Category: Church Planting


Starting the Organic Life

Filed Under: Apostolic Ministry, Church Life, Church Planting, Discipleship, Evangelism, Luke 10, Meeting Together, Organic Church, Recommended Books, Spiritual Life, Supernaturalism, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 12 Comments
December 6, 2010

Starting the organic life

Below is a comment from a recent post. It outlines some common questions I often get from people who are starting the organic life. I’ve put in a number of links which should direct people to earlier posts, training recourses and books which are helpful for people at this stage of the journey.

Dear Ross,

I like your blog. It has been encouraging to me. My husband and I have been Christians for 17 yrs. We have left institutional church a year ago. We have led all types of evangelism in institutional churches. We haven’t really connected with anyone yet to start a house church, meaning an apostle or leadership and it hasn’t been for a lack of trying. We are in a holding pattern and not really sure what to do from here. We are in Tampa, FL. Did you just step out or were you connected with others?

Hi Melanie,

Thank you for your encouraging words. And thank you for your trust that I might be able to give you some advice. The most important thing when receiving advice is to listen to the voice of the Spirit to discern what is coming from God and what is just me.

1.       Don’t stop loving our family in the institutional church.  

One of the most important things is to not give up on our brothers and in the institutional church. Remember when you were there? You loved God and wanted to follow him and serve him. Many are still there with that same heart. But you’ve begun to see that the Emperor has no clothes, see Bedbugs in Our Suitcase. To love them and respect them doesn’t mean you have to go back. It also doesn’t mean you have to ignore the problems of the naked Emperor. It does mean that you have to be gracious, loving and chose when, how and with whom you speak about the Emperor’s lack of clothing. 

2.       Do reach out.

Buy The Insider by Jim Petersen and Mike Shamy here

Since you understand evangelism, start working on relationships. For more advice on this see a recent post Sharing Jesus with Postmodern Friends. There are two kinds of evangelism: the evangelism of an apostle and the evangelism of what Jim Petersen calls an insider. It might be good to read Jim Petersen and Mike Shamy’s book The Insider: Bringing the Kingdom of God Into Your Everyday World. Here is a link where you can buy that book. You need to ask God if you are principally apostolic or he has placed you as an insider? 

a.   Apostles are looking for the man of peace. They tend to do very up front evangelism, often with supernatural acts. They really don’t care much if the majority ignores them if they can find the man of peace and get started in their oikos, their sphere of influence. From there the Gospel spreads; see What Is an Apostle?

b.   Insiders are working with people who are already in their own sphere of influence. Most of us aren’t apostles. But we are all insiders. This kind of evangelism is bit by bit based on relationship, see Sharing Jesus with Postmodern Friends.

3.       Make disciples who will reproduce.

For more on this see my post Organic Discipleship. Here the most important thing I can tell you is connect people with Jesus. They are his disciples, not yours. To do this you need to predominantly focus on skills, not information; again see the post Organic Discipleship for some of the skills I teach new disciples. 

4.       Get the basics of organic church.

Click here for information on Greenhouse training

To buy Organic Church by Neil Cole click here.

To get the basics of organic church do your best to go to a Church Multiplication Associates Greenhouse. There you will be taken through the basics of Neil Cole’s Organic Church book. If you haven’t read it, read it now. But, don’t skip the Greenhouse. They are the same concepts, but two different experiences; one which deeply reinforces the other.

 

 

 

 5.       Get connected with others.

Get connected with others

You asked: Did you just step out or were you connected with others? I’ve been in ministry since my first year of college in 1974; so I’m not afraid to “step out” and try something new. But, those who step out of the institutional way of doing things always go through detox,  see: Bedbugs in Our Suitcase. Everyone’s story is different, but we all need to go through detox and detox takes longer than we want or expect. We always think we are through it, then realize God is working out something else out of our spiritual DNA.  Having said that, it is always best to have partners. I’ll quote Petersen and Shamy on this. Partnering commits us to action. Most good intentions die of neglect before they’re born. We resolve to do something. Then we get busy and the idea slips away from us forgotten.[1]

  • Does God have you on a journey into a more organic expression of the Christian faith? 
  • If so, where are you on that journey? 
  • What kind of recourses and advice do you feel you need for the place you are in your journey? 
  • Who can you partner with who can help you be faithful to God’s call on your life? 

 Click the “read more” button at the bottom right to see more resources mentioned in the comments.

[1] Jim Petersen and Mike Shamy, The Insider: Bringing the Kingdom of God Into Your Everyday World (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2003), 183.

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Apostles and Insiders

Filed Under: Apostolic Ministry, Biblical Meditation, Christendom, Church Planting, Discipleship, Evangelism, Luke 10, Man of Peace, Recommended Books, Supernaturalism, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 1 Comment
December 3, 2010

Click here to buy The Insider: an entire book devoted to how be an insider.

In a viral movement of the Gospel there are two very distinct kinds of people who are used by God to spread his Kingdom. There are those who bring the Gospel to a new place for the first time; they are called apostles. Then there are those who continue the spread of the Gospel generation after generation. Jim Petersen and Mike Shamy, in their book The Insider: Bringing the Kingdom of God into Your Everyday World call these people “insiders.” These two types of Kingdom agents have very different roles and therefore act very differently. Both are important, both are highly strategic, both are essential if the Kingdom is to saturate a people, city or society with the Kingdom of God.

The apostle Paul understood the difference between these two roles and knew exactly who he was and therefore what role he was to play. He also understood and appreciated the role of insiders. He encouraged insiders to act like insiders. Their job was not to imitate his Kingdom activity, it was to follow Jesus into the harvest as they were designed. He alludes to these two distinct roles in Colossians Chapter Four.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Col 4:2-6).

