learned that this is exactly what He will do...if we can get out of His way.

Peace,
kg

MISSION HOUSE CHURCH UPDATE

Our house church was started about 5 years ago. My wife and I really felt God calling us to plant a church where 100% of the offerings would go to help the poor in our community. So, we stepped out in faith to obey Jesus in this vision. It wasn't easy. We lost a few friends along the way who didn't understand what we were doing, or why. But God was faithful. He brought many others to join us who shared this vision.

It's been very exciting, and encouraging, to know that God has brought so many to join us and to share in this simple vision to give all of our offering to bless the poor and help people we can touch and see and know and be in real relationship with.

I've learned a lot during this time. Especially about how to take my hands off of the wheel and allow Jesus to do what He promised - to build His church. In fact, the less I am in the way, the more Jesus takes control. He truly is the Head of the Church! He also is faithful to build His own church without my help.

Non-Denominational
We're not part of any denomination at all. The only church we're part of is Jesus' Church...because that's the only one anyway. In fact, we're all from wildly divergent streams within Christianity including Church of Christ, Baptist, Vineyard, Calvary Chapel, Pentecostal, Lutheran, etc. In spite of the fact that most of us disagree on many peripheral issues such as eschatology, spiritual gifts, etc., we love one another and consider one another to be family. Why? Because we've made a decision that the only criteria that matters is whether or not one loves Jesus and is following Him daily. If so, you're in the family. The rest doesn't really matter to us as much.

This means that not everyone agrees with me on everything. Most people don't share my views on every single point. We're not seeking agreement or homogenization. My goal is not to be part of a church family where everyone is just like me. (Can you think of anything more depressing?) No, our goal is to follow Jesus together and to encourage one another to seek Him and obey Him daily.

Missionaries
We believe that everyone who follows Jesus is a missionary. Your personal mission field will be different and unique. Your actual neighbors and co-workers are the people you're called to love and serve. Our hope is to encourage one another to discover our mission and to continue to work daily in our misson field by the grace of God.

Sending Out/Multiplication
One family recently felt called to leave and move to Indiana. They're praying that God might breathe life into a Church in their home soon. However, they are not part of my network....because I don't have a network. They're part of whatever God might be doing in His Kingdom, so that's enough for me to support them and pray for them. But, I don't expect them to answer to me in any way. I know that this brother will follow Jesus and that if a house church is formed in their household it will be exactly what God wants, not necessarily what I might want. That's the way it should be.

Also, another man recently felt God calling him to start a house church in his home with another family, locally. He still joins us on Thursday evenings, but on Sunday's he is gathering with a new church in his home. Still, they do not answer to me, nor do they follow any patterns established here in our house church. We do love them and pray for them and support what God is doing through them, but they are not part of my network. I am not their pastor, or their leader, etc. Just a brother who loves them and supports them and encourages them to follow Jesus.

So, neither of these house church groups are called "The Mission", (I'm not sure either will ever have any name at all, actually), and they do not consider me their leader. I am not their Pope or their Father. I did not plant these churches. Jesus has, or will, as He directs. I'm only one of the many brothers in the Body of Christ who love them and support them and encourage them in their efforts to obey Jesus.

New Chapter
Just a few weeks ago, the very week after we said goodbye to these brothers and sisters who left us to follow Jesus elsewhere, the Lord brought another wonderful family to join us. We're not sure if they will stay with us, but we're hoping they might decide to call this home.

I have no idea what the next five years might look like, but I'm excited to find out what God has in store.

As I've often said, this is still the best thing I've ever done with the word "Church" on it.

Our house church website is:
MISSIONHOUSECHURCH.COM

I also put together a website to help local believers find or start their own house church at OCHOUSECHURCH.COM

-kg

Answering Questions about Our House Church Family

Someone asked me some questions today about our house church and since I've already taken the time to write up these answers I thought I'd share them here on my blog, too.

If you have any questions that aren't answered here, feel free to add your own.

