Category: Unsung Heroes

I really enjoy getting together for coffee and conversation with my new friend Buff Scott Jr. Last week Buff mentioned W. Carl Ketcherside and I promised to look him up. I found this written about him.

Few individuals among Churches of Christ in the 20th century were as well-known as W. Carl Ketcherside (1908-1989). He described his journey as that of a piece-maker who became a peacemaker. He was for many a champion for the recovery of a lost unity amid a divided fellowship; for others, his voice represented a dangerous departure from historic restorationism if not biblical teaching.

I found a pdf of his book In The Beginning written in 1957. I would encourage you to read this (pdf at the end). You can read an excerpt of his book here. The second half of his book is dedicated to explaining what true fellowship is. This is so incredibly important if we want to get relational fellowships right. I wanted to do more than a book review and wanted to honor his life in some small way. People like this shouldn’t be forgotten. The excerpt below is from the first chapter of his book.

In the Beginning is not just another book about creation. It does not deal with the primal order of things. Rather, it is about the beginning of a new approach to the vexing problem of sectarianism in our day. It was an approach made by one who had long been steeped in the sectarian spirit without realizing it. It represents some of the things said and done in order to discover freedom in Christ and to stand clear of all that opposed such freedom. It is not by any means the last word in such a struggle. It is possible there will be no last word on earth.

The articles appearing herein were all written about 1957. Some of them were sent forth in fear and trembling. “I was with you in weakness and in much fear and trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3). Some were delivered orally. There has been no intent to be slavishly wedded to them as they originally appeared. Changes have been made in their construction. They have been altered and amended to better convey the idea originally hoped to achieve. The only thing that can be said about them is that they represent an honest attempt to find and recommend a better way than the one previously known.

There is probably nothing more traumatic than for one who has been shut up as a sectarian to be delivered by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. It is as if an earthquake had occurred which leveled the prison and left one standing in the midst of the wreckage unharmed and unhurt. All that had ever furnished security and protection is now gone, swept aside by the elements. There is no retreat to be found, no shadow in which to hide. All of the subtle little hypocrisies of the past, the caviling and the accommodations are gone. There is no place to flee except to Christ.

It is very difficult to confess that one has been in error much of his life. All past training is opposed to such a confession. It stifles pride. It runs counter to the ego. There is the question of those one has taught. His fellow-prisoners resent his admission. There is the problem of the congregations he has planted. Many of them would rather continue where they are than to acknowledge they have been mistaken. They prefer to embrace the errors with which they are familiar than the truth that is new.

There is the tendency to dart furtive glances in this direction or that, seeking some solution which will allow one to hold on to his own prestige. There is the frantic search for an escape. But none of these can avail. It is only when one admits that he is wrong, and has been wrong all of his life, that he can shed the past as a snake divests himself of his old skin, and be ready to move on to new heights. In the final analysis it is the best thing to do. One does not want to be forever trapped by his own past.

I began in the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. It was a venerable institution with a stately ritual. Gathered about it were all of the grand teachings of the Monk of Erfurt. Not the least of its history was the tacking of the Ninety-Five Theses on the church door at Wittenberg. I entered it by inheritance. My grandparents were from Denmark and Schlesweig-Holstein. Like thousands of others they brought their religion with them. It was one of form and not of substance. They knew but little about it and nothing of its origin.

But they bitterly resented any attempt to merge with the social order around them. They kept their manners, customs, and language. They expected all to conform to them. My grandmother even kept her old-world form of dress as far as possible. They resented all change with a deep hostility. They were old-order. When I was sprinkled by the Rev. Mr. Peterson I was really inducted into a way of life, more than into a church.

I left the Lutheran Church shortly before I was twelve. In spite of the tenderness of my years the plea that one could be a Christian and Christian only, without being some special kind of a Christian, gripped my heart and provided a certain kind of exultation. It was genuine and now almost sixty years afterwards, I remember how the Spirit strove with me. I recall the deep inward sense of gloom which was mine and the ineffable joy which came when I surrendered to His claim upon my life. I was immersed in a clear creek which wound its way through the pasture, and knew that I was forgiven for the childish sins I had committed.

It was only after I had been preaching the good news for a number of years that I awakened to the fact that I had not been a Christian only, but a partisan. I was actually a Church of Christ Christian. Although it came as quite a shock to find it out, I did not feel betrayed or frustrated. I realized it was a natural development. But I began from that moment on to recognize that the body of Christ was greater than any movement within it. The community of the reconciled was not limited to a movement which began arrogating to itself the name “Church of Christ” but embraced every saved person on the face of the earth. I was helped by a crisis experience in North Ireland in which I was brought face to face with Jesus. If I had never left the United States, or if it had never happened, I would no doubt be today exactly where I was. God forbid.

From 1951 to 1957 I went through all of the “withdrawal symptoms” essential to coming off the party spirit. I lay awake in bed at night and thought of all I had advocated that was wrong. During the day I studied the Word, and prayed, and sometimes wept. How precious it all seemed to me then. I read every copy of the Millennial Harbinger, every Christian Baptist, and all of Lard’s Quarterlies, during that time. I finally became convinced that we had betrayed the restoration movement as it was in the beginning. In its stead we had contrived something of our own which we advocated and which pampered our hearts into thinking we were heirs of that wonderful idea of those who launched it.

I became conscious of the scriptures we had twisted to justify division which was always condemned by the Spirit. Finally I was ready to launch out. It was in 1957 that I first began to advocate what has now become much more popular than it was in those first days. What I advocated was an idea whose time had come. Gradually, as we gained courage and momentum, and as knowledge increased and multiplied, the Mission Messenger began to grow until it went to every continent on the globe.

In the Beginning will recover for you some of our feeble attempts to help men think, to let them see a brighter vision, and to lift them to a broader fellowship in Christ the Lord. As you read it, we sincerely hope that you will recognize it for what it is, the first faint vision of a fellowship which is truly non-sectarian, based upon His will for the lives of us all. It is not the last word upon the theme. Much more and better material will be written by others in the future. May God use it all to His purpose and to the glory of Jesus!

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 Eliakim Odida.

Praise Jesus! My name is Eliakim Odida and I was born in 1979. I’m from Mfangano Island, Homabay County in Kenya, Africa.

Throughout my life I have lived in a remote village without electricity, good schools or a hospital, but I thank God things are getting better now, especially since the introduction of solar power.

My parents were members of an indigenous church and our fellowship was in a small house that belonged to us. I still have fond memories of that grass thatched house.