Apostles

We know more about the Apostle Paul’s activity, due to Luke’s writing in Acts, than any other 1st Century apostle. He has become the gold standard of apostolic ministry. In this passage we can feel Paul’s heartbeat. Listen to what he says. He longs for an open door for his message. He wants to “proclaim” the mystery of Christ. He is willing to be in chains to do so. He is preoccupied with clarity and he feels that this bold assertion of the Gospel is what he “should” do. This is the no hold barred, bring the Gospel at any cost attitude of a committed apostle. Apostles often attract people to Jesus thorough supernatural demonstrations of power. But does he encourage all the Colossians to act the same way?

Insiders

Paul’s suggestion to the insiders at Colossae is in stark contrast to his own behavior and attitude. He suggests that they be wise toward outsiders. They are to make the most of opportunities. Their conversation is to be gracious, seasoned and considerate, so that they can answer thoughtfully. And, instead of the no holds barred attitude of an apostle, they are to have such deep relationships that people are asking questions about their faith. Insiders attract people to Jesus through living beautiful Jesus colored lives.

Two Different but Crucial Roles

Why is there such stark contrast between these two approaches to Kingdom expansion? In order to understand this, we need to delve a bit deeper into the apostolic role, the insider role and how they work together to saturate a society with the good news about King Jesus.

In my post What Is an Apostle? I refer to apostles as “sodbusters.” Their job, like early pioneers in the American West, is to break the ground in new territory. They do this by following Jesus teaching for apostles in Mt. 10, Mk. 6, Lk 9 and Lk. 10. Through the Spirit’s direction they find the person of peace and the household of peace and plant a church there. Then they help these people become disciples of Jesus, who can further spread the good news of the Kingdom.  Once they have built a foundation (see Building on the Right Foundation), they leave the work to the new disciples, who are insiders in their own society.

To break this new ground, in a place where Jesus is not known or understood, where there is not a hint of what Jesus is all about (or a place where Jesus’ name and reputation has been harmed like here in the West), they must be bold. Their goal is to show that this Jesus they talk about is real and has something to offer. They want to get the first few seeds planted so that those seeds can reproduce thirty, sixty and a hundred fold. They only need to find those special few people called the people of peace to do this. People of peace will introduce them to their oikos, their sphere of influence, where the Kingdom will take root.

Once the person of peace and their sphere of influence become founded in the faith, the apostles job is done…and the insider’s job has come to the fore. Paul, as an apostle moved from place to place. But he encouraged the Colossians to do their insider’s job as they lived their daily lives with the people around them. They were to continue to spread the Gospel by by being Christians, “little Christs,” for people, see Sharing Jesus with Postmodern Friends. They were to allow the delicious aroma of Christ, like fresh baked bread, to attract people, see Disconnected. Insiders are there for the long haul. They take their time and allow their friends, family and associates to see Jesus, smell Jesus, and hear the beautiful music of Jesus in their life. To do this they need to be gracious, seasoned, and answer carefully.

It is important then to know who you are so you can know what role to play. Much damage has been done encouraging insiders to act like bold apostles with friends and family. Those who know insiders need to smell Jesus before they hear about Jesus. But, when that moment comes, insiders are to make the most of every opportunity. Who are you? In the power and direction of the Spirit, do what you were designed to do.

  • How has Jesus wired you, as an apostle or an insider?
  • Another way of asking this is; which role do you feel the impulse of the Spirit to fulfill?
  • Have you, like many insiders, become hesitant to share the gospel because you have been guilt tripped into acting like a bold apostle?
  • If you do have the spiritual impulses of an apostle, do you have the resources and knowledge to know how to play that role in the power and guidance of the Spirit?
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What a Difference the Spirit Makes

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Church Life, Church Planting, Discipleship, Evangelism, Jesus is Lord, Meeting Together, New Covenant, Our Covenant With God, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 3 Comments
November 29, 2010

Molong Nacua, Filipino simple church planter, click here to read his blog

In my post Two Leadership Blunders According to Jesus of November 24, 2010, I got an insightful response from Molong Nacua, who is a simple church planter on the island of Cebu in the Philippines. His post 10 MEGA-SHIFT IN MAKING DISCIPLES was the basis of my post of the same name. It was one of my most popular posts ever. This link will take you to his blog The BARKADAS of Jesus.  Now I’d like to include his insightful comments to my questions in Two Leadership Blunders According to Jesus as a post.

My Questions and Molong Nacua’s Answers

Question #1

If in Jesus’ form of leadership we don’t lead through title, position, power or personal authority; how can we be leaders?

Jesus does not promote ‘leadership’ at all, but ‘servanthood. Let the world worry about a “Saul.” Let us be Christians make Jesus our King! There is no leadership “ladder” to climb between brothers in Christ, “Who’s the greatest?” We are “brother among brothers.” Displaying your leadership “skills” towards your brother doesn’t make you “equal” in God’s family.

Question #2

In Jesus’ Kingdom do we actually lead?

Yes and No. No, we don’t lead in His Kingdom, He is the Leader. Yes, we actually “lead” outside His Kingdom, towards people who have NO spirit of God. Your brother has the same spirit like yours, he can be spirit-led as you are. Don’t assume to lead your brother just because he’s a “follower,” yeah, a follower of Jesus just as you are. Lead “unbelieving” people to Christ!

Question #3

Can God actually lead through mere humans?

Yes, through His Spirit.”Those who are led by the spirit of God are called sons of God.”

Question #4

Does he need titles and positions to do that?

No. Jesus is clear. “‘CALL’ no man…”

Question #5

Can he lead through anybody and everybody or just a special few?