Do you have a leadership team? Elder/Deacon board, or what?

No, nothing formal. However, we DO have people who function as elders and overseers/facilitators, we just don't call them that or recognize these officially.

Why? Partly because we don't want to create any artificial offices and create the impression that only a select few of us are authorized to serve in the Body. Everyone can serve without reservation or hesitation as God leads them.

What authority do you have over your church?

None, really. I mean, I suppose I do have influence, but not authority. In other words, I wouldn't tell everyone "this is what we're doing now" but I might make some suggestions and ask people to weigh in on the subject so we can decide what to do.

This has changed since our first years together, however. At first, I really did mostly tell people what we were going to do. Now I try to ask the Body to make decisions.

Who makes the decisions?

We, the people, make most decisions together. On some issues people have requested that Wendy and I handle some things because they trust our judgement when it comes to working with the poor, etc. However, we try to involve them whenever possible.

For example: We recently went to the Body on a Sunday morning to ask whether we should use collected funds to help someone that we knew personally but not everyone in our Body knew them.

As we discussed the situation, we made sure that everyone knew that we were open to helping this person out of our own personal money and allow Mission funds to be designated for other things.

We all talked openly, people asked questions about the situation and the consensus among the Body was that we should go ahead and use our Mission funds to help this person out.

I WOULD ADD: We are striving to allow the Body to make decisions collectively rather than assign a few among us to decide for everyone else. So far this is has been wonderful and people appreciate being part of the process.

How do you handle church discipline?

Ah...here's the real test of "leadership" in the Body, right? In the last 4 years we've had to employ church discipline about five times. In some cases Wendy and I handled this ourselves privately, but in most cases we involved others in our Body whom we felt could speak wisdom and truth to the person/persons who required the discipline. In other words, who would they most likely accept/receive loving advice and correction from? This is always based on relationship.

I would also add that there have been a few other times when Wendy and I were not involved at all but one brother would ask another brother out to coffee to inquire about the spiritual health and well-being of someone and to offer loving counsel and correction.

Those times are sweet and I love hearing about them after the fact.

How are your roles defined?

My role? I've intentionally worked very hard over the last 4 years to graduate myself from founding pastor of the Mission to one of the many active and contributing members of the Body. I am now officially one of the brothers in the Mission Family.

How does your church handle finances, offering, tithes, etc.?

We're a cash only operation. We do not have a 501(c)3 and we do not have a church bank account. If people need to receive a tax break at the end of the year we encourage them to give their money somewhere else.

However, if people do give to our house church, we guarantee that 100% of every single penny given will go directly to help the poor in our community - and sometimes even others in our own church family who are in need.

We have complete transparency with all funds received and we give regular updates for how much is received, where it was spent and how it impacted people.

As people begin to see their offerings being used to help actual people in need, their desire to give increases and they become 'hilarious givers' to the work of compassion.

Why don't you have a non-profit status?

Several reasons. First, we don't need the state of california to tell us that we're an official church. God has lavished us with His love and we have been called the children of God. That's enough for us.

Second, since we do not use our funds to cover salaries, utilities, rent, etc. there is no benefit to us in receiving tax breaks. We do not operate as a business so there's no need to register ourselves, or run ourselves, like a business.

Who is your pastor?

Jesus is our pastor. It used to be me, but I finally realized that the only leader among us was Jesus and since it was His church anyway, it was time to surrender things back over to Him. He's done a much better job than I have, anyway.

Who is your spiritual covering?

Jesus is our spiritual covering. We do not require the authority of any person or denomination to make us an official Body of Christ. Jesus is what makes us a Church, and we are covered by His blood and filled with His Spirit.

The concept of Spiritual Covering is not a NT concept. Covering is not required, but accountability is. I am accountable to everyone in our Body, and they are accountable to one another and to me. We are also accountable to our brothers and sisters in Christ for our behavior and our witness of Christ in the community.

