Some Of What's Happening re House / Simple Churches in Canada These Days
By Grace Wiebe - Nov 2007
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Editor's Note |
(Editor's Note) I thought it would be helpful for you to get a bit of a picture of some of the diversity of things God appears to be doing in Canada these days among those who have been involved in house / simple churches for some years..
It has seemed, for some time, that many that have been involved in house / simple churches are in major transitions, and have been for some time. Many are wondering where and how the Lord is leading them these days. Indeed it does seem to be a season where the Holy Spirit has been doing a lot of shaking in our lives at many levels - perhaps every level? - in order to get us to the place where any sandy foundations are removed and replaced with Himself, the Rock, our only TRUE FOUNDATION - the only kind of foundation which will withstand the storms we read about which are coming, according to Scripture. In the midst of this He is wanting His people to thrive, and so the transitions into this new season He seems to be leading us into continue to increase so that we will be properly equipped for what's ahead.. He is wanting our identity and security to be firmly rooted in HIM!
It seems there are many wonderful things the Lord has been doing in our lives through house / simple churches over the years, such as: using them to teach us a new way to live and love in many ways; using them to help to uproot us from religiousity; to help us gain a better understanding of His Body and of His love for us, as well as a deeper heart for others in the Body and for the lost - to name a few.
At the same time, my sense from what I've seen happening in our region and which seems to be happening in other regions and nations is that the Holy Spirit is leading us into a season and dimension of life in His Spirit which we have not known before, and which is greater than we have asked or imagined…but which He has not seemingly unfolded all that much, yet…
It seems we're in the waiting place - the 'no man's land' so to speak, between the wilderness and taking the Promised land.
I believe a major thing He is wanting to reveal to our hearts these days is that HE IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE…and that in order for us to move ahead successfully in the things He's leading us into as His Body, as He is bringing us into that place of maturity in Him where we may be FILLED TO THE MEASURE OF ALL THE FULNLESS OF GOD! (Eph. 3,4), we need to truly and deeply know HIM as our Way, our Truth and Our Life in every situation, and not rely on our old ways of doing things or living, bur rely on Him to not only show us the way, but BE our Way. Not only point us to the truth, but BE our Truth….not only bring us to life, but BE our very life. Learning to live in the revelation of the reality of Him in our lives as He continues to woo us into deeper intimacy with Himself.. 2 Pet.1:3 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIM who called us by his own glory and goodness." (NIV) As it also says in Matt., seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU AS WELL….
More and more believers are waking up to the truth that following THE WAY is not easy, but simple….it basically boils down to seeing what He is seeing, hearing what He's saying, saying what He's saying, doing what He's doing and trusting Him in and for everything!
People continue to ask me how to start a house / simple church or other related questions.
One of the things I've been finding out more and more over the years, is that God is the only one that knows what He wants to have happen, when and where, and the only way we'll find out is to spend the time with Him - the Way, the Truth and the Life, to find out what He wants to do with US in the situation He has put US. HE knows your neighbourhood. He knows the kinds of people there. He knows who He wants you to connect with or whom He wants to bring into your lives. He knows HOW He wants to reach out through you. He knows what foundations in Him need to be strengthened in your lives and how you need to be further equipped. He knows the healing that needs to happen in your spirit, soul, mind and body and in your relationships. He knows which areas of your life He is in the process of restoring. He knows His destiny for you, your family, your neighbourhood and city, etc.
We are generally so used to doing things a certain way because we've been raised on feeling secure when we have something fixed that we can depend on…however, it is often very difficult for us to trust in the Lord and LEAN NOT TO OUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. I believe the journey God is and has been taking many of us on over the years is a journey which has been increasingly drawing us into those places of having to rely totally on Him and not on our former ways - He has been leading us in new ways…and this has often been very uncomfortable for us - and yet also exhilarating and liberating as we learn to become more dependent on Jesus Christ and join in what HE is doing rather than expecting Him to join in what we're doing.
So it is not surprising to me to see, around the world and here in Canada and in my own region, that God loves diversity and He loves to be creative wherever He goes. What He may lead you to do may look very different than what He leads others to do.
Following are some expressions of diversity happening in our nation at this point.
For those who sense God leading you in His new ways in this season, and if you are not connected to a fellowship, I would encourage you to pray for God to connect you with believers and the lost which He wants you to connect with, wherever you may meet them as you go about your life from day to day, and ask Him to give you eyes to see and ears to hear what He wants to do in those relationships, and see how He leads you from there. It is indeed an adventure, and may it be an adventure which draws you deeper into the love of the Father for you and through you. He will instruct you and teach you and the Holy Spirit WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH as you keep your eyes/the eyes of your heart fixed on Him.