He can lead through anybody who has His Spirit. Spirit-led. You can be led by God for yourselves; you are not led to “lead” your brother. Try it and you will be in a mess, or at least you’ll get the blame in case you were wrong. I cannot tell you what to do or else you will be led by me. You cannot tell me what to do or else I will be led by you. I may tell you “what to do” like “love your brother” or “forgive someone” but the details of how to obey is up to you. We are told to “teach them to obey” in general like “one anothering” but not the “how.” And first, confirm it from your spirit if what you hear from me is from God. In this flow, no one is “trying” to lead you. But each one is helping one another to hear Jesus so that they can obey Jesus.

Question #6

In the new covenant God speaks to our hearts and minds. Is this the key to a new style of leadership? Why would the new covenant make a difference?

Yes, this is a new style of leadership – SPIRIT-LED. This is the only kind of leadership that Jesus promotes. All human leadership style and model He eliminates, or as my friend would say “exterminate human leadership.” Honestly, this is not “new” at all as this is the whole intention of God to His own people that they will hear His voice, not a ‘stranger’s voice! John 10. Most of the time the ‘pastors’ voice can be a strangers voice!

In the OLD Covenant, only three kinds of people that had the spirit of God: Kings, Prophets and Priest. And they are “borrowed” the Spirit from God. “And the spirit of the Lord came into Samson…” “Cast me not away from Thy Presence O Lord, and TAKE NOT Thy Holy Spirit from me.” The Spirit of God in the Old Covenant is IN and OUT. But in the New Covenant, it is always “IN.”

This is one reason we cannot compare “Moses and Joshua” and “Elijah and Elisha” type of discipleship in the New Covenant, because in their times the spirit of God just transferred from one to another. But in the NT, you are given, each one is given THE SAME SPIRIT, not “junior” nor “senior” Holy Spirit but the same. How can this be different having “leaders and followers?” Who’s who in the kingdom? The ‘least,’ one who does the ‘serving.’ Jesus keeps pointing His finger around ‘servant-hood.’ He may point His finger on leadership but is of the world and He said, “not so among you!”

“Paul, an apostle and a SERVANT of Jesus Christ…”
“James, a SERVANT of Jesus Christ…”
“Peter, an apostle and a SERVANT of Jesus Christ…”

If they were “leaders” they should have called themselves that, but why “servants?” Guess, they are different person? They cannot be one hey? Is he a “she” or a “he?” So, the 5-fold Gifts are “servants.’ Fathering and Mothering their next generation, serving the Body of Christ, not “leading one another,” I cannot find a verse on that, however I find “serve one another.” All the books on “Christian Leadership” and all the verses they quote are not really “leadership characteristics,” but of “servant-hood.” Let’s not call what is not there, let’s not name it. Take note, all major and minor problems in the body of Christ is not because of ‘leadership crises’ but of ‘servanthood crises.’ No one in the ‘leadership team’ wants to ‘serve!’ Leaders fought who makes the decisions, well, you’re not, I’m not. Jesus is, He’s the Head not me and you, It’s His Body, we’re only a part of it. Even if one is a ‘hand’ [has a 5-fold gifts], he still is a hand and not a head. Leaders fought who makes the decisions, who should be followed, everything must pass to them and so predicaments started to arise. Paul help birth the churches in just 3 week at least, and leaves them, entrusted them in the Holy Spirit [Acts 20]. But warns at the same time that ‘there are some among you here who will draw disciples for themselves.” It’s obvious, Paul does not worry about leadership, in fact he warns about it!

Christ is the leader, we are all His followers. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples…” Means, make “followers of Jesus.” If we are told to ‘make followers,’ then who made you/or someone a leader?’

The difference between OT and NT is being spirit-led.

  • Have you ever thought of leadership in this way before?
  • Does this bring a new focus on Jesus statements about leadership in Luke 22:25-27?
  • Does this give a new meaning to “Jesus is Lord?”
  • If, because of the new covenant, Jesus himself can lead each and every one of us, individually and in community, what happens when humans lead?
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Sharing Jesus with Postmodern Friends

Filed Under: Apostolic Ministry, Christendom, Church Life, Church Planting, Discipleship, Evangelism, Meeting Together, Organic Church, Spiritual Life, The Viral Jesus Book, Worldview by rossrohde — 6 Comments
November 26, 2010

Young upwardly mobile and wealthy

Western society has become postmodern whether we like it or not. Much of what is written in Christian circles about postmodern ministry seems to be written from either a perspective of fear or shallow trendiness. This is particularly true when it comes to evangelism. Those from the trendy camp think they can win postmoderns by being cooler than the coolest postmodern. I don’t think the people they are trying to reach are fooled by this. You can see a funny video that deals with this perspective  here. Those who react from fear are ready to throw up their hands and quit because postmoderns don’t seem to want to go to church and don’t even want to talk to us about God. There must be something seriously wrong with them. Or…perhaps there is something seriously wrong with how we are talking to them.

I have friends who are bringing postmoderns into the Kingdom. What is more, they are doing it among the young upwardly mobile wealthy in the San Francisco Bay Area. If there was ever a demographic of postmoderns that would seem to be unreachable this would be it. Yet, God is at work among them. Here is a slightly changed quote from woman who has been brought into the Kingdom through this ministry.

I was missing our session last night so I’m happy we’ll be able to meet next week. I wanted to tell everyone that I had been worried about how the 9-day vacation would be stressful and I wished I could bring you all along to remind me to rely on God in those moments when I felt cranky and ready to snap at the kids or Dan[1]. Then I realized that Jesus could do it! So I said, “Jesus, you’re coming on a road trip!” and all along in my mind I designated a seat in the car and a chair for him to sit in each hotel room! His presence really helped me, and it was our best and least stressful trip ever! What a wonderful thing! And also, on the second day of the trip Dan surprised me by giving me a book of daily prayers and reflections that he found in a gift shop along the trip. It was a nice addition to my reading each evening.