Who does the preaching?

No one does. We do not have sermons, or a pulpit. We do spend a lot of time in the Scriptures together. Anyone who is present in the meeting has the authority to open God's Word, share an insight, give a testimony, or encourage the Body as God's Spirit leads. Our fellowship is blessed to have a great number of gifted teachers and once in a while one of them may bring us a study on a passage or a topic as God leads, but not every time, and not the same person every time.

Children, women, and men are all free to share from God's Word with the rest of the Body and all are free to comment, agree, disagree, or continue the conversation as God leads.

**
If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask below. I'd love to share what God is doing in our midst.

Peace,
Keith

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY...?

CLEARING UP CONFUSION- On my blog and elsewhere I often identify myself as “a pastor who doesn’t take a salary at a church where 100% of the offering goes to the poor in our community”. Some people have been confused by this and I felt it was about time to address these questions.

What do you mean by ‘Pastor’?
I mean this in the most New Testament way possible. I have the spiritual gift to pastor the Body. This means I do what I can to serve my brothers and sisters in Christ and I care for and encourage their spiritual development.

It does NOT mean that I preach or that I am the CEO of our Church. In fact, I never preach anything and we all practice the priesthood of the believer. So, when I refer to myself as a "Pastor" I mean that I, like many others in our Body, have a gift from the Holy Spirit to serve the Body as a foot-washing equal.

What do you mean by ‘Offering’?
I mean that we have a basket at the back of the room and randomly people will place their offerings in this basket. We do not pass the basket or observe an offering time. If people give they give, if they do not that's between them and the Lord. We do not keep giving records and we also do not give tax exemptions (since we also are not a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Wendy and I started this house church because we felt a calling to plant a church where 100% of the offerings could go to help the poor in our community. For the last 4 years we've seen giving increase exponentially - not because we've emphasized giving or taught on giving - but because people can see for themselves that every penny they give is going to help and bless actual people in need every week.

Why aren't you a non-profit?
Well, we know many house churches that are. In fact, nearly all of them we know of are registered with the State as a non-profit organization. Our conviction is that we do not need the State or any Government body to declare us a Church. We're a Church because we are called by God and we have placed Him at the Head of our lives.
Secondly, we feel strongly that Church is not meant to be a business, therefore we have no need to operate as one. Furthermore, since we have no expenses to "write off" there's no point (or benefit) to us for being a registered non-profit organization. All of the money that comes in goes right back out to help buy groceries or help people in need.

If you want to know about the Mission House Church and how we function I've posted an MP3 from a recent House Church weekend where I answered questions in detail.

The message, "House Church: How it Works" is available as a free MP3 download at the link on the lower left sidebar.

For any other specific questions, please email me directly at "elysiansky" (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Blessings,
Keith

**

WHAT GOD IS DOING

Yesterday our house church group met in a local park. It’s not one we’ve ever gathered in before, but since it was near to one of the families in our church we decided to meet there to worship and fellowship.

As we were worshipping under the shade of the trees a man on a bicycle rode up and got off his bike and walked over to one of the picnic tables and sat down to join us. A few of us noticed this but we continued to worship and after we shared communion together and began sharing with one another the man spoke up. “I was very blessed to find you guys in the park today,” he said.”It’s been a blessing to be with you here this morning.”

We affirmed that it was a blessing to have him join us and we even took some time to pray for him during our prayer time that followed.

Afterwards my wife went over to talk with him and she discovered that he only takes this bike ride once a year. That particular day was the only time he happens to get on his bike and ride 14 miles from his home in Newport Beach to this park in Tustin and back again. So, we were very blessed that he happened to be in the park the same day we also happened to be in the same park.

Then he asked about our house church and where we meet. My wife told him we live in Orange. He asked where since his ex-girlfriend just recently moved to Orange. “We live near the Orange Circle,” Wendy said. “Oh,” said Eric, “my ex-girlfriend lives about two miles from there. What are the cross streets?” My wife told him that we lived off of Main and Almond. He asked if we knew where Glenview street was and when we told him that this is where we lived he said, “Really? My friend lives on that same street.”

