Paul’s Idea of Community by Robert J. Banks is a well researched study exploring the cultural settings surrounding Paul and the early church and its impact on early community life. This classic work is a deep dive so you better sharpen your steak knives and get the Worcestershire sauce out. The excerpt below is about the sharing of possessions.
For all his emphasis on these physical expressions of fellowship, Paul never suggests that the members of his communities have “all things in common,” as did those at Qumran. The oneness of Christians in the gospel does not necessarily involve the pooling of all their material resources. Not that their attitude to property stays unaffected by their commitment to Christ and one another. They are to remember “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9, RSV). In practical terms this does not mean divesting themselves of all their property so much as the sharing of their “abundance” and “prosperity” with those in want (2 Cor 8:14; 1 Cor 16:2). This should lead to the situation where “the one who gathered much had nothing over, and the one who gathered little had no lack” (2 Cor 8:15, RSV). In the spirit of the gospel such sharing should spring from a “loving” and “generous” heart. Indeed without this voluntary response, even the total yielding up of one’s possessions is worthless, an “exaction” stemming from a “command” (2 Cor 8:8; 9:5). Paul insists that “each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7, NRSV). And this opens up the possibility of people exhibiting a “wealth of liberality,” giving not only “according to their means” but “beyond their means, of their own free will” even though in a situation of extreme poverty (2 Cor 8:2-3, RSV).
Paul does not call for the abolition of private property or for its transformation into joint ownership. But neither does he talk of people possessing a right to it. Any idea of rights is foreign to Paul. It cuts across all that he stands for. The gospel is about not the claiming of a right but the offering of a present. It is no accident that at the climax of his longest discussion on the sharing of possessions he breaks off into the exclamation, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift” (2 Cor 9:15, RSV). All that the believer owns has to be viewed through the cross, feel its imprint, and become the basis for service to others. In some instances that will mean parting with things, particularly when there is more than enough; in others it will mean parting with some when there is really less than enough. Just occasionally, as with Paul himself, it will mean parting with all and not even asking for recompense.
Paul’s view of possessions goes beyond that characteristic of the Hellenistic associations. For Paul, the sharing of material possessions as a physical expression of fellowship was to take place voluntarily. Though the principle of mutual financial support also lay at the heart of club life, it was a carefully regulated affair and kept within calculated limits. In this respect it mirrored the general practice of philanthropy in the ancient world at this time, which was to desire reciprocal returns. If other motives sometimes surfaced, these concerned the expectation of official honor being awarded to the donor. Even where gifts were distributed without anything being received in return, it often took place on a quid pro quo basis, with the most worthy of the disadvantaged gaining most of what was dispersed.
Unlike the Essenes, Paul did not found communes as he moved around the ancient world, but this does not mean that he did not challenge common attitudes to property. Those who became members of his communities could never again look on what they owned with the same eyes.
I stumbled upon this great Called-Forth series by Kevin Geoffrey of The Biblically Correct Podcast. Highlighted below is episode #57 from late 2023. This is part 7 of 7. Watch it on YouTube here. Check out the podcast here and his website here. The rest of the series is linked below.
The “church” of God—Yeshua’s “Called-Forth”—was never meant to be based on form or structure, but on us: the people. In the Scriptures, we’ve been given a biblical pattern that reveals how we are supposed to work and function together as the Body of Messiah, and it looks nothing like “church” (or “Messianic synagogue”) as usual. In this episode, Kevin wraps up his 7-part series about biblical “church” with a candid word of exhortation, and a vivid sketch of what our gatherings and communities could look like… if we actually followed the Scriptures.
Jon Zens shared this powerful quote several months ago from Elton Trueblood’s book The Yoke of Christ and Other Sermons. I’m definitely looking forward to reading this book. I’ve already reviewed a couple of Jon Zens’ books all of which I highly recommend. You can find the reviews on my Resources page and you can find more about Jon Zens by clicking here.
“He [Jesus] did not leave an army; He did not leave an organization, in the ordinary sense. What He left, instead, was a little redemptive fellowship made up of extremely common people whose total impact was miraculous…It is hard for us to visualize what early Christianity was like. Certainly it was very different from the Christianity known to us today.