A number of months ago this woman, who I’ll call Heather, wouldn’t have considered doing something like this, nor even have considered herself a Christian. Her husband still doesn’t consider himself a Christian.  What are my friends doing with Heather, Dan and a number of people like them? They have learned that faithfully sharing the gospel can be done in ways that don’t necessarily offend postmoderns, but it won’t look anything like what is traditionally considered “witnessing.”

Sharing with Postmoderns

With this in mind I’d like to briefly discuss practical realities of sharing our faith with postmodern Westerners. This will be an amplification of what I discussed in Disconnected and Organic Discipleship.

Relationship: Postmoderns come to Christ through relationship not an encounter with strangers. My friends involved deeply in Heather and Dan’s life for years before Heather came into the Kingdom.

Life before words: Postmoderns want to see Jesus in our lives before they hear about Jesus from our lips. My friends live their lives with Heather and her network of relationships. They live real lives with them. They fail in front of them. They aren’t perfect, but Jesus shines through them even when they aren’t trying…probably best when they aren’t trying.

Spiritually hungry: Postmoderns are hungry for spirituality, but they want to experience it, not just talk about it. Heather wanted a Jesus that could go on a trip with her and make her life different. Dan seems glad Jesus came along on their vacation. That is different than telling someone three important doctrines about salvation.

Avoid “decisions”: Postmoderns don’t tend to “make decisions for Jesus.” It is much more common for them to “realize they have become a follower of Jesus.” To this day Heather hasn’t “made a decision.” But based on her own words she is following Jesus.

Avoid “church”: Postmoderns don’t want to be invited to church. In fact, they probably don’t want to go to church as we commonly think of it. They would much rather hang out with trusted friends. So if we are going to introduce Jesus to them you we going to have to take him to their sphere of influence, not try to take them to Jesus’ sphere of influence (the Church). You can read about this in Another Story from the Harvest, What Is an Apostle?, The Double Gospel of Attraction, Starting on the Wrong Foot and An Oikos Isn’t a Building.

Life before facts: Postmoderns aren’t usually impressed with proof through propositional facts. They are much more interested in the facts of the Gospel written in the life of a person they know and trust.

How many postmoderns do you know? Perhaps a better way of saying it is how many Westerners do you know who are younger than fifty. That’s roughly how many postmoderns you know. We aren’t merely going to lose a generation if we don’t learn how to lovingly share the gospel with them, we are going to lose the war. I’ll develop these ideas further in my upcoming book.[2]

Sharing with postmoderns is more an issue of trust and spiritual lifestyle with apt words at the right moment than proving our point with correct doctrine. Postmoderns are not only “winnable” they are more open to Jesus than the preceding generations. But, we have to share Jesus in ways that actually allow them to see him and experience him; ways they can understand.

  • Have you ever tried to share your faith with a postmodern? 
  • If you could ask one question about sharing Jesus with postmoderns, what would it be? 
  • Is sharing Jesus and sharing the gospel exactly the same thing? 
  • Does someone have to “understand the gospel” in order to come into the Kingdom? 

 

[1] Name has been changed.

[2] The book, originally titled The Jesus Virus is currently being considered for publication by a major Christian publisher. It will probably be renamed something like Viral Jesus.

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Thank You Starbucks

Filed Under: Apostolic Ministry, Christendom, Church History, Church Life, Church Planting, Discipleship, Evangelism, Meeting Together, Organic Church, Simple Church, The Viral Jesus Book, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 5 Comments
November 22, 2010

You can meet interesting people at Starbucks

Recently Dr. James Emery White, a professor at Gordon-Conwell Seminary wrote an article on the idea of church being our cultural third place. What is a “third place.” It is not home, that’s the first place. It’s not work or school, that’s our second place. It’s another place that we need to have our social needs met.

As Emery writes in his article, which you can find at www.crosswalk.com/11640711/, “We need a “third” place to provide a mooring for community life and wider, more fluid, creative interaction.” So what is a third place like? Ray Oldenburg, the originator of the concept suggest: that they should be free (or at least inexpensive); provide food and drink; be highly accessible (even walking distance); encourage “regulars”; be welcoming and comfortable; and allow for both new friends and old to be found in its confines. Think of Starbucks, or Peet’s if you’re from the Bay Area, or Caribou’s if you’re from the Midwest.

It is Emery’s contention that we need to turn the local church into the third place. He even gives some biblical justification for this reminding us that the early Church in Jerusalem met in the temple courts. I understand where Emery is coming from. But I would like to suggest a different alternative. Don’t turn a local church into a Starbucks. Take the church to Starbucks. Meet there. Get to know people there. Find ways to love the staff and regulars there. And in the process be Jesus in skin for people.

The church building has been modeled on the Roman basilica for 1,700 years.

We don’t need an expensive building to be the church. Once we have that expensive building we don’t have to recast it into a cheap imitation of a coffee shop. Starbucks has already paid for all of that. What’s more, they have friendly staff who will gladly brew you an expensive cup of coffee and sell you a pastry for a significant markup. But then, you aren’t really there for the coffee and pastry; you’re there for the third place. And, if we are wise, we can be there to extend the Kingdom.

For too long we have been sequestering the church in buildings based on the Roman basilica. You can read about the historical process of how this happened in my post Thank You Chairman Mao. But there is a significant strategic drawback to this. By sequestering ourselves we limit our ability to extend the Kingdom. We are, without intending it, hiding from the world instead of extending God’s reign into the world. This is both expensive and counterproductive. It’s a bit like paying somebody a lot of money to shoot you in the foot. I document both the historical process and the strategic implications in my upcoming book.