So, if you’ve doubted that God is building His church just remember this story.

As I marvel at this great work that God has done to bring Eric and his friend Tracey to our group, I am reminded that only one other family in our house church was known to us before we started out. In fact, other than this family and my sister-in-law and one other sister in Christ, every single other person in our house church was brought to us by the Lord. I didn’t recruit anyone or advertise our fellowship or hang out a sign. Everyone who is part of the Mission House Church now has come to us by the Grace of God. They found us and they came and felt at home and this is how God has been building this Church.

Over the weekend I found out about two other men who want to start coming to our house church, and another brother in Christ from a sister church wants to join us also. This is in addition to a family of eight from Bellflower who e-mailed me over the weekend about visiting and another man who contacted me via e-mail about two weeks ago.

That makes fourteen new people who want to join our house church in the next week alone. We’re already bursting at the seams. There are about 30 people who call “The Mission” their church home currently. What will we do if even more people want to join us? How will we respond?

Is it time for us to start taking the idea of a second house church more seriously? If so, where will our second group meet? Who will stay to become part of the new group in our home? Who will launch out with the families we already know and love?

These are questions we need to answer in the next few weeks. I’m praying that God would continue to build His Church and lead us in these next steps.


I appreciate your prayers for us as well.


Peace,

Keith

The Mission House Church Family

Special thanks to our own Kelly Tague for sharing these awesome photos of some of our recent house church gatherings together.












Want to see more?
GO HERE

My Letter to the Editors of Cutting Edge Magazine

As a former member of the Vineyard movement I am still on the mailing list for their church-planters magazine called "Cutting Ege". The most recent issue was 22 pages long and was entirely on the subject of "Church Planting and Money".

Having planted a church myself over 3 and a half years ago with no money, no leadership team, no building and no salary, I found their assertion that one must have a sizable financial investment to begin planting churches slightly spurious.

Here's a letter I sent to their editor on May 30th. To date I have not received a response so it's highly likely that I am no longer on their mailing list.

**
Dear Editor,

Thanks for the most recent issue of "Cutting Edge" Magazine.

As a church-planter myself I had to make a few observations that I believe you left out of the discussion.

Several church-planters today (like myself) have discovered that planting and growing a healthy, vibrant, disciple-making Body of Believers actually costs very little, if nothing at all.

My wife Wendy and I started our house church over 3 years ago. Our vision was to plant a church where 100% of the offering would go to the poor, just like in the New Testament. I have been working as a copywriter for a marketing agency to support my family and everyone in our house church (over 6 families and several singles) have collectively given over $15 thousand dollars to help the poor in our community and support the poor in our own Body over the last 3 years.

Our church is growing very quickly. We have about 40 people who join us in our home every Sunday morning for shared breakfast and shared teaching. We also gather on Thursday evenings for shared dinner and througout the week as well.

Your article suggests that it is a "false dualism" to pit spiritual matters against earthly matters. I wonder if it it's actually a "false ecclesiology" that tells us that without $10k and a paid pastoral staff, etc. we cannot be the Church and establish vibrant communities of faith.

How did the New Testament Christians manage to plant so many churches and make so many hundreds of thousands of disciples without all that money? I find it fascinating that they actually took their property and their money and surrendered it for the good of others rather than to horde it for themselves.

Today the downturn in the economy is adversely affecting many businesses, as you point out, but if your church is not run like a business it's amazing how the downturn has zero affect. We are free to continue giving and to plant more churches regardless of the economy.

Our house church does not pass the basket. It sits on a table in the corner of the room and only twice a year do we ever mention the offering-- and then only to read a list of ways we have used this money to help the poor in our community and within our own Body.

Even though I never make a big deal about the offering, people are giving with great joy because they know that every single penny they place in the basket will be given away to people in need. They are truly, honestly "Hilarious givers"!