Those intergenerational meetings were accompanied by great works and we were a family who had one father, God. At fifteen years old winds of change were sweeping the indigenous churches. Pastors were forced to go for training and groups were pressured into being institutionalized. Groups were no longer relational.

My father Peter, and my mother Brigitte, were now called Pentecostals. Meetings became filled with lectures and monologues. I felt something was lacking.

I finished high school in 1999 but my life was a struggle because of rampant poverty. I didn’t follow my father in his ministry as I had doubts about the way the church had changed. I was married in 2011, to my beautiful wife Diane. I shared with her the questions I had about the changes I thought were not right. She supported me in prayer and we started disciple-making groups asking the Lord to lead us.

Our ministry was met with resistance from the local traditional churches who believed in hierarchy, clergy/laity, pews and the need for degrees. Many times I was in the hands of police with false accusations of devil worship and in 2016 my house was torched. God rescued my wife, myself and our four children.

Seeing how disciples of Jesus were suffering, I kept on seeking God’s heart and listening to his Spirit to teach me more. This led me to the book of Acts 7:48. God does not live in houses made out of human hands.

As of today we have planted thirty-four house churches and people have heard and accepted the truth, doing life together in a relational way. We don’t have church buildings or professional clergy. We are one family and all of the body is free to participate. Serving Christ in this way is easy.

The fire of the Spirit is burning wild and nobody can stop it. We have the heart of a servant and Jesus is the one controlling His church. Love among us makes us grow as the Lord adds to His church. We are going on and encouraging others to hold true to the gospel. It’s all of us, not some special person.

To contact Eliakim Odida

Phone number +254757064967
Email: odidaeliakim62@gmail.com

Kenya Islands House Churches

I was recently introduced to Buff Scott, Jr., a 96-year-old gentleman who is still on fire for our Lord. I had a chance to interview him and the audio is below. Buff still writes his Reformation Rumblings newsletters, which he has been doing for 39 years. He converted from IC to relational fellowships about 50 years ago. He is not only an Unsung Hero but he is a gem of a man. His testimony below was taken from a couple of sources. If you would like to get on his mailing list please contact me.

I was born and brought up in the Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. There were nine of us. Education wasn’t stressed in those Kentucky mountains. My formal education consisted of the 7th grade. My teacher refused to promote another student and me to the 8th grade when she caught us looking up dirty words in the dictionary. Yes, that actually happened.

Mom was a Hatfield before she married Dad. I was four years old and rocking my pet cat in the old rocking chair on the front porch of our shack when I watched a man shoot another man down, 20 feet in front of me. The impact of the bullet made him sick instantaneously and he fell to his knees and threw up. I screamed and ran into the house. As the bullet missed his heart, but barely, and lodged in his rib cage, he survived. But he never again “trespassed” the shooter’s wife.

Such was life in the Appalachian Mountains. Dad did some bootlegging when I was a kid, but surrendered his unprincipled lifestyle and embraced Jesus when I was about 11 years old. He threw his cigarettes and bottle of moonshine whiskey in the same creek he was immersed in and never touched them again. 

It was later on in life that I educated myself, mostly through self efforts. A big part of my occupational experiences has been in the journalistic field as Writer, Editor, and Publisher. Additionally, many years have been spent in the psychiatric arena as alcohol and drug counselor, Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist, and teacher.  

My career in the bowels of Churchianity began when I was but a youngster. I was indoctrinated at an early age. When I was 26, I was “called” to my first church as pulpit minister. That was a giant step for a hillbilly who was born and brought up in the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky, one mile from where the Hatfield-McCoy feud began.

Having been a child of partisan religion a big part of my life and served many of her churches as pulpit minister, pastor, orthodox leader and teacher, I want to tell you in this undertaking why I deserted Churchianity and became a free man in Jesus. Inasmuch as the clergy-“chief priests and elders”-have no control over my life, my thinking, and my teaching, I can tackle this endeavor without interference from the ecclesiastical “powers that be.” I assure you, I am no longer one of their puppets.

Let me say at the outset that I love and respect my spiritual brothers and sisters, in spite of their loyalty and addiction to Churchianity. They are my brothers and sisters and I have not rejected them. I have rejected the system that has them enslaved. I can identify with them, for I was once as they are. Like them, I too believed Jesus authored a church. I preached my brand of church on the sidewalks and from many pulpits. I pressed her upon others. I strove to win converts to her ranks. I was totally sold on the concept that Jesus redeemed her with His sacrifice. I felt that King James’ Romans 16:16 and other related scriptures were pure gold. I equated “church” with God’s new reign and defied any man to show otherwise. Like my churchly brothers and sisters, I used the same arguments, affirmed the same theology, advocated the same principles, and quoted the same scriptures.

It was 1976 when, after careful evaluation of and research into institutional religion, I concluded that Churchianity was not the solution to sin, or to the world’s problems. I discovered that institutional religion and the contemporary church were introduced by men who envisioned their answers to life’s problems more profound than God’s. The stream flowing from the river of life was pure and tranquil before religion and church contaminated it. It is my sentiment that God has been replaced with Religion, and Jesus has been substituted with Churchianity.

The spirit of man can survive only in an atmosphere of freedom, and it is difficult if not impossible to be free while being a bond servant to some sect or denomination. I love my freedom too much to allow some church or religious party to tell me what I can and cannot teach, what I can and cannot believe, and how I can or cannot conduct my daily affairs.  

My allegiance is to a Man called Jesus, and it is to Him that I will give an account. It is in Him that I will stand or fall. And He is able to make me stand. I will never grow too old to acknowledge and listen to valid counsel from others, but I will never become so senile as to renounce my will in favor of religious slavery-no, never again. 

Did I leave Jesus when I abandoned organized [partisan] religion or the religious establishment? Goodness, no! He and I are closer now than ever before. As a result of my surrendering institutional religion in favor of freedom in Jesus, I am now a “believer at large,” a free thinker, and one of God’s instruments for reform. 

No human being and no partisan group or church does my thinking for me any longer. I arrive at conclusions after careful evaluation, study, and prayer. Simply stated, I have cast aside the chains of religious orthodoxy and deserted the Establishment’s status quo. God has blessed my ministry of reformation abundantly. Currently, I have hundreds of recipients, here and in foreign lands, who receive my weekly Reformation Rumblings.

Not every recipient agrees with my views on reformation-naturally. But rarely do I have a “theological knock-down-and drag-out-fight,” or an exchange of unsightly implications with any of them. But in spite of the few who disagree disrespectfully, I enjoy exchanging views with many of the admirable readers. So I’m not going anywhere unless I’m fired!