Why do we do this? I believe it’s because we think church is all about us. Gathering together as believers certainly has tremendous benefits. But we live for Jesus and the Church isn’t focused on us, its focused on Christ. It is Christianity not meanity. You can read more of my thoughts on this in my post Meanity.

So, here’s a hearty thanks to all those Starbucks out there. I look for the day when each Starbucks worldwide, and other Starbucks like places, coffee shops, pubs, and even street corners, have loving Christians meeting there and being Jesus in skin for those who need to know him.

  • Can you think of a really good function that a church building fulfills that can’t be better done someplace else for cheaper?
  • What other things are we doing out of tradition which are counterproductive?
  • Can you think of a good reason why we should actively and graciously meet in places like Starbucks?
  • What other places would be good for the church to meet besides coffeeshops and pubs?
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Another Story from the Harvest

Filed Under: Apostolic Ministry, Church Life, Church Planting, Discipleship, Evangelism, Jesus is Lord, Luke 10, Man of Peace, Meeting Together, Our Covenant With God, Simple Church, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 7 Comments
November 10, 2010

I planted a simple church a couple of weeks ago. But it didn’t follow the classic Luke 10 pattern. I’d like to tell you that story and what I’ve learned from it.

Normally when I plant a simple church among those who are coming to Christ, or have not yet come to Christ, I do it by following the pattern Jesus taught to apostolic workers in the harvest in Luke 10. You can see a few of my posts about this: Why Simple Churches Don’t Work, Reason #7, Four Keys to Church Planting and Peace to This House. This church has been a bit different.

This church has grown out of the ministry with Vitorio and Toño that I mentioned in Burgers and Jesus. I had been meeting with those two guys for a few weeks when I asked Toño if he would mind if I invited a few some people from our English as Second Language class and others to the group. He thought that would be a good idea.

When I mentioned our group at the ESL class all the Christians wanted to come. I knew from experience that was not a great idea. But, by God´s grace most of them didn´t get what they were looking for (a nice Evangelical Bible study) so they didn´t stay. However, one guy, German, who was already a Christian did stay. But he was not a typical Evangelical. God was actually leading him through detox (see: Bedbugs in Our Suitcase) and was frustrated with the legalism he was seeing. German has stayed and is excited by what we are doing.

I also, in consultation with Toño, invited two other guys, Cesar and Francisco. You can read their stories in Cesar, Man of Peace, Confronting Legalism-A Story from the Harvest and Francisco- Another Story from the Harvest. These are both men I´ve led to the Lord in the last year. Both have acted as men of peace yet we have not been able to start a stable church in their house. In place of that, I´ve discipled them and they have grown. When Francisco and Cesar finally met they found out that they knew each other casually and both were a bit surprised that the other was a new Christian.

So, last Friday all of us got together except for Toño who couldn´t make it. We had a delicious Hispanic meal (arroz con pollo, tongue tacos and tacos al pastor) and started discussing where we´d like to go in the coming time. One thing I was clear on, I was not going to be their pastor and I was not going to be their priest. I was their older, more experienced brother who could guide them to deeper contact with Jesus. I didn´t want to lead this, I wanted them to learn to follow Jesus’ lead. At one point I suggested that we could all bring food and share it in community. Cesar, in whose house we are meeting, said “I can provide food; you guys just bring people who need Jesus.” This, in turn, launched a lively discussion about evangelism without any of the evangelical jargon. It was very refreshing to hear new Christians encouraging each other to share their faith.

What I’ve learned

I believe with my whole heart that simple church planting should follow Jesus’ pattern in Luke 10. But that is not a technique, it is a pattern which is being controlled by Jesus the Lord of the harvest. And, he, as Lord, can change that any way he wishes. This church is a significant variation on the pattern. Cesar is a man of peace, and we are meeting at his house. But we haven’t planted a church in his oikos (network of relationship) but rather gathered a bunch of guys I’ve led to the Lord. This felt more like addition than multiplication for me. But I also felt it was what Jesus wanted done.

Lesson #1: patterns aren’t recipes. They have infinite variations. It is more like making soup with what you have in the kitchen, rather than trying to imitate Martha Stewart exotic recipe with glistening dollops of foie gras butter floating on islands of bok choy in veal stock. Jesus is the chef, you are the chef’s assistant and you put the ingredients in the soup as he suggests. The soup will be different every time.

Lesson #2: Don’t get doctrinaire about how Jesus ought to do it. This church plant was uncomfortable for me. The idea of gathering a bunch of guys I’ve led to the Lord instead of finding the person of peace and allowing the Kingdom to flow outward from there was uncomfortable. But that is what Jesus wanted. He told me to make disciples (Matt 28:19). That’s my job. He’s the Lord and I’m not. I’ll be content with that.

  • If we treat Jesus’ teaching in Luke 10 as a technique instead of a pattern what problems could arise?
  • Why do you think I was so resistant to having experienced Christians come to the group?
  • Why would grouping a series of people I’ve led to the Lord be addition rather than multiplication?
  • Why do you think I was so insistent about not being a pastor or priest?
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Church as God Wants It

Filed Under: Christendom, Church History, Church Life, Church Planting, Evangelism, Jesus is Lord, Meeting Together, New Covenant, Organic Church, Recommended Books, Simple Church, The Viral Jesus Book, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 3 Comments
November 5, 2010

Barnacles on a Ship's Hull

In my recent post Bedbugs in Our Suitcase I made a rather startling statement: “Those of us who have transitioned out of ‘Church as we know it’ to ‘Church as God wants it’[1] know that simply not going to a church service one morning does not complete the process of transition.” What is startling about that statement is that anyone would be so bold as to announce that they know how God wants his Church to be. I’d like to defend my rather bold assertion. 

