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Welcome
Some articles in the
'ideas from the edge' email series -
The Church has had its day by David Allis
The Missional Church: becoming a Missional Community by
David Allis,
and also
The Missional Church: Two Different Sets of Values by
various authors
The Problem with Preaching by David Allis - a challenging
critique of the theology & practice of 'preaching' in western
churches.
Look here to see other articles in the
'ideas from
the edge'
Look here to subscribe to regular-ish
weekly email articles
'ideas from
the edge' from a variety of writers.
Foster a child with the Open Home
Foundation
The Open Home Foundation needs Christian people who are willing
to open their homes and hearts to children and young people in
our nation.
To find out more about fostering, please click on this link
WANTED
- Tauranga
house church
please let us know
- Nelson house church (in Nelson New Zealand)
..... we know of someone looking for a Nelson house church ....
if you know of one, please
contact us
- Roturua house church (in Rotorua New Zealand)
..... we know of someone looking for a Rotorua house church ....
if you know of one, please
contact us
When 'Good' is
the Enemy of 'Best' - article by David Allis
(send us your comments on it)
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What are house churches???????
?What
sort of churches meet in homes deliberately? .... these home based
churches that are a bit (or a long way) outside the 'box' ... hence
the name 'Edge'. Actually, they're a bunch
of people who (hopefully) think & live outside the box
- being the church in their community.
?What are they called in New Zealand - house churches, home
churches, micro churches, organic churches, simple churches,
emerging churches, liquid churches, street churches, XYZ churches,
edge churches .......... whatever label you like
?What are they like? ... a wide variety .... but they often don't
have a church building (they usually meet in a house), professional
clergy, paid staff etc
?Are we a formal network? ... Nope .... definitely not ... but we
want to encourage the exploration & development of alternative ways
to 'be church' (not 'Do church')........... hence you'll find links
here to all sorts of groups/ churches/ networks/ websites etc ......
so we use the term 'network' in a very very very loose,
non-structured, informal way (if you have any ideas for better words
to use, let us know)
apostolic churches? - yep - hopefully cutting edge, sent out,
breaking new ground etc - real apostolic stuff (with a little 'a')
missional communities - hopefully - if they aren't, we are
probably wasting our time ...
Do we endorse all the house churches we link to? ....... No & Yes
....... we can't endorse something we don't know well, but we
haven't heard anything bad about them ....... so as far as we know
they're OK
?Are house churches safe? .... hopefully ..... but the only way
to be sure with any church is to check them out, use your wisdom,
talk to other people & compare them with what you learn from the
Bible. There is a wide variety of house churches out there - you
might like some & dislike others .....
?How 'emerged' are we? ..... not very far at all - but we're
having fun on the journey
So What Do We Believe In?
- Mission - we want to be effective in seeing people come into
relationship with JC & become disciples
- Discipleship - growth only comes as people enter God's
kingdom & become disciples of Jesus
- Planting 'churches' that are relevant & 'effective'
- The Bible is accurate & authoritative in our lives &
churches
- Rethinking what it means to 'be the church'
- Reviewing our lives ... to see how much we are influenced by
God, & how much is extra stuff added thru christian/church
culture, western culture, societal expectations etc
- Healthy dialogue - as we try to figure out how to follow
Jesus
- Remember the poor (Gal 2:10)
Who Are We?
This (great?) house church site has been thrown
together by David & Margaret Allis (& their 6 wonderful kids). We
are establishing a missional church in Devonport Auckland that meets
in our home (unless you live nearby & have better coffee). See the
Devonport
page for more info .... We hope this site will serve the emerging
missional church (house, home, micro, organic, simple, liquid,
street, XYZ, edge) in New Zealand. There are many great churches in
Devonport - we are proud to be one of them.
Contact Information
If you want to talk more, we can be contacted at by
email or ph (9) 445-1293 - come & have a coffee sometime if you
like.
Edgenet - serving emerging 'new wineskin' churches -
house churches/ home churches / micro churches / micros / home-based
churches / edge churches / organic churches / emerging churches /
street churches / xyz churches / liquid churches / simple churches /
apostolic churches / ??? churches |
Some more interesting reading about house churches
.......
A Canadian Advert -
Needed: HouseChurch.ca Planters! - The house church
movement in Canada has just begun. We are on the lookout for house
church planters. People who will take this vision to different parts of
Canada and to the rest of the world. Does what you read here make your
heart beat a little faster? When you read our vision do you see yourself
helping to fulfill it? Then please contact us. We'd love to hear from
you.
The same is DEFINITELY TRUE FOR NZ - do you want
help to spread the vision, plant home-based churches (house church /
micro church / simple church / organic church) in NZ (or overseas)???
Contact us, & we can help link you with some very helpful people...
TOP TEN Reasons for Planting
House Churches
The following is taken from “The Global House Church Movement” by Rad
Zdero
1. Biblical – This was the normative New Testament
pattern established by Jesus and the apostles and perpetuated by the
early church of the first three centuries and in subsequent renewal,
reform and revival movements throughout history. (Acts 2:46, 5:42,
20:20)
2. Exponential - To reach a growing world, we need to
multiply, not just add. Current house church movements worldwide are
outstripping more traditional church planting and church growth efforts.