You can read a sample of Reformation Ramblings here. You can read an excerpt of Buff’s book Apostate Church here.

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 my good friend Zack Armoney.

My name is Zach Armoney, I am a humble servant of Jesus, devoted husband and father of six beautiful children (three sons and three daughters). We live in Pine Grove, LA where we home school our children and host house church. Hollie and I met almost 18 years ago at a local church youth camp where she was leading worship. We met again a few months later at a local Bible college, MTI School of Ministry in Baton Rouge, LA. We immediately hit it off, delving into deep conversations about life, the word and the future.

A little less than two years later on October 10, 2009 we were married and our journey as a couple began. Four years after that, we already had three children and over the next 10 years we had a total of three boys and three girls. We both had a strong conviction that our children’s minds, hearts and souls were our responsibility. Who better to mold and direct their lives than their parents. It’s a labor of love, but we have had the privilege of witnessing great fruit.

My relationship with Christ began early. At eight years old, growing up in a mostly Christian home, I had the understanding of who God was but no knowledge of the cross of Christ. My parents separated and later divorced and this trial would push me closer to God. Through that difficult time, I cried out to God, walked through the conviction of my own sin and was born again.

By twelve, I was faithfully reading God’s word. The word was living and powerful like fire shut up in my bones. But I didn’t know what to do with that fire or the words of life that were so alive in my soul. After twelve years of faithfully attending congregational church, I had a strong understanding of the word of God and a conviction to live it out, but there seemed to be no outlet for my faith. I was later part of a church plant that began in a home and eventually moved into a traditional building. As a leader in this church I found little opportunity to live out or express the faith that I had. Each week I was only asked to help set up and run programs, sit nicely in my pew week after week, say a few amens and greet the brethren on their way in and out. Everything else was left up to the pastor: the “man of the hour”.

What was I supposed to do with this word, with this revelation, with this relationship that I had? Most of my Christian experience provided very little opportunity for me to live out or even communicate the faith that I had. I felt frustrated and trapped. Sunday mornings served more as a frustration to my faith than it did to encourage it.

In 2007 I started a new job. My boss was also a graduate from MTI. Like me, he recognized some of the same pitfalls and errors of the traditional church. Daily we would share the word with each other, read through the Bible and pray together. This fellowship advanced my faith more than the previous twelve years of church attendance. In 2008 we started a home church together and this began my journey fulfilling what I believe is the biblical structure for the body of Christ. Two years later we joined a network of house churches called Oikos Ministries based out of Central LA where we served as elders.

Like the early church we met in homes, shared a meal together and prayed with and for each other. Each member was allowed and encouraged to use their gifts and share the word of God. Finally I found myself inside a structure that provided a platform for my faith and calling. But like any structure, having the right frame-work was only part of the puzzle. Lessons were learned and re-learned along the way and sometimes they were difficult lessons. Our fellowship must be filled with the spirit and word of God to flourish. Even in a good structure, like marriage, there are difficulties, there are labor pains but success happens when Christ is our centerpiece.

I soon realized that tradition and religion can be carried into any structure: “making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down” Mark 7:14. Do not expect that getting the structure right is the end of all your trials and labors. Each individual must passionately pursue Christ and bring to the body whatever word, calling or gifting they have in Christ. We must suffer with each other, encourage each other, endure with the weaknesses of the body and overcome.

When each member is built together in this way, we can be a building built by God and fitted together as a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit where God can and will do great things. This doesn’t happen overnight and it doesn’t happen by accident. I am convinced that each believer desires to see the same zeal and passion they have for Christ be lived out within the body. I believe many feel just as I did…stuck in the religious traditions of men. They have a strong relationship with God but don’t have an opportunity to live out their faith in institutional church.

Start sharing your faith with other believers. Break bread together, share your lives with each other and see what grows in His light. This type of fellowship will produce great fruit, not only in your life but in the lives of many others around you as well. It may not always be perfect or easy but just like raising children, if you are faithful and consistent the reward and fruit of your labors will be beyond measure in this life and in the life to come.

Find our more about Oikos Ministries by clicking here.

Read more Unsung Heroes by clicking here.

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. I had the pleasure of meeting Stephen Ventura recently while I was on vacation. He tells his story here.

Hello! My Name is Stephen Ventura. I grew up on the island of Kaua’i in Hawai’i. I grew up Catholic and did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. I graduated high school in 1981 and found the Lord in 1995. I was 32 years old when God radically changed me.  After a series of bad decisions I found myself at the end of my rope and called out to God. He answered me and my life has never been the same. 

In 2000, I went to seminary in the San Francisco, California area. I became a youth intern for a church in California and that’s where I met my wife, Diana. We got married and had my daughter Victoria who is now 19 years old. In 2010 we were called to the associate pastor position at Waikiki Baptist church on the island of Oahu, Hawai’i. We stayed there for five years (2015) then moved back to Kaua’i as church planters. The name of our church is Kaua’i House Church Network which includes three solid house churches and one that is starting up.

I was searching for something more after my seminary schooling and fifteen years on staff at two conventional style churches. I was looking for something more organic and less institutional. I’ve sat through endless board meetings, worked through tight budgets and then there’s building maintenance and logistics all overshadowed by the need to bring in more tithing people to keep the machine running. 

As a church planter I was looking for something simple and organic, something with low overhead. I found that in the house church model.  None of our leaders, including me, gets paid and we don’t have a cost associated with a building. We meet in homes, on the beach or in parks. It can’t get any simpler than that and the model is easy to reproduce.

We started out with a vision of a network which would organically grow by everyone making disciples. As more disciples are made there would be a need for leadership development and then we would see a natural multiplication of groups.  We started in 2015 and this initial group met for five years before expanding. In 2021 we expanded into three groups, tw of which are located on Kaua’i and one located in Oahu. In 2023, one of our families moved to Florida and started a community of believers in their home. Also in 2023 another family attending our church started their own house church which grew quickly.  They decided to become their own church and actually broke away from KHCN but they had our blessing. The goal is and always has been kingdom growth, not Kaua’i House Church Network growth. Our vision is to see simple forms of organic churches rise up throughout our island and beyond.

The challenge I would say is not everyone has the vision nor can they understand the concepts of house church, disciple making and church planting. I also believe that house church is a whole new paradigm that will take some time for people to catch on. Discipleship is another challenge. Christians are engrained with the idea that church is simply a spectator event: you attend once a week and it’s the pastor’s job to make disciples. After all, isn’t that why we pay them?