First, let me start by saying I really don’t know, in the fine details, exactly what God wants his Church to be. Jesus is Lord, and I’m not. But I do think there is room to talk about how Jesus wants his Church to be in the broad brushstrokes. I believe there are two reasons why ‘Church as we know it’ is not really ‘Church as God wants it.’ I don’t deny that God can and is using ‘Church as we know it,’ but I would deny that what we have become used to is optimal or even desirable. The two reasons are these: 1.) Church as we know it is not the Church as God designed it; and 2.) Church as we know it does not fully reflect Jesus as Lord.

Church as we know it is not the Church as God designed it

When we look at the New Testament we see the Church as it was designed by Jesus. It was Church before the traditions of men began to encrust it like so many barnacles on the hull of a ship. And just like barnacles begin to slow down a ship, the traditions of men have made the Church into something that isn’t functioning as God intended. Church as God wants it, the Church we see in the New Testament, is designed for rapid reproduction. Its reproduction is not encumbered by buildings, human power structures, denominations, budgets, congregational structure, programming, planned worship services, liturgy, etc. etc. Instead it is a simple, organic spiritual group of people who are intimately connected to Jesus their Lord. They actively listen and then immediately obey. All of these later additions of men slow the Church down from being able to fulfill God’s purpose for his Church.

A Church Stripped to Run the Race

Think about it. How quickly can an institutional church reproduce; when it belongs to a denomination, is meeting in an expensive building, is paying a ministerial staff a series of salaries, when it is used to budgeting, and planning and programming its ministry like a business project? The answer is that it will be so slow and difficult that it will seldom happen. This is the major point of Tony and Felicity Dale’s book The Rabbit and the Elephant: Why Small Is the New Big for Today’s Church, a book I highly recommend. [2] It can happen, but it usually doesn’t. Compare that with a group of ten people with no staff, no budget, no building, no denominational structure and policy to please, and who are actively listening to Jesus and obeying everything he commands. The latter is stripped down to run the race. The other is a ship so encrusted with barnacles that it can barely move through the water. It is time to dry dock the Church, strip off the barnacles and set her free. This is one of the major points of my upcoming book.[3]

Church as we know it does not fully reflect Jesus as Lord

The stripped down Church described above is also much less encumbered by human interference. It does not have human power and leadership built into its design. Humans can still interfere, but it will become rather apparent to mature Christians. In its design, Church as God wants it is formatted to have a structure which directly connects it to Jesus her Lord. It is designed to be on mission with him under his direction and lordship. His leadership, rather than human leadership is built into the design. I believe that is why God designed it that way in the first place; because it reflects his new covenant arrangement with us. And I believe that is why, if we are wise we will return to that design. While it is still human, and therefore less than perfect, it does not have human interference built into its structure. Instead it has Jesus’ lordship built into its structure. Instead of being clumsy, nearly impossible to reproduce, it is designed to go on mission with Jesus its Lord and reproduce virally. Structure is not everything, but it is very important. It has consequences. Isn’t it time we dry docked the Church and took the barnacles off of her hull?

  • What would dry docking the Church look like? 
  • How quickly and cheaply could the church you are attending reproduce itself by winning people to Christ? Has it ever done it? Is it even trying? How does design play into that? 
  • Do you agree that human leadership structure built into the design of the Church can inhibit Jesus’ lordship? 
  • Do you agree or disagree that structure can inhibit or enhance the rapid reproduction of the Church?

 

[1] I borrowed these two phrases from Wolfgang Simson’s Starfish Manifesto.

[2] Tony and Felicity Dale and George Barna, The Rabbit and the Elephant, (Carol Stream, IL: Barna, 2009)

[3] Formerly my book was to be entitled The Jesus Virus, I am currently in the process of negotiations with a publisher which would like to change the title to something more like Viral Jesus. One title or the other, it will probably be published in 2011.

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Bedbugs in Our Suitcase

Filed Under: Christendom, Church Life, Church Planting, Discipleship, House Church, Jesus is Lord, Meeting Together, New Covenant, Organic Church, Our Covenant With God, Simple Church, Spiritual Life, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 5 Comments
November 1, 2010

Somtimes we leave with extra baggage

In my last post When Servants Become Kings I asked the question; when we step out of the system, how much of it do we end up bringing with us; like bedbugs in our suitcase? The system I was referring to is institutionalized Christianity or Christendom.

Those of us who have transitioned out of “Church as we know it” to “Church as God wants it”[1] know that simply not going to a church service one morning does not complete the process of transition. So I’d like to discuss some key points in this process of transitioning out of institutional church into organic church, a process commonly called detox.[2]

 

 

Awareness

Nobody I know of wakes up one morning and decides, on the spur of the moment, without provocation, that they don’t want to participate in institutional Christianity any more. There is normally a dawning awareness that something is not right. It is more of a feeling, than something we can put our finger on. But the feeling causes us to start looking for what is bothering us. When we actually start looking, we start noticing and interconnected web of issues that don’t really jibe with what the Bible actually says. For example, we might note something as simple as worship services are never mentioned or described in the Bible. This in turn cause us to note issues like staff, budgets, abuse of power, titles, ministry as business, pulpits, programs… the list goes on. Something is rotten in Denmark.

The Emperor has No Clothes

It is no longer a matter of the Emperor’s socks being the wrong color

At some point, we reach the tipping point. We realize that this is no longer a list of related problems, it is a system. It is a system that is not only extra biblical, it is often contra-biblical. We begin to realize that, just like the Pharisees of the New Testament, faith in God has been turned into the religion of men. It is no longer a matter of the Emperor’s socks being the wrong color; we realize he is actually naked. This creates in many a sense of betrayal. This is a critical and dangerous point. If we not only turn on the system, but the people in the system, we will allow a root of bitterness to spring up in our souls. It is appropriate to note the Emperor has no clothes. It is not appropriate to call everyone in the parade a bunch of perverts.