There were no fine buildings…There was no hierarchy; there were no theological seminaries; there were no Christian colleges; there were no Sunday Schools; there were no choirs. Only small groups of believers – small fellowships.
In the beginning there wasn’t even a New Testament. The New Testament itself was not so much a cause of these fellowships as a result of them. Thus the first books of the New Testament were the letters written to the little fellowships partly because of their difficulties, dangers and temptations. All that they had was the fellowship; nothing else; no standing; no prestige; no honor…
The early Christians were not a people of standing, but they had a secret power among them, and the secret power resulted from the way in which they were members one of another…What occurred in the ancient civilization was the organic development of the fellowship, but never a merely individual Christianity.
That would not have been able to survive. The fellowship was the only thing that could win. The early Christians came together to strengthen one another and to encourage one another in their humble gatherings such as are described in 1 Cor. 14, and then they went out into their ministry in the Greco-Roman world…
All of these parts [of the empire] were touched because the fellowship itself had such intensity, such vitality, and such power…If all the salt is washed out of [the fellowship], if all that is left is just the worldly emphasis of respectability and fine buildings, an ecclesiastical structure and conventional religion with the redemptive power gone, it isn’t partly good; it isn’t any good.
Christ is saying that mild religion, far from being of partial value, is of utterly no value…It is easy to go on with the motions; it is easy to continue a structure; it is easy to go on with a system. But Christ says it isn’t worth a thing.”
Elton Trublood, The Yoke of Christ and Other Sermons
This short fifty page narrative by author Robert Banks is quite engaging. This story is told by a fictional character called Publius Valerius Amicius Rufus who is invited to a Christian gathering for the first time. An excerpt from the book is below.
When everyone had seated themselves and Lysias had packed away the game, Aquila bowed his head slightly and asked the spirit of his god to guide all that now took place. As before he did this quite simply and matter-of-factly. After a short pause he then suggested we sing a song, the one the children particularly liked. This met with general approval. Gaius, who had a fine baritone voice, led off and soon everyone was joining in, the children clapping their hands as they sang. I even managed to join in myself after a while. I enjoy nothing more than a good sing but don’t very often get the chance to indulge. We nearly lifted the rafters off in the last chorus, so goodness knows what the people next door made of it!
The song had no sooner finished than Clement closed his eyes and began to talk to his god. Like Aquila, he spoke in a quite ordinary fashion, almost as if his god were a close acquaintance in the same room. As Clement conversed with him, he repeated something that had been mentioned several times in the song, about the world as a present from the god to us. A strange idea, don’t you think? He expanded on this at some length. He went into a lot of detail about so often taken-for-granted things that we use, see, hear and smell every day which come from god’s hands. While he was talking, there were occasional murmurs of agreement from others in the room. At the end there was a loud affirmation from the whole group.
This same pattern repeated itself as different people spoke, women as well as men, and even one of the children. Some of the conversations with the god were as long as Clement’s, some no more than a few words. Most followed up in some way or other the subject which Clement had culled out of the first song. At one stage, for example, the Jewish weaver thanked the god for his generosity to his ancestors, listing a number of things which marked them out from other races, though also apologising for their constant failure to reciprocate. A very hesitant sentence or two also came from Tyro, in which he thanked the god that he now understood how much he had done for him, in particular the gift of his one and only son. At the end of this, the heads of each family present, and one or two of the others, went across the room and laid hands on him, welcoming him into their community and pledging him their future support. He was actually moved to tears by this and could scarcely express his gratitude to them. Despite the strangeness of the occasion, I must admit to being a little moved myself. As they resumed their places Hermas said there was a psalm out of the sacred writings which he felt was particularly appropriate to the occasion. He must have had a good memory for this kind of thing, for the recitation lasted some minutes.
‘Would you like a copy of it?’ he asked Tyro when he had ended. ‘I could easily write one out for you.’
The other nodded, still a little overwhelmed, I think, by what had happened earlier and all the attention he was receiving.
Robert Banks, Going to Church in the First Century
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together is a classic on fostering authentic Christian community. As expected, from any book written in 1938, the language and content may seem a bit outdated but the concepts are full of wisdom and still worthy of discussion. The following is an excerpt that is relevant for today.
Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a wish dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and to try to realize it. But God’s grace speedily shatters such dreams. Just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be over-whelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves.
By sheer grace, God will not permit us to live even for a brief period in a dream world. He does not abandon us to those rapturous experiences and lofty moods that come over us like a dream. God is not a God of the emotions but the God of truth. Only that fellowship which faces such disillusionment, with all its unhappy and ugly aspects, begins to be what it should be in God’s sight, begins to grasp in faith the promise that is given to it. The sooner this shock of disillusionment comes to an individual and to a community the better for both. A community which cannot bear and cannot survive such a crisis, which insists upon keeping its illusion when it should be shattered, permanently loses in that moment the promise of Christian community. Sooner or later it will collapse. Every human wish dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive. He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.
God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God Himself accordingly. He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren. He acts as if he is the creator of the Christian community, as if his dream binds men together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure. When his ideal picture is destroyed, he sees the community going to smash. So he becomes, first an accuser of his brethren, then an accuser of God, and finally the despairing accuser of himself.
Because God has already laid the only foundation of our fellowship, because God has bound us together in one body with other Christians in Jesus Christ, long before we entered into common life with them, we enter into that common life not as demanders but as thankful recipients. We thank God for what He has done for us. We thank God for giving us brethren who live by His call, by His forgiveness, and His promise. We do not complain of what God does not give us; we rather thank God for what He does give us daily. And is not what has been given us enough: brothers, who will go on living with us through sin and need under the blessing of His grace? Is the divine gift of Christian fellowship anything less than this, any day, even the most difficult and distressing day? Even when sin and misunderstanding burden the communal life, is not the sinning brother still a brother, with whom I, too, stand under the Word of Christ? Will not his sin be a constant occasion for me to give thanks that both of us may live in the forgiving love of God in Jesus Christ? Thus the very hour of disillusionment with my brother becomes incomparably salutary, because it so thoroughly teaches me that neither of us can ever live by our own words and deeds, but only by that one Word and Deed which really binds us together-the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ. When the morning mists of dreams vanish, then draws the bright day of Christian fellowship.
This is the second excerpt from Christian Smith’s excellent book Going to theRoot.
The Bible helps us see where we went wrong. For the Bible makes it clear that the central and irreplaceable medium for communicating the gospel is the quality of believers’ lives together.
Jesus’ last message to his followers was: “Love one another; just as I have loved you, you also must love one another. Everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (John 13:34-35, author’s paraphrase). Actions, apparently, speak louder than words. The lives of people who genuinely love each other, for all their warts and false starts, will be a truer explanation of the good news than the most precisely pitched evangelistic message.
Peter urges Christians to, “as aliens and strangers in the world, abstain from sinful desires…. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God” (1 Pet. 2:11-12, author’s paraphrase). Likewise, Paul urges the Corinthians to conduct themselves so that when an unbeliever sees them, “he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!'” (1 Cor. 14:25, NIV).
I recently heard of a Christian smoker who tried hard to keep his smoking hidden so that it wouldn’t “ruin his testimony.” Not only does this kind of attitude lose sight of priorities (smoking is ruining his lungs more than his testimony), it presumes nonbelievers can be tricked into the kingdom by lives without substance. In fact, the world is not fooled or impressed by facades of righteousness. Would we, in our evangelistic programs, like to see new believers every day? Let’s look at how it happened in the early church.
These remained faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of the bread and to prayers. The many miracles and signs worked through the apostles made a deep impression on everyone. The faithful all lived together and owned everything in common; they sold their goods and possessions and shared out the proceeds among themselves according to what each one needed. They went as a body to the Temple every day but met in their houses for the breaking of bread; they shared their food gladly and generously; they praised God and were looked up to by everyone. Day by day the Lord added to their community those destined to be saved. (Acts 2:42-47, JB; also see 4:32-35)
No Christian bumper stickers here. They simply lived authentically redeemed lives in community. The depth of that life did its own communicating.