The house church structure and setting has been a great way to establish close relationships and we’ve become like family. Every week we meet and enjoy a meal together while discussing what’s going on in everyone’s life. After some time we break into a period of worship and discussion of the word. The message is shared and everyone can chime in. I usually close it with some key points, the good news and a challenge. I enjoy the intimate setting and the discussions that are initiated through the message. Others share their experiences, perspectives and things they’ve heard and learned about the particular passage we are studying. It brings a “multi-perspective” approach to preaching. I love that.  Everyone is able to participate and everyone is hearing from the Spirit and speaking out. I think our quaint family style home church setting is the key to authentic biblical relationship building. We meet in our individual house church groups throughout the month and on the last Sunday of the month we all get together in one location for a big family-style potluck at the beach or a park.

For our group, the kids stay with us. We usually have something for them to color and we ask them questions and they share things as well. Two of our other groups have so many kids that they have someone lead them and they usually go outside to play while the adult group meets.

In my opinion, if a house church has all the same people meeting together after twenty years with no changes something is wrong. The goal is to make disciples that make disciples not sit, soak and get comfortable in our own little holy huddle. I challenge our people to be on mission at work, home, their communities and everywhere they go. The house church is always morphing, it’s organic, alive and takes on different shapes over time.

I think the secret, for me, is that I don’t have to build anything. I just share the gospel in a casual way with people I know and am trying to build relationships with. I disciple and teach our people to seek to make disciples and churches will eventually form. Some disciples grow faster than others and some house churches will spawn faster than others. So keep it simple and continue to preach the gospel rather than beat yourself up because you don’t see growth. Just live the gospel and the fruit of your labor will naturally develop. Jesus said, I will build my church. That’s all I need to know.

To contact Stephen and to find out more about the Kaua’i House Church Network click here.

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 Fernando Souza.

My name is Fernando Souza, I am 58 years old and was born and raised in the city of Bauru, Brazil.  I studied Arts in college and currently I am instructor in Muay Thai. In 1997, I married my beloved wife Sheiza, with whom I have two daughters: Fernanda, who is married to João Vitor, my walking companion, and Lívia, who is 18 years old.

My experience of meeting Christ in July 2002 was impactful and transformative. It was through the lives of a couple who invited us to a church different from the ones I knew. This church had no name, building, or pastor, which initially seemed strange to me, but soon I realized the authenticity and simplicity of the faith lived there.

In August of the same year, I experienced deep repentance and decided to follow Christ wholeheartedly. I was baptized, symbolizing my new life in Christ and my commitment to Him. This experience brought spiritual renewal, peace, and purpose to my life, strengthening my journey of faith and bringing me closer to God.

Like many disciples in the Bible who had transformative encounters with Christ and were baptized as a symbol of their new faith, I also lived this significant experience in my life. The act of baptism represents death to sin and rebirth in Christ, marking the beginning of a new spiritual journey and a public commitment to the Christian faith.

My journey of transitioning from initial faith to understanding the importance of organic church and communion with disciples was marked by a deep and significant transformation. Initially, I held a superficial view of Christ and had no affinity with the disciples, even mistreating them and rejecting the idea of being part of a church.

However, God’s work was evident in my life through the loving influence of my wife and a Christian couple. The love of Christ was manifested through them, leading me to genuine conversion and baptism in a short period of time. From that point on, worshiping God became about intimacy, communion, and mutual love among the disciples.

Over the years, the church I belonged to was growing, but gradually it was losing its simplicity and initial essence. Institutionalization began to overshadow genuine communion, with the renting of a building, establishment of a clerical structure, and ritualization of services.

Faced with this scenario, there was an awakening in our group to return to the roots of faith, choosing to gather in homes, in a simple way guided by the Holy Spirit. In this setting, we rediscovered the joy of communion, sharing meals, sharing the Word, and praising the Lord in unity and simplicity.

This transition experience was crucial in realizing the importance of organic church and communion among disciples. We learned that true worship goes beyond rituals and structures, being grounded in a living relationship with God and mutual love among brothers and sisters. Thus, our journey led us to value the essence of Christian communion and to seek authentic and transformative worship.

Our journey of organic communion began this year, and we have witnessed the presence of several people participating in the meetings. During this period, we faced significant challenges, such as people missing the more spectacular format of institutional churches and their difficulty in understanding and accepting the true meaning of the church. People are so ingrained in religiosity…

It is interesting to observe that, even in the face of these obstacles, the Lord has been leading the process in a surprising way, attracting lives to join us. Amid uncertainties and questioning, our stance has been to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, fully trusting that He is in control of all things.

The key to overcoming these challenges has been to focus on loving God, loving others, and fulfilling the commandment to make disciples. This love-centered and mission-focused approach has strengthened our community and empowered us to move forward, even in the face of adversities and resistance.

Thus, we remain steadfast in the purpose of living organic communion, trusting in the Lord’s guidance and in the transformative power of love and communion among disciples. Each challenge faced has been an opportunity for growth and spiritual maturity, strengthening our faith and commitment to the Kingdom of God. 

Living in authentic relationships has had a profound impact on both myself and those around me. When people witness the communion and genuine bonds of the church, they may initially feel awe or strangeness, but these feelings soon give way to other perceptions. Some are drawn to the life of Christ manifested in the community, while others may show repulsion and disdain, labeling us as a “cult.”

The greatest benefits of this experience are the true connection and mutual edification that occur in authentic relationships. The ability to share life, challenges, joys, and sorrows genuinely strengthens the bonds between disciples and fosters an environment of love and mutual care. This atmosphere of communion reflects Christ’s love and positively impacts the lives of all involved.

Regarding raising children in the organic church, I can witness firsthand the benefits of this experience. My daughters grew up attending church meetings in our home, and the result was remarkable. They have become wonderful young women who love and fear God in all areas of their lives. They were raised according to the Lord’s principles, and this is reflected in their integrity, character, and relationship with Him.

Therefore, living in authentic relationships not only transforms lives individually but also significantly impacts future generations, as in the case of children raised in the organic church. Building strong bonds and witnessing Christ’s love shape not only the present but also the future of the community of disciples, yielding lasting fruits of faith, love, and commitment to the Kingdom of God.

To encourage someone facing difficulties with a group of people and to motivate them to start a new group, it’s essential to remember that we are merely collaborators with the Lord. We must keep in mind that He is in control of all things and that our obedience to His commandments is fundamental. The main thing is to love Him above all else and to love our neighbor as ourselves, following the call to build His house with living stones.

Starting a new group requires faith, perseverance, and humility. It’s important to remember that the Lord is the one who empowers and directs, and we must trust Him amid the difficulties and challenges that may arise. Encourage the person to trust in divine provision and guidance, always seeking unity, love, and truth in all interactions with the group.