Church in a House

Most people’s first foray into something somewhat organic is to try to start a church in a house with some of the friends who have noticed the Emperor’s lack of clothes. What we don’t notice is that we have brought bedbugs in our suitcase. We may meet in a house, but we have positional leadership and an order of worship. Sometimes we even sit in rows and have a pulpit. This isn’t really organic Christianity or even house church Christianity; it is what John White calls Honey I Shrunk the Church.

House Church as a Technique

At some point we actually begin to experience Jesus within our community. We actually start to relate to one another in an organic way. We begin to experience what the Bible was talking about when it refers to the ekklesia. This is so wonderful. If only we could bottle this. If only we could get everyone to see what we see. We need to mass produce this; to create an organic church assembly line. We have reached another critical phase; one that has the illusion of being complete. We think we have arrived. But we are just another step down the line of the process.

This stage has at least three problems with it. First, we are focusing on church as the answer to our problems. Jesus is the answer to our problems. Second, we are seeing this form of church as a technique; one we can bottle and sell. The power isn’t in the technique, the power is in Jesus. Finally, this isn’t missional. Jesus is on a mission to reclaim his lost and broken world. He invites us on this mission with him.

On Mission with Jesus

Hopefully, eventually, we will learn that organic church was designed by Jesus to accompany him on mission. It is simple. It is easily reproduced. Its simplicity more easily allows for his lordship to be expressed in every aspect of its expression. It is designed for a community to follow Jesus the Lord in new covenant relationship. By being stripped down, this is church ready to run the race. Now, perhaps we really have gotten rid of the bedbugs in the suitcase.

  • What stage are you in? Do you even think there is a problem with Church as we know it? 
  • Do you think one ever really gets out of this detox process? 
  • Have you noticed that the Emperor is wearing no clothes? Are you handling that in a healthy way, or are you calling names? 
  • Are you on mission with Jesus? 

 

[1] I borrowed these two phrases from Wolfgang Simson’s Starfish Manifesto.

[2] I’m usually pretty careful about using the word detox. While it is an apt as a descriptive metaphor of the process, it implies an overly critical view of our brethren still worshiping Jesus in institutional settings.

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What Is an Apostle?

Filed Under: Apostolic Ministry, Biblical Meditation, Christendom, Church History, Church Planting, Discipleship, Evangelism, Luke 10, Man of Peace, Organic Church, Supernaturalism, The Viral Jesus Book, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 1 Comment
October 27, 2010

What is an Apostle?

The foundational role of an apostle is something that the Church seems to have nearly lost in its long history. This was a direct result of institutionalization and becoming the State Church of Rome rather than the aggressive, Kingdom declaring Church it was designed to be. We’ve lost our understanding of what apostleship is all about. At times it has been replaced by crazy ideas that can do a lot of damage but don’t actually fulfill the biblical role. So, I’d like to dedicate this blog to apostleship, as it was originally designed in the New Testament. Think of it as Apostleship 101. Below there will be links to other posts which will further develop apostleship and share some modern day stories. Apostolic ministry is also developed in my upcoming book The Jesus Virus.

Apostles Expand the Kingdom by Building Foundations

Apostles are sent to expand the Kingdom where there is no Kingdom. They are like sodbusters opening up the frontier. A biblical metaphor for this in Eph. 2:19-20 is that they are foundation builders: Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

Apostles are Sent by Jesus

Jesus is called an apostle in Heb. 3:1. That is because he was sent by the Father to expand His Kingdom. Jesus’ ministry is the model for all other apostolic ministry. What do apostles do? Look at what Jesus did. However, the specific outline of apostolic ministry in found in Jesus teaching, as he sends out his disciples in Matt. 10; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6 and seventy-two others in Luke 10:1-23. Note that in Matt. 10:1 the disciples are renamed apostles when Jesus sends them.

The Signs of an Apostle

The things that mark an apostle—signs, wonders and miracles—were done among you with great perseverance (2 Cor. 12:12). Everyone was filled with awe, and many (Acts 2:43). Since Apostles are breaking new ground among people who probably have never heard of Christ (or have rejected Christianity because of the excesses of Christendom), they often need to have a supernatural divine stamp of approval on their ministry. This is so that non-Christians can see their message isn’t just their opinion, but they are truly sent from God.

True apostleship replaced by crazy ideas which do a lot of damage

Apostleship is a Gift

Apostleship is a spiritual gift. It is not an intuitional position. It is mentioned in Eph. 4:11-13 with the other foundational gifts: It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Apostles work together with prophets to build the foundation of the Kingdom (see below). The other gifts mentioned here have other tasks to bring the Church to full maturity.

These are all spiritual gifts, not institutional positions. One is not more important than the other. Nor are they more important than any other spiritual gift. They are foundational and may be more “showy,” but they are not more important. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” (I Cor. 12:21). There isn’t any status rank in the Kingdom.

Apostles Work with Prophets

As Eph 2:20 says God’s household, his Kingdom, is built on the foundation of apostles and prophets. Apostles are spiritually designed to boldly take the gospel into new territory. They are gifted to think strategically and often get God’s strategy for a given situation directly from the Holy Spirit. So they are a highly strategic ministry. Good strategy needs good intelligence. That’s where prophets work hand in hand with apostolic ministry. They hear from God and allow the apostle to be more closely attuned to what he wants to do.

There is much more to be said about apostleship. But suffice it to say that apostles are spiritually gifted people, sent on a mission by Jesus, who break new Kingdom territory, working closely with prophets. But they are not positional, titled leaders with a special status.