* * *
+ Canadian Simple
Church Network - now with DAWN Min. (formerly the Canadian House Church
Network with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada for the past couple years
or so, and previously the Canadian House Church Resource Network)
http://simplechurchnetwork.ca/
We believe the Holy Spirit gave us a clear and precise description of the primary value/DNA for simple church stated in eight simple words: "Listen (to Jesus), Obey and Teach others to do the same." (John 10:27; II Timothy 2:2) In practical terms this means our goal is not to create a "church in the house" where the focus is on the meeting or event, but rather on participation in an intimate family in which listening to Jesus leads to 24/7 relational commitments with each other . All aspects of BEING the Church will flow naturally from this "listening to Jesus" posture.
From Calgary
From: Rob & Beth Ross
Our website is www.oikosministries.com
"We continue striving to live our lives for Christ
24/7. There is a lot of church baggage still found on occasion. However, that
is sometimes a good thing…(Sometimes we want to throw out the baby with
the bathwater. The history of the Christian church is filled with both awesome
stories and horrifying events. I believe if we do not strive to take the good
and remember the bad we are destined to miss the wisdom and repeat the mistakes
of those saints that have preceded us).
Our group has been building connections with other likeminded
believers here in Calgary. There are a number of new house church networks
being started. Some more cell church than house church; others still discovering
what it means to be Jesus' family. But it is exciting to see the number of
people exploring the meaning of being a disciple, a participant in God's Kingdom
plan.
I am feeling the need to be an encourager. To that end
I am striving to learn more about coaching. I will be attending a training
retreat this coming week. I hope that as more workers are called to the harvest
we will be able to establish coaching networks. I believe we need to build
these connections among likeminded believers. There needs to be a collaboration
and communication among those called to be a part of missional, relational,
open, simple, house, organic, whatever you want to call it church. (an update
on this from Rob: "…The coaches training went very well. I have
a new appreciation of some of the things DAWN is trying to accomplish. This
is training that I have wanted to take since being introduced to coaching
a number of years ago. My interest was renewed at the EFC Tracks meeting in
Salmo. Ken Stade spent the three days giving those in the house church track
training in the coaching process. I consider coaching to be one tool on many
that are part of a spiritual parents toolbox. Coaching is one those tools
that can be used both formally and informally. It can be used in a one on
one situation or in a group setting.
My first practicum is coaching an individual for four sessions.
The person who agreed to be coached is seeking to better understand house
church and to discover what God wants to do through his life. Coaching, done
well, is the process of helping someone discover for themselves what God has
in mind for them. The next track of the coaches training is on coaching networks.
The whole idea of this training is to create a coaching culture. If you are
interested in learning more there are numerous resources. I can send you a
number of links to ministry sites. We also have a downloadable manual for
Simple Church Coaching on our website ( http://www.oikosministries.com/oikos/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=191
). It was written by Tim Wymore, a DAWN Associate working with the Foursquare
Churches…"
For our family God keeps bringing us back to the basics.
We need to keep our own house in order. We are challenged by God's word to
live a life that reveals Christ in us (1 Peter 2:11-25). Not always easy.
I believe God is challenging us to grow. He is wanting His people to live
up to their full potential. He is wanting His people to make a difference
in their families, neighbourhoods, communities etc. But it is up to us to
listen to Him, obey Him and teach others to do the same.
As far as naming this movement of God. To me it does not
really matter what you call it. What matters is whether or not we are a part
of His Spirit's leading. Whether we are faithful and obedient whatever the
cost.
We have done a complete redo of our website ( www.oikosministries.com ).
One of our most recent pages is a video from house2house
on what it means to be a simple church. It is well worth the time to watch
( http://www.oikosministries.com/oikos/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=69&Itemid=178
). We also have been using a video called "Facing the Giants" as
an outreach http://www.oikosministries.com/oikos/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=66&Itemid=166.
Though a little unrealistic it is very inspiring and has made an impact on
our lives and the lives of some of our friends. Finally, I posted a little
story by an anonymous author called "Coffee vs. the Cup Its' In".
It spoke to me. http://www.oikosministries.com/oikos/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=1
One thing I did not include in my first email is the experiment we are involved
in with All About God (http://www.allaboutgod.com/
). Greg Hamon, a recent DAWN Associate, is seeing if the contacts made through
his websites can be followed up by DAWN Associates located in the contacts
area. It is a six month experiment to discover the best way of helping these
contacts.