Experience and faith teach us that the solid foundation for long term success lies in the constancy of faith, dedication to teaching the Word, and the practice of mutual love. Keeping a group active requires commitment, patience, and care for each member, cultivating authentic relationships and encouraging everyone’s spiritual growth.

Just as Scripture teaches us in Timothy about the importance of faithfulness, the expectation of persecutions, the need for perseverance, and the sufficiency of God’s Word, these principles are fundamental to sustaining a group over the years. The secret lies in remaining faithful to the Lord, facing adversities with courage, and building one another up in faith, always keeping the focus on the purpose and mission entrusted to us.

Dear leader, organizer, facilitator, pastor, or apostle who dedicates your time and effort to guide and care for the group, I want to share a word of encouragement based on faith and the truth of Scripture. Remember that it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us. This is the essence of our mission and our service: to allow Christ to manifest Himself in everything we do.

To ensure the longevity and success of the group, it is essential to maintain focus on the Kingdom of God as our highest priority. When the Kingdom of God is at the center of our lives and ministry, we are strengthened and empowered to overcome challenges and grow together in fellowship and love.

Furthermore, remember to never take your eyes off the Lord, even in the face of adversities and difficulties. Trust fully in the Lord, for He is the one who sustains, empowers, and renews our strength. Keep your faith unshakeable and hope alive, knowing that the Lord is in control of all things and that He has a greater purpose in every situation.

As the group leader, be an example of humility, love, and dedication. Always be willing to listen, teach, and guide with wisdom and grace. Cultivate genuine relationships and invest in the spiritual growth of each group member, for it is in fellowship and mutual love that we find strength and encouragement to continue advancing together.

May your life and ministry be marked by the living presence of Christ, faithfulness to God’s Word, and unconditional love for others. May the Lord richly bless you and empower you to lead with wisdom, grace, and integrity, guiding the group on the path of truth and eternal life. May the peace and grace of the Lord be always with you.

Fernando can be contacted through WhatsApp +55 14 99191-9477 or email: aigrejaembauru@gmail.com.  You can also check out his blog here.

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 Geoff Willmott.

My name is Geoff Willmott, I’m married to Carrie (Caroline). We have three adult children and six grandchildren. I grew up in Hamilton, New Zealand then at age twenty one travelled to London where I lived and worked for two and a half years. While in London I met Carrie, we married and returned to New Zealand.

I grew up in a Christian household and asked Jesus into my life when I was eight years old. During my teenage years I rebelled and lived life in the world thinking it would provide me with the satisfaction I was looking for. How wrong I was! When in London, the New Living Translation was on sale at the St Paul’s Cathedral bookshop around the corner from my workplace. When I read it, compared to the KJV, the Bible came alive. I recommitted my life to Jesus and eventually trained through Baptist Theological College in Auckland alongside Anglican, Methodist, Catholic and Church of Christ students. I worked on mainframe computers for eighteen years, trained and pastored for fifteen years and had several small businesses. In my latter years I drove a school bus. 

A couple of reasons why I was a rebellious teenager was I saw the institutional church looked nothing like the book of Acts and the demarcation lines of denominationalism were set in concrete. (Interestingly, the Chinese underground church has a manifesto based on the book of Acts: PRINCIPLES For the Gathering of believers under the Headship of Jesus Christ rather than the Gospels.) These realizations started a journey of looking for authentic church. Reading books helped, like James Rutz’s book ‘Open Church’. This book explained the history of how the church went off track.

Over the last forty years there were small group gurus who came to NZ that influenced me. Ralph Neighbour and Larry Kreider (Cell churches), Wolfgang Simson, Tony and Felicity Dale (House churches), Steve Addison (No Place Left discipleship and church planting).

We had some good small groups over the years and our church in Auckland saw fifty people come to the Lord over a two-year period using the cell group model. There was a transition from just a small group to a small group which desired to see people saved and groups multiplied. A friend introduced me to Paul Watson (son of David Watson) and a few of us did some Skype meetings introducing us to Discovery Bible Studies. We have since been involved in No Place Left by Steve Addison and others. T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution by Ying and Grace Kai was a great resource and it worked well in Auckland. Over one weekend, with minimal visitation, we found 82 houses of peace out of 450 visits open up for a DBS. I learned that we need teams raiding our communities to find houses of peace and then begin the discipleship process. 

Currently, I’ve been involved in small groups of several kinds. Destiny Church meets Sundays and Wednesdays at a cafe, Wednesday night we feed the hungry in the city square and Friday night we have a group Bible study on Revelation. We are involved in We Are One Prayer Network – New Zealand and Beyond on Facebook which is growing rapidly as we pray for our towns and cities. Saturday mornings there are Indian house church fellowships with evangelizing afterwards at a river market. I believe God is sending Indian believers to NZ to wake us up! Sunday morning, I support my wife at her church (Indian pastors). Sunday night, I am part of a new church planted as a result of people excluded from places of worship during Covid. We are also involved politically, interviewing people like the mayor and other politicians and we see people being saved.

Children are involved in Destiny Church and children participate in the general part of the meeting at the Indian house church before going off to do something by themselves. My friend, a few hours north whom I network with, facilitates several house churches and trains people in disciple making. His three boys, eight to twelve, run their own house churches and evangelise their schoolmates and their parents.   

I don’t hold things in permanence because things could suddenly change in this world. One thing we learned from Covid was that we were never going back to the ‘old normal’, God is preparing us for what is to come. So hang on for the ride and enjoy it. Hold to what the Holy Spirit is telling you and trust that Jesus is your covering. Stick with like-minded people for encouragement because at times it gets lonely and you’ll find you won’t fit into the ‘old’. We are a new creation destined for great exploits with our God. HALLELUJAH!!!

Geoff Willmott can be contacted at geoffrey.willmott@gmail.com or 027-775-4131 or +6427-775-4131.

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.

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 Eman Abrea.

My name is Eman Abrea. I am married with three children. I encountered Christ while attending church services near our home. I don’t remember the exact date when I gave my life to Him during my teenage years.

My life as a believer had its challenges. But a turning point came when I moved in with my older brother. He and his wife regularly attended a local church near their home. Since then, I gradually began to learn about Christ and His teachings personally. I started to grow in my faith and decided to study at a Bible School. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Theology.

Q–How did you go from your initial faith to a realization that organic church/fellowship with believers was significant enough to change your pattern of worship?  What was your journey?