You can read other posts on apostolic ministry here: Spirituality Isn’t Chemistry, Looking for Trigger Events, Peace to This House, Why Simple Churches Don’t Work, Reason #2,  Why Simple Churches Don’t Work, Reason #3,  Why Simple Churches Don’t Work, Reason #4, Why Simple Churches Don’t Work, Reason #7, Why Simple Churches Don’t Work, Reason #8, Four Keys to Church Planting, An Oikos Isn’t a Building and Building on the Right Foundation. You can read some modern stories of apostolic ministry in: Cesar, Man of Peace, Why Simple Churches Don’t Work, Reason #6, Confronting Legalism-A Story from the Harvest, Francisco- Another Story from the Harvest, and Burgers and Jesus.

  • Does it make sense that apostles and prophets can be foundational without being more important than anyone else?
  • Why would institutionalism and becoming a State Church cause apostleship to be ignored?
  • Some people believe that apostleship ended with the original twelve + Paul? Can you see any scriptural reason to believe this? Why do you think this idea became popular in certain theological circles?
  • Does apostleship automatically mean maturity and/or God’s stamp of approval?
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Biblical Obscurity

Filed Under: Apostolic Ministry, Biblical Meditation, Church Planting, Jesus is Lord, Luke 10, Man of Peace, New Covenant, Our Covenant With God, Spiritual Life, Supernaturalism, Worldview by rossrohde — 2 Comments
October 15, 2010

An Ancient Mirror

Ever wonder why the Bible isn’t written like a text book or a user’s manual? Sure, there are quite a few things in the Scriptures which are crystal clear, but there are just as many or more that are mysterious, incomplete or enigmatic. Even Paul said “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (I Cor. 13:12). If Paul, a lifelong Bible scholar, someone who had a mystical vision of Christ and someone who wrote a major portion of the New Testament, found living the Christian life less than straight forward; how could we possibly have things figured out 2000 years later? I ask again, why isn’t the Bible written more clearly? I think there is a wonderful reason, and that reason is centered in Christ.

As I’ve been writing in a couple of my recent posts Gentlemen This is a Football and Constraints of Supernaturalism everything we understand from Scripture, everything we do in ministry, even everything we think and believe should be put through the dual lenses of the new covenant and the lordship of Jesus Christ. This is another important example.

Spirit Leads to Truth

The Bible itself does not say that the Bible will lead us unto all the truth. The Bible just claims to be truth. We should have even less confidence in our human rational ability.  According to the Bible the role of leading to truth is reserved for the Spirit: But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come (Jn. 16:13). Once we understand how the new covenant and the lordship of Jesus work together, this makes perfect sense. Jesus wants to teach us the truth. He wants to lead us there through his Spirit. This is in keeping with the new covenant truth of the Spirit speaking into our heart and mind. But, he will do so within the parameters of the Scripture. This allows us to have a relationship with Jesus, not just knowledge about him. This allows him to lead us as our Lord in every aspect of life, including ministry. This is in keeping with his statement that apart from him we can do nothing. This is new covenant to the core.

We Don't See as Clearly as We Would Like

Does this negate the value of the Bible? May it never be! The Bible is valuable in every way. Our lives, beliefs and ministry should always reflect the Scriptures, but the details belong to Jesus. The Bible is the outline, the parameters. Jesus, through his Spirit, fills in the particular details. And, the Spirit himself superintended the writing of the Scriptures. He won’t deny himself.

Apostolic Ministry as an Example

Let’s look at Lk. 10:1-23 as an example. The outline of apostolic ministry is laid out in Luke 10. It is reiterated and given further detail in Matthew 10, Mark 6 and Luke 9. Jesus’ ministry in the Gospels and the apostolic ministry in Acts further illustrate the patterns and principles of Luke 10. Yet could any sane person believe that apostolic ministry here or anywhere in the New Testament is presented like a text book, with all of the mystery taken out, with all of the questions answered? Let me ask a few questions: What exactly is a man of peace/worthy man? How exactly does one find the man of peace? How do we distinguish this person from others? What does it mean in Lk 10:6 “when your peace rests on him or returns to you?” What are the exact parameters for shaking off the dust of our feet and cursing? When do we do that and when do we keep staying and ministering?

I need to know the answers to these questions, if I’m going to live the apostolic lifestyle. Who is going to explain this to me? I guarantee the answers are not to be found anywhere in the Bible; I’ve looked long and hard. This is really looking at a poor reflection in a mirror. But am I stuck without answers?

I’m not stuck without answers because I have the Spirit of Jesus living in me. He will use the Christian operating system of the new covenant to lead me to any truth I will need, by the Spirit. And it will be fully biblical when he gives it to me. He never guaranteed to answer my every question, but I can trust him to give me what I need.

My own experience tells me that this kind of lifestyle is learned. It requires going on a lifelong learning journey with Jesus. It requires learning to listen. It requires test, trials, failures, mistakes, victories and lots of incremental lessons. It requires becoming a lifelong student of the Scriptures, reading them under the direction of the Spirit. But this is a journey worth taking, because we are with Jesus and we are seeking his kingdom, learning his righteousness. I don’t know about you but if I had it all laid out like a user’s manual, I’d probably try to do it myself and miss the best part; the journey and relationship with Jesus.

  • Do you find some of the Bible enigmatic?
  • If the Bible were our only guide, without the Spirit, how would we know the details of what needs to be done in particular circumstances?
  • If the details are left up to us, does that negate the Lordship of Jesus? Are we doing things apart from him?
  • Why did Jesus, who knew the Scriptures well, only do what he saw the Father doing? Is what is described above a modern day reflection of how Jesus operated?
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