In His Service,
Rob Ross <>< DAWN Associate
Oikos Ministries <>< www.oikosministries.com
Email: oikosministries@shaw.ca
Jesus Loving People Through People.
FLUIDITY
"…A quote in today's newspaper from Doris Lessing, this year's winner
of the Nobel Prize for Literature, says something about arriving at new ways
of understanding:
"That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood
all you life, but in a new way."
And from our inbox (see below), a recent newsletter from Rob Des Cotes of
the Imago Dei community in the Vancouver area illustrates the same kind of
growth and movement.
We're learning to embrace the fluidity and quit trying to nail things down
or set them in concrete or write the definitive how-to book on church planting.
In the end, we're happy not to have everything figured out - …"
---
From Vancouver
IMAGO DEI: Oct. 11th, 2007
www.imagodeicommunity.ca
In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above
the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did
not set out--until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the LORD was over the
tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all
the house of Israel during all their travels.
Ex. 40:36-38
Being brought up on the shores of the St. Lawrence river taught me a lot about
the art of navigation as I watched the large ships zigzag their way through
the islands that dot the river from Montreal to Kingston. There is a method
in how they are guided in this process that I have come to recognize as very
similar to the way God uses vision to guide us.
In order to steer a ship safely around the islands the captain is guided by
lights on the shore towards which he must aim his craft. As he sets its sights
towards one of these lights the ship appears to be heading towards that shore.
Once they have made their way past the island however, another light on the
opposite shore comes into view (see illustration). The ship now changes course
and steers towards the new guiding light until, once again, it reaches the
point, past the next island, where another light on the opposite bank comes
into view. Throughout this process, though the ship appears to be heading
towards the shore, this target only serves its purpose until the second light
becomes visible-a light which would never have come into view had the ship
not moved in the direction of the first light.
God often guides us in similar fashion. We feel certain that we are being
led in one direction only to find another option suddenly become evident to
us-one that we would never have noticed had we not begun moving in the direction
of our first objective. It can be disconcerting, especially if we've become
attached to our first assumption.
As with the Israelites in the desert, the Divine cloud lifts from above our
tabernacle and we know the Lord is inviting us to follow. It is natural, in
these times of spiritual movement, to try to second-guess God. We think we
know where we are going and we naturally make plans for our arrival. Sometimes
our foresight proves accurate, but often it is problematic. We want to participate
with what we assume to be God's direction and we are confused when the cloud
of Divine guidance stops, or suddenly changes direction.
In the desert, it is apparent that the Lord was teaching the Israelites how
to simply heel. When He moved they moved. When the cloud stayed over them
they did not set out until it once again lifted. It was an exercise in faithful
obedience to the movements of God. What appeared to be aimless wandering in
the desert was, in truth, a pilgrimage in the precision of obedience
God leads us often through lights on the shore. But those lights are not necessarily
our destination. We shouldn't be surprised if, in the course of our movement,
for no apparent reason, the Lord suddenly seems to change our direction, or
even stops us abruptly in our tracks. If we anticipate this as normal in the
course of our spiritual direction, we will welcome and recognize such a "change
in plans" as a call to stop, pray, and wait for the cloud to lift before
we move again.
Rob Des Cotes
(604)-87-IMAGO (874-6246)
"…I'm off to Seabeck, WA, for a conference to initiate a missional order..
In short, it seems that in our western Christian circles
we have too many choices.. And are too busy and distracted. We need a covenant
structure to draw us deeper and keep our feet to the
fire of Jesus love. We need in particular shared practices.. Whether gathered
or dispersed. Even many leaders have very week devotional lives and no patterns
of personal formation.
That's the idea of a "rule".
At Northumbria, for example, they write:
"…The word for Rule has a double root-meaning; one is that of a 'signpost' which has a purpose of pointing away from itself so as to inform the traveller that they are going in the right direction on their journey. It would be foolish to claim we have arrived if we are only at the signpost! We don't stop at the Rule and venerate it. The other root-meaning is that of 'a banister railing' which is something that gives support as you move forward, climbing or descending on your journey.
"A Rule offers 'creative boundaries within which God's
loving presence can be recognised and celebrated.' It does not prescribe but
invite, it does not force but guide, it does not threaten but warn, it does
not instill fear but points to love. In this it is a call to freedom, freedom
to love."