At the age of 21, I became the pastor of a struggling church, older than myself. During those years, I began comparing the church’s practices to the teachings of Jesus and the early church. While studying the New Testament, I noticed many practices of the modern church that are not explicitly taught by Christ. For instance, conducting worship services every Sunday. Worship in the New Testament is a lifestyle, not a program-based activity confined to a particular day or days. The New Testament describes gatherings in small groups or house churches. All believers contribute to one another what they have learned from the Word and the Holy Spirit during their gatherings. There are no passive observers; everyone participates.

Q–How long have you been doing organic fellowship and are you still doing it?  Have you seen other groups start from your initial group?  What are the challenges you’ve seen?  How do you/did you overcome challenges? 

In the year 2000, my family and I embarked on a journey of organic church ministry after resigning from the church we had planted. We firmly believed that God was the one who encouraged us to start this path, with no support from any individual or group. By faith, we obeyed Him, even though we weren’t sure what to do. We felt alone in this endeavor. Some pastors we knew accused us of being backsliders because we stopped attending a local church.  To make matters worse, they labeled us a cult group.  We ignored their accusations and continued doing what we felt God was calling us to do. During those years, we established several house churches in different locations. However, we encountered challenges that led to setbacks:

• Lack of effective discipleship
• Absence of training for new leaders
• Insufficient prayer
• Insufficient reliance on God
• Failure to focus on God’s Kingdom
• Lack of character development
• Lack of genuine relationships

Q–Have you had children grow up in organic church?  Have you seen the benefits of this?  

I’m grateful to say that our children grew up in a nurturing house church environment. We thank God for the fruits we’ve seen in their lives, they are all God-fearing, loving, and obedient to us and the Lord.

Q–How would you encourage a struggling group? How would you encourage someone to start a group? What’s the secret of a group that lasts more than 5 years?

My answer is simple, yet essential:  Build an intimate relationship with God, especially with the Holy Spirit. This is His time, and He is actively working in our lives as the Teacher, Counselor, Coach, and Discipler-always available. He will teach us everything we need for this life. We must ask Him, talk to Him constantly, and listen to His guidance for every question we have.  I assure you, He will not fail us. This is what’s happening in my life, my wife’s, my children’s, and in the lives of other believers. And this is what I teach to others: daily Bible reading, meditation, studying, journaling, and obedience are essential for building an intimate relationship with God.

This is not a system, method, program, materials, etc., but rather a growing and fruitful relationship with the King.

You can contact Eman Abrea by email at emanelvie@gmail.com.

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.

Here is the second-half of Unsung Heroes–Houston. 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 continues the story told by Terry Stanley. You can check out Part 1 here.

As things began to deteriorate in the Bryan/College station group (I’ll explain why both groups fell apart later), I sold my house and moved my family to Houston in 2008. My wife and I began to open our home for hospitality, meetings and fellowship. We only knew a couple of families in the Houston area who were interested in meeting outside the traditional churches. We met, we ate together, worshipped, prayed for one another and read the Bible together. About this time, a couple of popular books were published regarding house church. This caused a large influx of people wanting to meet in homes. The group in Houston grew quickly. Within a couple of years, the living rooms were full again. We were sharing life with 12-14 families. 

Church life in Houston was much different than it was in the previous two groups. Houston is obviously a big city. We were more spread out. We were certainly involved in each other’s lives and were together a lot. But geography also affected the ability to be spontaneous to some degree. However, the major difference in the Houston group from 2008-2022 were the people who came. 

Apparently, the books that came out about house church in the late 2000’s had a lot of information about what was wrong with traditional church meetings. As a result, I would say almost every family that was meeting in homes with us in Houston was attending out of a reaction to what was wrong. Not because of a revelation of what the church truly is or a revelation of Christ, but because of what it was not.

These were hurt people, rejects, debaters, rebels and spiritual babes in Christ. That was Ok with me and my wife. We loved them and taught and modeled church life. We received from them too. But the Houston group became a revolving door.

People usually attended because they were reacting to something or didn’t like something. That only goes so far. When the water got hot and relationships “got real”, as they do in real church life people would leave. Of course they would find some reason as to why the house church was wrong too, because that was their foundation. Some would come for a couple of months, some for a few years, but inevitably every family that we met with in Houston from 2008-2022 lacked the conviction and revelation of what church really is. Most of them left and joined common traditional church groups (what I call “cults” or church franchises). They traded the freedom of true body life and the ability to function in their gifts for following a man, sitting silent on a pew, and having to pay money for it.

It’s been tough for me and my wife. It’s been tough because we have never had the same experience of body life that we had from 1989-2008. Our early experiences of church life had many similarities to the book of Acts. The people we met with from 1989-2008 had their foundation in the “Jesus movement” of the 1970’s. Coffee shop church and the charismatic Jesus hippie movement (See the movie “Jesus Revolution”). It has never been the same since. Only recently in the last couple of years, the group in Houston has started to change in a more positive direction. We seem to be with more people now who have a true revelation of the church and are not meeting out of a reaction. 

Having met in homes for so long has exposed us to a lot of things. I would say the most important thing for the longevity of a group is what I call “the seed of Christ”. Jesus has to be the center. If the group is not focused on the person of Jesus first and foremost, there will be no life and it will not last. You can only meet so long because of what is wrong with this or that, or any other of the thousands of reasons people want to meet. Although I see this as the primary reason for the failure of groups, there are multiple roads that will get you there. 

The Church is a living organism, and living organisms are delicate. Any focus other than Jesus Himself will begin the demise of a group. Common distractions may be healing and deliverance, a man, a doctrine, relationships, various teachers, evangelism. These things can be great and Biblical, but they can’t be the main focus or it will die. 

A love for the Bible is not the same as a love for Jesus. The Bible points us to Jesus and Jesus certainly points us to the Bible. But people who place the Bible above Jesus Himself, wind up being more about their own doctrines, what and who is wrong, and they would rather debate than love each other and worship Christ. People who elevate the Bible above Christ become toxic in the church. Worship (Jesus focused, not music focused), prayer that is focused on Christ, love for one another, and being totally in love with and captivated by Jesus are the only things that will sustain a group.

Secondly, the stability, longevity, and health of a group has a whole lot to do with how well you can coexist with one another while opposing and variations in doctrine exist. Brother A believes in “once saved always saved” and brother B does not. Pick your doctrine – it doesn’t matter. Calvinism, dominion theologies, KJV only, predestination, flat earth, you name it. I’ve met with them all. And you know what? What someone else believes is not hugely important to me. I just care about who you know (Jesus). I don’t even care that much about what I believe. My doctrines and beliefs are always a work in progress. I could be wrong about my current beliefs and I probably am. Romans 14 teaches us to “let each man be fully convinced in his own mind”. You must not feel threatened by others beliefs. And you can’t really take your own too seriously. And equally as important, you can’t try to change others to believe what you do. Otherwise, seeds of discord and strife will take over the relationships and ultimately the entire group. 