Luke goes to great lengths to tell how Peter and John got to preach to the people at the temple and to the Sanhedrin (Acts 3:1-4:31). They didn’t entice the people into their church buildings with comfortable pews and films. They didn’t even intend to preach at all, but simply to pray. However, “it happened that (3:2, JB). Peter and John were simply living as channels of God’s healing love. It was only after this act of healing and love that they preached as an explanation of what had happened. Evangelism flowed naturally from living out the transforming power of the kingdom of God. No slick techniques were necessary.
Biblical evangelism, then, is not cornering people and confronting them with the gospel. Nor is it charming people with a sweet, easy pseudo-gospel. Biblical evangelism is first incarnating the reign of God in community, then answering the inevitable questions: “Why do you live the way you do? What motivates you to live so differently?” Peter wrote, “In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord, and always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have” (1 Pet. 3:15, author’s paraphrase).
When I first worked on developing my writing skills, a composition teacher offered me a simple maxim: “Don’t tell me, show me.” That maxim is also the best advice for churches interested in responsible and effective evangelism. The world is sick and tired of being told about Jesus. The world needs to be shown Jesus.
As Christ was God incarnate, God in flesh and blood living in obedience to his parent, so we the church are to be Christ incarnate. We are to be Christ’s body, living out in flesh and blood the reign of God. This is a difficult project for marketing agents, but it’s the basic calling of God’s people.
Sometimes our kingdom lifestyles can bear witness without our intending it. For the past eight years, my wife and I have lived in cooperatively owned, multifamily houses with others in our community. A few years ago we and another family wanted to move together to a new neighborhood.
Our realtor was amazed. “I have never seen cooperative housing last for more than one house!” she exclaimed. “What’s your secret?”
Right then, in a way that would have never happened had I simply handed her an evangelistic tract, I had the opportunity to explain something about the kingdom. “The reason why we live this way is because….”
It is time to abandon our high-tech evangelistic outreaches, pull the plugs on the television programs, and peel off our Christian bumper stickers. Having fired our Madison Avenue consultants and dumped our direct-mail schemes, we can get back to basics. We can communicate the gospel by the witness of our lives. That means focusing our energies on becoming more fully the people of God. It means living lives which are so obviously influenced by an encounter with God that no one can find another reasonable explanation for us.
Going To The Root was published in 1992 by Christian Smith and is full of wisdom and great insight. This will be my first of two excerpts from the book.
Discipleship stands at the heart of Christian community. We do not build community primarily for emotional intimacy and social support – although we do experience those things in community. Rather, we build community primarily to follow Christ and to more faithfully and effectively allow God to reign in our lives. That is what makes these communities Christian ones and not just social clubs.
Christianity is a corporate as well as an individual faith. Becoming like Christ is a relational as well as personal process. For this reason, God calls believers to make their faith-journeys together, in small bands of people called “church.” For our own well-being and growth, we need the benefit of each others’ spiritual gifts, encouragements, role modeling, and challenges.
It is largely by sharing our lives in relationship together over time that God strengthens our faith, builds our character, and shapes us into the people we are meant to be. This makes sense, since most Christian virtues and fruits of the Spirit to which we are called-love, service, gentleness, humility, self-giving, patience, kindness, forgiveness-are expressed in relationships, not in isolation.
A key aspect of discipleship in Christian community is personal accountability. In community, we learn to be accountable. We learn, literally, to give an account to others. Accountability means that we can ask each other what is going on in our lives, how we are doing, or what is the state of our souls. And we can expect an honest answer.
Accountability also means that we can confront each other and be reconciled when we disappoint, anger, or hurt each other. Finally, accountability means that when we live irresponsibly or sinfully, we can admonish each other without fear of ruining our relationships.
Accountability in community rejects Lone Ranger Christianity. It repudiates privatized, individualistic faith. Accountability instead acknowledges our human and spiritual interdependence. It admits that our actions and attitudes affect each other deeply. We thus have a basic responsibility to each other.
Accountability recognizes that believers need each other’s help and support in pursuing the kingdom of God. It knows we all have blind spots that others we know and trust can help us with. Being accountable means not saying “Mind your own business” but being instead willing to work through issues and problems until we reach unity and love.