3. Effective – The most effective method of evangelism
is not growing existing churches, but planting new ones. House churches
are the most easily reproducible form of church, and hence, are the most
obvious choice for church planting.
4. Natural – House churches become part of the local
community and easily tap into relationship connections, thereby more
readily taking on an indigenous flavour.
5. People-Focused – They focus on relationships and the
development of people spiritually, not on executing programs or
projects.
6. Efficient – They are more mobile, flexible, and
adaptable than conventional churches, especially in areas characterized
by persecution and poverty.
7. Equal Opportunity – Because of their small, intimate
and participatory nature, all believers have the opportunity to exercise
their spiritual gifts during church meetings, and not just professional
clergy or key leaders.
8. Unbounded – They are not limited by church
buildings. Whatever use buildings may or may not have, history shows
that they are not necessary for rapid church planting movements to
start; in fact, they may be a hindrance. Although church buildings are
not evil by any means, nor are homes in any way magical, the practical
release of time, energy and money away from building maintenance, and
into evangelism and discipleship, should cause us to rethink current
practices.
9. Inexpensive – They are less expensive than
traditional church, because no expensive buildings, programs, or
professional clergy are required.
10. Immediate – It can start now, right in your living
room. There is no need to wait for a gym to be rented or for a building
program to be completed to begin a new church or for a full-time pastor
to be hired.
House Church
- a good definition from
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
House church is an informal term for a group of
Christians
gathering regularly or spontaneously in a home instead of a building
dedicated to the purpose. Another term with the same meaning is "home
church".
Some groups meet like this because they lack a conventional
church building; but these are not normally regarded as house
churches. Others meet in homes because they prefer to meet informally,
or because they believe meeting in a home is the true pattern set in the
first century and intended by Christ. Some, perhaps, meet in homes for
several of these reasons.
Structure and organisation
House churches should not be confused with "cell
churches". A house church is not normally part of a larger,
overseeing organization, although the group may associate informally
with other Christians and house churches in networks reflecting equality
rather than hierarchy. Those who meet in house churches regard
themselves as belonging to the worldwide Church, but are self-governing
and independent, generally without formal relationships with established
"institutional" churches.
Some house churches have a conventional leadership structure, others
have none. A commonly held belief in the modern day house church
"movement" is that the
Protestant
Reformation did not go far enough to
demonstrate a
New Testament belief in the "priesthood of all believers" and that
Jesus Christ alone is the Head of the Church which is the body of
Christ. This movement has been gaining momentum worldwide in both
industrialized countries such as Australia, Germany, the UK and the USA,
and in third world countries.
The absence of hierarchical leadership structures in many house
churches, while often viewed by the Protestant church at large as a sign
of anarchy or rebelliousness to authority, is actually viewed by many in
the house church movement to be the most viable way to come under true
spiritual authority of love, relationships, and the visible dominion of
Jesus Christ as Head of His own bride. Some within the house church
"movement" therefore consider the term house church to be a
misnomer, because the main issue within people who practice their faith
in this manner is not the house but more the type of meeting that takes
place; other titles which are sometimes used to describe this movement
more functionally are "simple church", "relational church", "primitive
church", "bodylife", "organic church" and similar terms.
The house church movement also owes much of its networking and exchange
of information to the use of the internet; HC is generally used as an
abbreviation for 'House Church' and IC is used to designate
"Institutional Church" which is the generalized term for more
traditional church structures, including a church building and/or
sermon-centered church services led by a pastor or minister.
As a rule, house church gatherings are free, informal, and sometimes
include a shared meal. Participants hope that everyone present will feel
free to contribute to the gathering as and when they sense the leading
of the Holy Spirit to do so. Leadership
structures range from no official leaders, to a plurality of appointed
elders; however, there is a deliberate attempt within most house
churches to minimize the leadership of any one person, and so having one
pastor or leading elder is generally frowned upon, in favor of a more
plural responsibility of leadership diffused over several people or the
members as a whole.
Origins and history
The origins of this movement are varied. Some consider it a new variety
of the Plymouth Brethren movement, others
recognise a relationship to the Quakers or see it as resulting from the writings
of Gene Edwards ( http://www.seedsowers.com ). There is also an argument that the
house church movement is a re-emergence of the move of the Holy Spirit
during the Jesus Movement of the 70's in the USA ( http://www.one-way.org ) or the worldwide
Charismatic Renewal of the late 60's and 70's. Most see it as simply
New Testament church Restorationism (
http://www.ntrf.org
), urging Christians to return from hierarchy and rank to practices
described in the Bible ( http://www.century-one.co.uk ). The house church movement may in
some ways be considered a cousin of the
Emerging Church movement.
Probably there is no single factor, but all the threads noted above
have contributed to the growth of house churches.
External links
Discussion Forums
Further information
See also
Chinese house church. Be aware, however, that Chinese house churches
typically have a leadership structure (including a pastor) that
resembles "underground traditionally structured churches" in contrast to
what is generally considered to be a "housechurch" in countries with
religious freedom and tolerance.
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