Usually a person’s pet doctrines are not part of “the gospel”. Jesus Christ must be first and really the only thing that matters. Paul said that he “purposed to know nothing among you, except Christ and Him crucified”. Christianity is not a belief system. It is Christ in you. This is rarely understood, which is why it is rare for groups to last very long – unless they are propped up by strong personalities, programs, events, and money. 

Why did the two groups eventually collapse? The first group I was a part of in Waco, TX near Baylor University from 1989-1993 (no affiliation with David Koresh and the Branch Davidians) collapsed (in my opinion, I was not there when it fell apart because I had moved to Bryan/College Station with the 5 families) because they began to take their eyes off of Jesus as I’ve mentioned above. Certain doctrines brought by a particular elder had become the focus (I will not mention the doctrines because they are not important), but the doctrines caused the group to seek the things of earth and things in this earthly life. Eventually, the seed of Christ was lost and Jesus was no longer the only focus. The group slowly disbanded, people moved away, and people joined the local franchised churches.

The group in Bryan/College Station disintegrated because, again, an elder had introduced error. I confess that I was a part of that error. I had this elder on a pedestal and whatever he said, I thought was true. I followed him right into a ditch. I was considered a key brother in the Bryan/College station group and my joining myself to the elder in error made matters worse because I supported him and propagated his messages of error. I am sorry. I continue to feel very broken about it to this day. 

Although plural leadership was present in both groups, both groups made the mistake of thinking too highly of a certain man. When a “leading brother” introduces a heresy (which takes your eyes of Jesus as the main focus), even seasoned brothers can take the bait and begin to adopt the false teaching – thus spreading it to the whole group. All men are prone to error (that includes me). I have learned there must be an equal playing field in the hearts of the people in the group. We must check one another. Scripture is the final authority, not a man. No matter how experienced or how impressive a man is, he is just a fallible brother. Not if, but when, he teaches an error, it must be checked by others. This is not only a service to the brother, but also a safeguard for the group. 

If any man is on a pedestal, the group will eventually fail. Because every brother will fail at some point in time either as a perceived failing or a true failing. Even if a man doesn’t fail, he will fail in the eyes of others at times. In other words, none of us can live up to each other’s expectations, even if we are wrong or right. This is a major reason groups take their eyes off of Christ and lose the seed of Christ being the center – because a man becomes too big and too important. 

There are multiple subjects to talk about when it comes to church life and church dynamics: Leadership, men’s and women’s roles, childcare, money, how to start a group, how to share life together, etc. I’ve taken all of my experiences in body life and put it all into a book called “The Way Church Was Meant to Be”. Not that I am trying to get anyone to read the book, it’s just that there is no point in repeating it all here because there is a lot to say and my thoughts have already been recorded if you are interested in reading more. The chapters are freely posted on the website, see link below.

Although church life and church dynamics are very important, to me the more important subject is “what happened to me at the school playground and how can we all live there”. That experience sent me on a very deep and lifelong journey to understand all of that. I also put all of that into 2 books, “Mysteries of the Kingdom” and “From the Head to the Heart”. Again, much to say about the what, the how, and the why, of walking in a deep and real experiential relationship with Jesus Christ. 

My life long quest to fully understand and live in constant communion with Jesus has led me into some amazing and uncommon insights. I have felt compelled to help others break free from their captivity and live the life God intended for them to live. I see people suffering in captivity everywhere. This desire to help is what led me to obtain the credentials necessary to become a Christian therapist. My doctorate and state licensure are only credentials to me. The credentials are for people to feel more comfortable with me and to seek help. I rarely use anything I learned in school during “therapy”. I am only listening to the Holy Spirit for insight and wisdom for each person. The main thing I learned from my doctorate in clinical psychology is that psychology doesn’t work! Secular psychology omits the spirit. It is only the study of the mind, will and emotions – the psyche or “the soul” as Watchman Nee would put it. 

Thank you for reading. And thank you Jesus for this wonderful and most difficult journey of my life to this point!

Feel free to contact Terry and learn more about him. Check out his links www.homechutchhelp.com, www.homechurchhouston.com, www.cypresschristiancounseling.com. georgecanchat@gmail.com.

Also click these links to read excerpts from his book The Way Church Was Meant to Be. First excerpt, second excerpt.

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.

Here is another exciting story in the Unsung Heroes series. 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 Terry Stanley. You can check out Part 2 here.

My name is Terry Stanley (George is my middle name). I grew up in Houston. I received my undergrad degree at Baylor University, I am a tennis coach and a doctor of clinical psychology with a private practice in Christian therapy. I help Christians in their marriages and with a variety of individual and personal issues – all from a Biblical worldview. I have been happily married to Nanci for 35 years with four kids who are all grown. 

I encountered the truth of God for the first time while at a party in high school in 1987. A friend of mine told me, “Terry, if you keep living how you are living, you are going to burn in eternal fire for all eternity”. Although I had zero interest in the things of God at the time, this statement got my attention. I thought to myself, “If this is true, I would be a fool to ignore it.” So, I began a quest to see if God was real or not. I attended a few church meetings. In those meetings, I felt the Spirit of Jesus drawing me and calling me to believe and to surrender to Him. I believed on the Lord Jesus in December of 1987. 

I had no mentoring or discipleship at the time. I understood that I was not going to be thrown into the fires of hell now, but my heart was empty and I was miserable now that I was a Christian. I was miserable because I really did surrender to Jesus, but “what now?” At the time, I was in a hard rock band, I drank very heavily, I did drugs, I slept around, I was very much a wild man.  I had a big heart with deep needs that I was trying to fill with the world. But now I was trying to be a Jesus man. But Jesus people were nerds. They had ZERO fun. Christians were geeks and they went bowling for fun and they played volleyball. I used to torture Christians because they were so dull and nerdy. They were the direct opposite of me. 

I was crazy and wild and fun and Christians were all like scared little sheep. Christians really made me sick. But now, I was one of them. I just signed up for the Christian life of boring misery. And I did this, just so I wouldn’t burn in eternal fire. At 17 years old, I tried to endure this monotony, although I was empty and bored out of my mind. I would sit at home with my parents on Friday and Saturday nights and watch old cowboy movies with my dad while some of the greatest house parties with all my friends and the hottest chicks were just right down the street. UGGHHH, this is torture! This Christian thing is killing me! My friends were ringing my parents phone off the hook. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING MAN! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND? GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW! EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE!”, my friends would say while the slow and boring cowboy movie was playing in the background on the TV. I guess my friends were right. Maybe I had lost my mind. 