We, the Body of Christ, are never referred to in the NT as anything other than a Body, a Family, a Bride and an Organism. We, the Church, are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We do not need to build temples in order to fulfill our calling to embody Christ as living stones.

Does it really cost all that money to plant a church? Only if you abandon the New Testament model and embrace a business model.

Thanks, again, for this issue of Cutting Edge. I really do appreciate the great work you (and your staff) put into this labor of love each and every issue. Please take my comments as an alternate perspective on the subject of planting churches and money.

In Him,

Keith Giles
Mission House Church

Remembering Mary Ann Serna

Our Mission House Church is mourning the loss of our dear sister in Christ who passed away Saturday evening from brain cancer.

I've posted some photos and a bit of how we celebrated her life yesterday at house church over on the Mission House Church website HERE

This morning I found this article I had written about Mary Ann back in July of last year and I wanted to post it here as a remembrance of her life and the impact she had on me, my family, and our house church family.

**
[Subversive Underground] Friday, July 04, 2008
THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION
by Keith Giles

My friend Mary Anne has cancer. She's sixty one years old and she's been part of our Mission House Church family for almost exactly one year now.

When I first met her she was living at the Salvation Army Hospitality House for the homeless.

For many years Mary Anne had been a school teacher here in Orange County. She loves children and loved teaching. Even today she still misses her classroom and her students.

For a time Mary Anne slept on our sofa. Even though she had a retirement pension from her many years as a teacher, she had cashed it out early to care for her son in his time of need a few years ago. When it came time to retire she found herself out of a job, and out of a house and home.

Eventually God opened a door for Mary Anne at a local retirement home. It was just down the street from us so we got to see her often and she continued to come to our house church gatherings each week.

About a month ago Mary Anne had a 3 inch tumor removed from her brain. You wouldn't believe how quickly she's recovered from her surgery, but there's still a network of melanoma tumors spider-webbed throughout her brain mass.

So, last Sunday our church family gathered around her and laid hands on her and prayed for God to heal her. Children and adults gathered around her and cried out to God for mercy, for healing and for restoration of health.

Afterwards we listened as Mary Anne shared with us about God's peace and how even though the Doctors say she is terminal, she feels fine and full of life. Better yet, she's witnessing God's ministry of reconciliation as her son is restored to her after years of estrangement, and her daughter is being reconciled to her father, and Mary Anne's brother is seeking out a renewed relationship with her after years of separation.

We reflected on how God seems to be using this sickness in Mary Anne's life to radiate healing through her life to heal relationships. Because of this terminal cancer God is restoring a son to his mother, a brother to his sister, and a daughter to her father.

Only God can do this. Only God can heal these wounds and restore these broken relationships.

One of our leaders in the house church, Kelly, remarked on how God's desire is to heal us completely. Not just physically, but spiritually and emotionally and psychologically. God desires to heal us and nurture us inside and out. He delights in making us whole and complete.

We shared together from 2 Corinthians 5, verses 17 through 20, where Paul reminds us: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 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. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."

Each of us in the Body of Christ has been given this same ministry of reconciliation. We are to be peacemakers. Even as Jesus encouraged us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9), we are to be people of peace, people who bring reconciliation in our wake.

So, for today, Mary Anne basks in the peace of God, knowing that He is in control of her life. She knows that God is at work through her sickness, and that for now He is using even this to reconcile her family and restore these relationships. Her hope is that each of them will come to know Jesus as she knows Him, to love Him as she loves Him, and to trust Him as she trusts Him...with her very life.

In time, we pray that God would heal her cancer. We will continue to pray together every time we gather for God's mercy and healing in Mary Anne's body, and until then we will rejoice for the ministry of healing and reconciliation that is radiating out of her in every direction to soften hearts and restore her family.

As Mary Anne said to me last Sunday, "God is faithful."

Amen.

-kg
**