Bookmarks, Study Guides, Research, and Sharing.

Of course, anyone can use these resources. But a better question is, should I use them? What are the pros & cons?

Decentralized house church movements produce very few resources that are used by lots of people who have started simple house churches. In contrast, conventional churches produce a lot of resources that are used by a few people (often Bible workers, pastors, and the “doers” who accounts for about 10% of a given congregation who try to reach their community).

What is the challenge?

As conventional churches continue to decline given the 2019 Tipping Point, there is a growing search to find something that will “work.” It is tempting to use the few materials developed by house church movements to see if they will “work” in conventional or hybridized churches.

What often happens to the mission field?

When a conventional or hybridized church uses house church movement materials, eventually, the mission field realizes the conventional is ultimately trying to get them to become church members, which is typically interpreted as a bait-n-switch tactic. The mission field backs out, which should not surprise us, given the sharp decline in people who are no longer willing to go to conventional churches. But the damage has been done, and the mission field has been inoculated.

Time passes. The mission field is still seeking God. They discover a house church and, with renewed hope, get involved. Only to discover, “Hum, I recognize these materials from the conventional church (even though they were house church materials used by the conventional church). Been here, done that. This is not for me. I’m out of here!” And the Kingdom opportunity is lost – again.

What happens to the church member?

When a conventional church member has used house church movement materials, and people do not attend or join their conventional church, they naturally conclude “it” does not work – meaning they did not get baptized, become members, and donate. So, the church member is also inoculated.

Time passes. Eventually, the conventional church member accepts that their church will continue to decline. It is not their fault. They are caught in a massive cultural shift away from conventional churches. And now, the church member is ready to consider starting a house church. As they complete their training, they say to themselves, “Hum, I remember trying these materials a few years back, and it did not work.”

Of course, it did not work. Simple House Church materials are not designed for conventional churches, which have different goals and values. When one mixes the house church paradigm and the conventional church paradigm, trying to get the best of both worlds (what some call a hybrid), one often gets the worst of both and hurts God’s Kingdom work – the mission field is inoculated, and the church member is inoculated.

Recommendation

To come full circle. Of course, anyone can use these materials in a conventional or hybridized church.

But a better choice would be to start a simple house church that is more effective in reaching today’s de-churched, non-churched, and un-churched people.

➥ Access online training CLICK HERE

Divided — Why so 60%-80% of youth and young adults leaving the church? This eye-opening documentary will provide some helpful insights. If you are parents and are attending a conventional church, take the time to watch this documentary. Then watch this Simple Church presentation which will give some additional insights and further explain why so many youth and young adults leave the church.

The Seventh Day: Revelations from the Lost Pages of History  Hal Holbrook reveals the ages-long controversy over the biblical day of worship—the Creation Sabbath. This story spans thousands of years and links key evidence from around the world. Holbrook’s testimony provides an exposé, supported by more than 50 historians and theologians with Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant and Jewish perspectives.

Packard Josh. Church Refugees: Sociologists Reveal Why People Are DONE With Church But Not Their Faith, 2015.

What Matters Now, by Gary Hamel articulates the downsides of top-down leadership and the upsides of bottom-up decentralized leadership systems.

The End of Leadership, by Barbara Kellerman explains the reversing of the typical hierarchical pyramid.

Revolution by George Barna is a must-read for anyone interested in house churches. He articulates the reasons why 20 million (between 2000-2005) left local typical churches in their search for God.

The American Church in Crisis: Groundbreaking Research Based on a National Database of over 200,000 Churches by David T. Olson, 2008, provides you with some of the most recent research on the spiritual and religious trends of North America.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell will help you understand a number of the dynamics of the global network. This is not a house church book, but it addresses sociology and group behavior—tipping point factors—which are often called movements.

Missional House Churches by J.D. Payne, 2007, chronicles a research study on house churches found in North America. Of all the books I’ve read, this book gives irrefutable statistical evidence as to why house churches cannot be ignored.

unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons is sobering.

The Search to Belong: Rethinking Intimacy, Community, and Small Groups by Joseph R. Myers explains a paradigm shift and what it means to “belong” in today’s world. This book is very challenging, especially in how a church relates to the question of belonging.

Revolution in the Church by Russell Burrill is a short and easy read that prepares the way for the coming Revolution. Or call Andrews University Bookstore, 269 471-8303.

Evangelism by Ellen White. This book is recommended by Dr. Cho, pastor of the world’s largest church in Seoul, Korea.

Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God (workbook, ISBN: 1415858381) by Henry T. Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, and Claude V. King, provides a breath of fresh air. For those who have grown up with a highly intellectual approach to spirituality, this book leads one to experience a more personal relationship with God. Get a head start as this book is part of the Simple Church training.

The Serendipity Bible for groups is an excellent resource for Simple Church. The free Simply Series Leader’s Guides listed above are uniquely written for Simple Church gatherings.

The Andrews Study Bible is also an excellent resource to use in Simple Church. The commentary portion provides tips for perplexing passages.

Mark Finley, Studying Together, 1994.  This pock-sized reference guide that explores most of the Bible topics people have questions about.