On one particular night while a great rock and roll party of debauchery and drinking was raging just a few miles away, I told my friends (yet again) that I wasn’t going to the party. Instead, I drove to a school playground nearby. All by myself in the dark at the playground I sat. I looked at the moon. I would watch the clouds slowly pass across the moon in the dark. I decided I needed to have a talk with Almighty God. With as much sincerity as I could possibly muster, I looked God straight in the eyes and with all of my heart, I told Him: “I want to be your man. But I can’t do this. I am MISERABLE. I am craving all of the things I used to do. If you want me to live for you, you are going to have to take care of this problem. I just kept sitting there on the monkey bars in the park. I sat and I waited. I was resolved. I was absolutely not going to the party. God had to fix this. I was not going to get drunk anymore. I was going to follow Jesus now. But how? After I prayed in the dark at the park. I sat and I just kept looking around and then I sat there some more. It was a stalemate. “I am not going to the party God. But here I am trying to be your man, so now what? 

After a while of sitting lonely in the dark, something absolutely amazing happened. Now keep in mind, I was not raised in the church. I had no idea of what or who “the Spirit” was. I had no charismatic background. I had absolutely no understanding of scripture or theology at this time in my life. At the school park in the dark all alone, the Lord Jesus Christ fell on me. He fell on me with power, with love, and with the most amazing experience of joy that I didn’t even know was possible. This was not my emotions. I did not initiate this. I did not work something up. I did not fabricate this. I was being visited by someone. It was another person, but He was invisible. It was a Spirit. It was an experience of INTENSE, INTENSE, INTENSE, peace and spiritual elation. I began to cry, to shout, to dance and sing! It was wonderful! The best part about it was that I now knew that the Christian life was possible. Having God Himself touch me in this way was the most deeply satisfying thing that had ever happened to me at this point in my life. A smile was plastered on my face. I drove home so deeply at rest. It was the beginning of a new life, truly I had just set sail on a brand new journey into the depths of the spiritual. 

My experience with Jesus was very real that night in the park. It was raw and deeply authentic. After that happened to me, I would attend church meetings and the atmosphere at the church meetings was very different from what had happened to me in the park. Things at the church meetings seemed “canned”. Kinda shallow. Kinda fake in a way. The preachers almost seemed like used car salesmen, trying to sell us something. Then, they always wanted money. 

I had SO MANY QUESTIONS? Hundreds of questions. I had just completely given my life over to something and I had a very deep need to understand everything about it. I would ask all of my questions to other Christians and especially to pastors: What happened to me in the park? What does the word “saved” mean”? How does the blood from a man 2000 years ago help me now? Why do we do all the things we do in the church service? And on and on and on. People couldn’t answer my questions in a way that I understood or that satisfied me. Every answer the pastor would give me, would create 5 more questions from me. People were really annoyed by me. My hunger and excitement to learn was deeper than their current understanding or experience of Christ. 

About 9 months after my conversion and my experience in the park, I went to Baylor University as a freshman in college. I met a guy in the dormitory who had Jesus posters everywhere in his room! I thought to myself, “Surely this guy can answer my questions!” And he did. Doug Howey spent hours and hours with me answering my questions. He didn’t know all the answers, but we would find them together! We stayed up all hours of the night reading the Bible, praying, and answering my hundreds of questions. I thank Jesus for Doug Howey. One night Doug took us to a “Bible study” which was held off campus in somebody’s house. I had never seen anything like this Bible study before. People were praying with their eyes open. People were singing with their eyes closed. People were crying and praying for one another. People were confessing sins out loud to the whole group. It was intense. It was honest. It was real and it was authentic. They all really cared for one another and loved one another. I was particularly impressed with the fact that their lives were about Jesus. Not just at the Bible study, but all of the time. They weren’t attending the Bible study because they had to come out of some duty. But they wanted to be there to love each other and to get help from one another in order to learn how to grow deeper in Jesus in during the rest of their week. Come to find out, this wasn’t just a Bible study. This was a house church. 

I was there every week and for every meeting. And I got to ask more of my questions! The main guy of the house church was named Frank. Frank took an interest in me. He would invite me to lunch. He would invite me to pray. He would teach me, encourage me, confront me and rebuke me. Frank and I developed a mentoring relationship. He poured into me for about 4 years. But as equally important as Frank’s mentoring of me – I got to live church life! 

The group that met at Frank’s house was actually a part of a larger network of organic church people – about 25 families is my guess. We would meet in parks. We would meet at the lake. We would meet from house to house. We would rent halls. There were brothers’ meetings, sisters’ meetings. Bon-fire meetings in the country. These people were 100% serious about Jesus all of the time! I got invited to some meetings where only the older brothers were allowed to attend and they would talk about oversight things in the group and pray ( I didn’t dare say a word in those meetings). Brothers would call a special meeting for all 25 families to attend just to deliver a message that would take all day on a Saturday (we would take breaks after 2 hours, then he would go again). We would worship outside in the park on Thursday nights with a piano, guitars, a violin player, a flute, and girls dancing to the worship music barefoot with their hands lifted high to Jesus. The group would intentionally buy up houses in the same neighborhood so they could live next to each other. A brother and sister would walk the neighborhood during the week in the evening carrying a bottle of wine and a loaf of bread. They would see others in the group outside and from the street they would say, “would you like to have communion together?” We would work at each other’s houses on the weekends. There was someone having dinner at someone else’s house every single night of the week, every week. We would travel to other cities together to visit other groups. We would all go camping together. We would prophesy, teach, worship, lay hands on the sick, preach the good news throughout the city and break bread together. 

I lived in this group of people from 1989 to1993. In 1993, five families from the group, including mine, moved to a nearby town to “do a work” and start another group. That group also grew to become a large network of families sharing life together. I lived in Bryan / College Station from 1993-2008. After many years and because of a series of negative events with some of the key personalities, both groups slowly disintegrated and are no longer in existence.  (End of Part 1)

Feel free to contact Terry and learn more about him. Check out his links www.homechutchhelp.com, www.homechurchhouston.com, www.cypresschristiancounseling.com. georgecanchat@gmail.com.

Also click these links to read excerpts from his book The Way Church Was Meant to Be. First excerpt, second excerpt.

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.