Being held accountable is often difficult. Holding another accountable can be even harder. Accountability is unnatural for those of us raised in an individualistic, freedom-oriented, North American culture. Accountability is not an attempt to bully or police each other, however. It simply aims to build responsible, loving relationships in the context of Christian discipleship. Although accountability may not be quickly mastered, it can be learned through practice aided by God’s grace and the community’s support. And when accountability is exercised correctly, it is not a chore, but a deeply rewarding means to strengthen relationships and foster human growth.
In community, believers gradually relearn how to relate to each other according to the principles of the kingdom of God. They learn, for example, how to really love and serve each other in concrete ways, how to support each other in difficult times. They learn how to admonish and forgive each other for hurts or sins. They learn how to share their resources, and how together to minister God’s mercy and love to broken people in a broken world.
Gradually, as believers learn these things, their communities develop distinct ways of life. They acquire particular patterns of social relations visibly different from those practiced by people in the larger world. The community then becomes a new social reality in which the kingdom of God is expressed, not only in the actions and attitudes of its individuals, but in the culture and social relations of a whole body of people.
By simply living out concrete, alternative social realities, informed by an alternative set of spiritual values, Christian communities witness to the breaking of the kingdom of God into history. By simply being the people of God in this way, communities stand as concrete signs that God is indeed transforming this world by his love and mercy.
Hence, living in Christian community is both a necessary means for pursuing Christian discipleship and the natural result of a body of people shaping their lives according to God’s kingdom. Christian community is, in this sense, both the path and the destination for believers.
In Western society it’s difficult to do life together, but it does happen, it can be sustained and it can be life-changing. I pray these stories encourage you to keep meeting, keep searching and start gathering. This story is told by Peter J. Farmer.
My name is Peter J Farmer, I’m married to Marsha Lee Farmer and we have three teenagers. I’ve spent most of my adult life in Nottingham – home to the legend of Robin Hood and the birthplace of William Booth; founder of the Salvation Army.
My mum led me to Christ when I was seven, I was water baptized at fourteen and filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues at twenty-one. Between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one I had several encounters with God that convinced me that He was real and that He had a plan for my life. I’ve had a strong sense of calling on my life from an early age.
In 2000, I moved to The Meadows, an inner-city urban area, to work with an Anglican Church. Part of their mission was focused on ministry to unchurched youth and their families. The church had youth clubs and youth camps. The youth camps were very impactful and most years many young people made professions of faith. On returning, however, the youth neither attended church nor developed into disciples of Jesus.
I asked the leaders of the church, “How are we making disciples of these young people?” As a result I opened up my home, which was adjacent to the church, on Tuesday evenings, and invited young people who wanted to know more about Jesus.
I usually served biscuits and juice, however one day I made some ‘proper food’, a full meal, the kids appreciated this so much that they started knocking on the door everyday and asking if they could come inside for dinner. The word spread, until daily after school, there were lines of young people queueing up outside my house for food.
A real community and extended family environment emerged and most nights the house was full of young people. We would pray together, share food and share stories from the Bible. Sometimes it would get chaotic as many of the young people came from ‘broken homes’ and were involved in criminal gang activity. However it wasn’t long before single mothers in the area started inviting me into their homes to pray with them and their families and share food together.
Around that time Mark, a prophetic friend, asked me if I’d ever read books by Frank Viola. What we were doing reminded him of Frank’s writings regarding new wineskins/ecclesiology. I started reading ‘Rethinking the Wineskin’ (later republished as Reimagining Church) and most of Frank’s other books. I also read books by Neil Cole, Wolfgang Simson, Tony and Felicity Dale and Alan Hirsch.
We began intentionally meeting and forming simple organic missional churches. We’ve been involved in organic fellowship, accidentally from 2000, and officially since 2008. We’re still involved in gathering organically and sending out people in pairs and small teams to form new communities of disciples in places where people live, work and play.
At one time, in my home, we came together intentionally on a monthly basis for an apostolic equipping gathering. People involved in simple churches shared their joys and challenges, encouraged one other and shared stories and fruitful practices. We engaged in Discovery Bible Studies, addressed issues we were facing and set Faith Goals for the future. In this way we multiplied second and a few third generation churches (following principles of 2 Timothy 2:2 and global disciple multiplication movements principles).