Henri Nouwen
http://www.allelon.org/mission_orders/index.cfm
So, we'll see where this goes but there is a lot of interest out there..I think ASLAN is on the move :)
I intend to blog from the gathering, and have already been
blogging a lot on this, primarily from the stance of rediscovering Celtic
spirituality for our day.. A day which, with the collapse of
Christendom, has much in common with Patrick's time.."
http://www.northumbriacommunity.org/WhoWeAre/whoweareTheRule2.htm
From Ontario
From: Rad Zdero - rzdero@yahoo.ca
Rad Zdero would like for you to know that he has started a magazine called "The Starfish Files" which is meant to connect and inform the house churches particularly in Ontario, Quebec, and western NY state, etc.
The Starfish Files: http://www.pathfindersfellowships.net/resources/The%20Starfish%20Files.pdf
"…As far as we are concerned we have left the concept of house church long ago. Over the past 7 years we had been a part of 4 different house churches (none remain today). Over the last 3 years I resisted meeting together as a house church with anyone knowing full well that once a house church started with the idea of meeting, changes would be as impossible as they were in the traditional churches.
The interest my wife and I had and have is being missional.
The 4 groups we had were satisfied with a once a week meeting. About a month
ago my wife and I began what we refer to as missional / organic church. There
are only 6 of us. We make no bones about the fact that we are missional. We
are not interested in a house group that meets once a week. Just because we
have small groups does not mean that that group will be missional. Gordon
Cosby of the church of the Saviour (perhaps the most radically missional group
I have read about) said.
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=gordon+cosby%2C+church+of+the+savior&btnG=Google+Search&meta=
"We thought that if we broke up into small groups that would naturally lead us into mission. We found that it never happened. Not that it seldom happened. It never happened. Anyone can start a prayer group, a bible study group, a small group, a house church, but that will not lead you to mission." Now this is coming from a group whose purpose was to be missional.
Neil Cole has basically said the same thing; "We want to raise the bar of being a disciple and lower the bar of doing church." They have the LTG groups. They break up into 2 or 3 people. They read 30 chapters of Scripture a week, confess sin, and hold each other accountable to reach out.
We have only started meeting a month ago. We have agreed to read the gospels for the next year. We agreed to read the book of John. We started out by reading 10 chapters a week. That took two weeks. Now we are reading John again (5 chapters a week over 4 weeks). We are looking for our 4 favourite stories. After that we will read John again ( 2 chapters a week over 10 weeks). During these ten weeks we will contemplate on our 4 favorite stories causing them to come alive. Knowing them inside out and listening to what insights God has for us in them. Our purpose is to know Christ through what he has said in his word. Then we will move unto Luke.
We want to adopt, in our own way, the inward outward journey. That is prayer, reading and meditative reading. Along with this is reaching out.
The fact of the matter is this; unless we decide, from the outset, that these groups come together because they want to be missional; unless the group is being equipped to reach out then they will never become missional…people will not check us out if there isn't something of value happening..
Finally, J. may meet with us but also meet with three friends at a restaurant. They encourage, equip and release one another. J. may also meet one on one with a friend. J. is then part of three churches connected to each other by J.'s caring.
An important point to make is that we do not believe house church is the answer.
F.D.
From: Cochrane,
AB
info@HomeChurchOnline.com .
Our Home Church Online efforts continue. We now have over
a year of Bible teaching and worship sessions in Khmer (Cambodian) which are
being printed out and used in home churches among many of a network of 2,500
house churches in Cambodia. We also have been told that they are being sold
in secular bookstores in Cambodia and for Khmer-speakers in Vietnam. A good
start has been made in Russian and the sessions are in Russia and Kyrgyzstan
where we hope some testing will be made. Spanish translation is also underway.
Soon we hope to add Arabic and Portuguese. Later, we will add more. In English,
year three is being written and the outlines for year four have been received.
Our team of some 40 writers and translators is still committed that everything
planned for the website, 208 sessions, books, commentaries, training material,
etc. will remain free of charge for everyone to access, use, and share anywhere
in the world.
I am now answering questions e-mailed almost daily to Home
Church Online. These go from doctrinal questions to how to begin a home church
to how to handle legal problems for home churches to how to access and use
HCO materials. This is a new element in our ministry and an interesting one.
In Cochrane, New Beginnings Home Church is at work but
with a very small group at the moment. New Day Home Church in Calgary seems
to be moving toward becoming a group of Russian speaking people who want the
Bible study to be mostly in English. We will see what the Lord has in store.
In fellowship, it is mostly Russian. At times I wish for a Spanish group where
at least I could communicate! However, the home church host is a wonderful
Bible study leader and capable of handling everything in Russian or English.
In Christ,
Drs. David and Barbara Wyman
http://www.homechurchonline.com/
Great Commission Worship & Arts Center