When we experienced significant barriers and challenges, the prophets among us would call for a season of corporate prayer and fasting. We would come together in ‘Houses of Prayer’ and listen together for the voice of God until He gave us guidance.
Common issues we’ve encountered in simple gatherings:
-Inward focused house churches (what our friend Wolfgang Simson refers to as ‘us four no more’). -Churches that are just ‘honey I shrunk the church’ (institutional type gatherings squashed into a living room). -Simple churches that aren’t missional or intentional about making disciples. -House churches made up of people who are merely dissatisfied, bitter or hurt by the established church. -Churches focused on narrow issues and split over doctrines or heresies such as King James only, flat earth, or whether we are the original Hebrews, etc.
We’ve overcome this by organising around Jesus and His Mission of intentionally making disciples. We don’t focus on pet doctrines or organise along doctrinal debate.
Over the years, we’ve engaged in community living in a variety of ways. We’ve had people living with us as part of our family, we’ve shared meals, opened our gates to the community and hosted community events in our back garden. We’ve shared cars and houses and our families have been on holidays together. We’ve pooled resources and started kingdom businesses and social enterprises and invested money into common missions. We’ve hosted multiple baptism parties in our back gardens and also baptized people in our bathtubs.
There are over 59 ‘one-another’ scriptures in the Bible that deal with how we are to relate to one another as the Body of Christ – it’s a challenge but it’s important to continue to practice these in extended-spiritual-families-on-mission together!
We have encouraged many to start simple churches by gathering disciples in their home, work or leisure spaces. Make a list of your oikos (all the people you know) and begin praying for them, seek ways to share your story (testimony) and the good news about Jesus (gospel) and find ways of offering hospitality (inviting people over for seasonal events such as Christmas, Easter, BBQ’s, National Events etc).
As groups begin to form we use tools such as Discovery Bible Studies, 7 Signs of John and 3/3’s Process to begin discipleship.
When we run out of connections in our oikos – we extend into Pioneer Mission principles based on Luke 10 (Sending disciples out in pairs to find the Person of Peace who will gather their household/oikos to form an intentional discipling community that will develop into a new church).
One of the secrets to healthy community is recognising the latent gifts that are present in every member of the church and releasing and equipping people to function in them. We’ve found it particularly useful to help others identify their Ephesians 4:11 ministry- whether they lean primarily toward gifting as an apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd or teacher. We then look for ways on how that person can minister to the community. (helpful books on this include 5Q by Alan Hirsch and Primal Fire by Neil Cole).
As each part does its own special work it helps all the other parts to grow until the whole body is healthy, growing and full of love (see Ephesians 4:11-16).
Check out Peter J. Farmer’s website here. Peter’s team developed a workbook called; ‘Pioneer Mission’ to help disciples start up new simple communities. The workbook is available on Amazon U.K. The link to purchase the workbook is on Peter’s website.
I would love to hear from those who have been doing organic church for an extended time. Contact me (Jonathan Rovetto) at 414.217.2189 or at jirovetto@yahoo.com. Don’t miss the next Unsung Heroes, subscribe below.
This short work by Chris J. Jefferies is a summary of Alan Hirsch’s book The Forgotten Ways. This 50 page summary is ideal for use as a small group study guide. Questions along the way help readers navigate from theory to practical application. I have included an excerpt below entitled“Structure For Life”. You can download a free copy by clicking here.
Change or remove anything and everything that stifles real life; good structures are very simple and easy to copy. Think about gardening rather than engineering because gardening involves living things. What is the easiest way to make a city? What is the easiest way to make a forest?
Remember that living things grow by themselves according to the life code (DNA) that is within them. An oak tree cannot produce grains of wheat and an acorn can never grow into a cabbage. In the same way, it’s impossible for the church to produce seeds of injustice and someone who continues to follow Jesus can never grow into a thief. Each grows according to its type. Jesus said we’d be known by the fruit we produce, either good or bad. Aim to produce plentiful, good fruit! (Matthew 7:15-20).
In other words, you don’t need to make the church grow. You can’t! All you can do is help the process start and provide the right conditions. Take good seed, bury it to the right depth in well tilled and manured ground, make sure it has enough water, keep away weeds and pests and your job is done. There will be a good harvest, but it might take a little time and patience.
Make sure leaders give power away, not hold onto it as the world tends to do; leaders should see themselves as servants (Matthew 20:25-28). Encourage every part of your group to think for itself, and give everyone the opportunity to use their gifts and interests freely and fully. What did Paul write about the body of Christ? (Ephesians 4:11-13) Encourage passion and ownership by telling great stories; invite people to act with boldness and ‘have a go’; involve everyone in planning. Celebrate every success; rethink and retry after every failure. Learn from every mistake and look for the positive aspects; never give up.
Share information as widely and openly as possible. Get apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers to explain what they do to everyone. Share any problems and talk about them; if possible become part of a wider network; welcome change whenever it’s needed. Don’t try to turn chaos into order but instead see if you can find meaning in the chaos. You may need to change your point of view or encourage others to say what they think.
It’s best to structure things around the passion, energy and life that you see in people. Everyone is a potential power house in their own, unique way so encourage them to be more active, not less. Don’t build ‘windbreaks’ that slow the wind down, instead build ‘windmills’ that harness its energy. Remove obstructions to active life and, when that is not possible, find alternative pathways to get around them. Build mission and church around people’s interests, and choose meeting times to avoid clashing with social gatherings in the wider community. Let go when something is no longer useful, support new ideas and fresh energy whenever they appear in the group.
Shared beliefs and purposes are great at holding networks together. So form common values, beliefs and practices and help newcomers to understand them. Find simple, clear, memorable ways to talk about them. Share the stories of the group’s origins often and in as many ways as possible. Encourage one another and tell people why you value them.
Discuss – Spend some time right now to dig out the stories of how your group got started. Write these stories down; perhaps someone will volunteer to collect them in a notebook or folder or post them to a blog. Also, talk about the ideas in this section. How many of them are you already doing? List examples. Where do you need to do better?
Chris J. Jefferies, Jesus, Disciple, Mission, Church
I’m excited to share the first in a series I’ve entitled Unsung Heroes. In Western society it’s difficult to do life together, but it does happen, it can be sustained and it can be life-changing. I pray these stories encourage you to keep meeting, keep searching and start gathering. This story is told by Steve Scott Nelson.
My name is Steve Scott Nelson. I was born in Winston-Salem, NC. We also lived in Raleigh, Asheville, and Bethesda, Maryland. Then we moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where I attended high school and played soccer. After graduation, I went to Clemson University in South Carolina, mainly to play soccer with five of my high school teammates.
I heard about God’s love and Jesus dying on the cross for me during high school, but nobody explained to me how to trust Christ personally. I finally understood how to get saved while attending Clemson. Some students came to my room and shared the gospel with me. I was very interested, but still didn’t understand that salvation was not dependent upon my efforts, but totally the grace of God. I also needed to repent and surrender control to Jesus. I made that decision at the beginning of my second year at Clemson and became a new person!
I met my wife, Danelle, during college. She got saved during her Junior year through my roommate sharing Christ with her fiancé, Bob, who also became a Christian. They both became a part of a Bible study group that I helped to lead. We got married May 10th, 1975. Bob had become my best friend and roommate. He was the best man in our wedding.
Danelle and I have 7 children and 22 grandchildren, most of whom live in the Atlanta area. Here is a photo of most of them.
While we were attending Clemson University, we met Herschel Martindale from Houston, TX. Herschel visited Clemson to help a Freshman co-ed find a Bible-believing fellowship. God led Herschel to myself and a good friend of mine. While he was there, Herschel gathered a small group of us together and taught us about the New Testament church, reaching the world with the gospel, and how God wanted us to make disciples. It was revolutionary to us. God rocked our world. We were never the same.
We decided to embrace the truths Herschel taught and began to be the church. We met as a large group on campus to worship, teach the Word, and had open meetings where all could share. We also met in homes off campus to break bread, have open, participatory meetings, where everyone was encouraged to build up one another. We often had meals together as well. We led people (both students & non-students) to Jesus and baptized them in Lake Hartwell. We were very young in the Lord and would butt heads at times, especially us men. Herschel would travel back and forth from Houston to patiently teach, correct, and encourage us in the Lord. He was an amazing role model in his marriage, family, love for believers and the lost, and his devotion to Christ. He never tried to control us, but trusted us, and he trusted God with us. He made disciples who made disciples all around the world!
Our campus church became a community church. Our church in Clemson started churches in Raleigh, Columbia, SC, Kiev, Ukraine, and Atlanta, GA. Danelle and I moved to Atlanta to help start the new church plant in 1986. While living in Atlanta we got away from the simple, organic church principles and became a traditional church. We had pastors preaching sermons (including me), worship teams, paid staff, programs, and we purchased buildings. Some of us began to realize that we were failing to make disciples like our early years. After much prayer and discussion among the leaders, Danelle I moved to Kiev, Ukraine to join friends living there to start churches.
While living in Ukraine, my good friend and fellow missionary, Timmy Powers and I both read Neil Cole’s book, Organic Church. We realized how we used to embrace many of the principles in his book, but had gotten away from our roots. We invited Neil to come to Kiev and teach. He graciously came and taught our Ukrainian friends for several days. As a result, many of us began to practice evangelism looking for people of peace to start new churches among their friends. A number of drug addicts and alcoholics came to Christ and were passionate about growing in their faith and sharing the gospel with their friends and families. It was exciting to see God working and disciples multiplying. Danelle and I felt like we had accomplished our goal of raising up disciples who were multiplying disciples and new organic churches, so we returned to Atlanta to help my mother who had become a widow during our time overseas.
Coming back to America to practice organic church principles, proved to be challenging. I think the Christian culture in America does not understand why some of us embrace these church principles. It is also difficult “to pour new wine into old wineskins.” Many believers who were brought up in a traditional church have difficulty letting go of past experiences and practices to consider organic church principles. It can be scary, weird, and it takes faith in God to do something new! Ask Peter! He too resisted when the Lord told him to go take the gospel to the Gentiles. In the same way, most of us struggle with functioning as an organic church in the beginning. The unlearning process takes time, patience, developing Biblical convictions, and the support of others who are functioning as an organic church on mission.
The benefits of practicing organic church are numerous. Each member is encouraged and equipped to walk with God, develop their relationship with Him. This enables them to build into one another. The church members are not expecting the pastor and staff (clergy) to do all the work of teaching, training, and evangelism. Ephesians 4:11-16 teaches us the body grows if each member is growing in Christ and building up one another. This is more than a meeting, it is a lifestyle of devotion to Christ, love for one another, and love for the lost. Organic church provides these opportunities. It is not automatic. It takes each member choosing to walk closely with God, obeying and trusting Him. When they gather, each one has a song or teaching or prophecy to build up the faith of others.
Many of our children grew up in an organic church, and several are part of one now. We have children in our churches now who have made tremendous contributions to our churches and grown in their faith. Of course, we are also convinced that the primary responsibility of a child’s spiritual growth lies with their parents. Parents need to be healthy role models of loving God and others. That is the heart of all discipleship! “More is caught than taught.” Jesus said, “A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:40. A healthy organic church develops an environment of trust, openness, and honesty because people are loved and feel safe. It is messy, but it is real, and it is edifying!
The most important factor of a house church’s survival, I believe, is remembering whose church it is and who is doing the building. “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Matthew 16:18. It is Jesus’ church. It belongs to Him, not any one of us and He is building it. Nothing will stop Him! Therefore, we can relax and trust Him. We can praise Him because He is the head of His church!
Struggle is normal in a church made up of former sinners who are being sanctified. Do not be surprised by conflict, disagreements, or hurt feelings. Forgive one another. Serve one another. Consider one another as more important than yourself. Struggle is normal in all relationships. Growth comes when we love one another and God is glorified because we can’t do that without Him.
I do believe that those who endure, persevere, and flourish all have others to encourage them. They have mentors. They have other friends or leaders in other churches that they can call on for prayer, support, and encouragement when it is hard. Reading good books on these subjects can also be encouraging when we feel like quitting.
Steve can be contacted at steve.nelson@reliant.org.
I would love to hear from those who have been doing organic church for an extended time. Contact me (Jonathan Rovetto) at 414.217.2189 or at jirovetto@yahoo.com. Don’t miss the next Unsung Heroes, subscribe below.
