Category: 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 Tim Germain.

My life growing up had very little Christian influence. A family down the street were the Morris’s. Through this family, I learned that Jesus loved little children and that He loved me. I received my first Bible from them and read the book that had my name in it – Timothy. For some reason, I memorized the 23rd Psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd.” It had a lasting effect upon me.

I would get up on Sunday to go to those children’s classes and always prayed before my meals and at bedtime. My father said I was always different. My sister commented that they thought I would be a minister when I grew up.

By the time I was seventeen, following a breakup with my girlfriend, life took on an emptiness that I didn’t understand. Life seemed more like a bad movie, and I was the main star. Outwardly, you couldn’t tell, but inside I was crying – crying for something I didn’t yet understand. I was empty, and life didn’t seem to hold many answers.

The Jesus Movement was in full swing in 1973. I was drawn to it without understanding why. Circumstances required me to return and complete another year of high school at Wentworth Secondary School in Niagara Falls, just so I could enter university and begin a career as a teacher.

I met another girl at that time who told me that the answers to the questions I had were found in Christ. I began to read the Bible again, remembering the 23rd Psalm. One day, I simply cried out to God, “If You are real, please forgive me and make me what You want me to be.”

Immediately, I came into a bright room where a man stood in a cloud. His voice said, “Tim, the reason you are so unhappy is because of your sin, but I still love you and died for you.”

Immediately, I was back on the floor. The next thing I felt was a love that filled every core of my being. Every nook and cranny, every part of my being, was filled with a love that overwhelmed me. I found myself weeping uncontrollably and rolling on the floor.

I experienced such a wonder of the fullness of God. He was what I needed. He was the answer for my soul. He was the reason for my being and for living! That day was a wonderful day filled with glory and wonder.

I had to tell everyone – my family and my friends. “Jesus is real! He appeared to me!”

My dad got angry. “Don’t tell me about Jesus.”

My friends just laughed.

Twenty-one years lost in the religious matrix – and, like the movie, I didn’t even know it.

My transition from institutionalism started with an invitation to a home for fellowship. From that small beginning, my family left the Sunday ritual and found Christ in a wonderful and living way.

We formed friendships among children and adults. We discovered liberty in sharing, teaching, and singing without any program. The learning curve started to increase, and deconstruction was in full swing.

For at least two years, we went through the maze of Christianity – the control of programs, the restrictions of its leaders, and the practices of those who follow the traditions of men that nullify the Word of God.

We discovered our royal priesthood and the responsibility to come prepared, not expecting someone else to carry us. We learned to wait on God as we met and sang out our hearts’ longings. We learned to love one another.

Away with the special buildings. Away with Old Testament order. Away with carnal, worldly practices. Away with titles, tithing, temples, and watching the time clock. Away with preaching and tokens at Christ’s table.

We had a full meal. Giving was from giver to receiver; there was no treasury.

The Bible became a living oracle of God’s revelation, unfolding its deep spiritual meaning hidden within the text. We began to see clearly as we had never seen before. Christ was being discovered in the text, and our union with Him was the Rosetta Stone that made it all come together.

This lasted from 1996 to 2005. I left because of a transfer with my company. There, I put together a DVD to bridge the gap in the conversation about what the apostles gave us and how Christ is building His Ekklesia.

We also had the opportunity to discover our calling, whatever it was.

Our challenges were twofold: doctrine and personalities.

New people were not used to open meetings and were often disruptive because of personality clashes. Looking back, we handled it with everyone present, but it would have been better if we had met with them beforehand and discussed the what and why of biblical assemblies.

In other words, an elder or mature brother could go over the foundation of open gatherings.

The doctrinal issues are many as well. Again, we all jumped in together whenever someone was saying something that did not line up with Scripture. To be led by the Spirit is learned in an environment where others recognize it as well – not just in the speaking. Everything is to be judged by Scripture.

Our children have all grown up in this family environment. Some have remained in the faith that their family taught them, while some have not. Each person is responsible for his or her own choices upon entering adulthood.

Let’s face it: nothing is always without challenges. But through prayer and grace, we attempt to lead our children by our example and endeavor to keep the unity of the faith in the bond of peace.

Continue to pray for your prodigals, that they may come to their senses and return to the Father’s house. Encourage your family, as they are the ones carrying His testimony.

Those who are gifted and want to serve will find it challenging but rewarding. Remember what Paul said to the elders of Ephesus: “Feed the flock, taking heed to yourselves,” which the Holy Spirit has made them overseers to feed the flock of God, which He purchased with His own blood.

Pray for discernment about how to lead and be an example to the flock. Keep yourselves in the love of God.

Let the Bible be the book to read, and resist the temptation to rely too heavily on commentaries, but always have good tools for study. I personally have used Vine’s New Testament Words, Thayer’s Lexicon, Strong’s Concordance, the Interlinear Hebrew and Greek, and Sword, which is also a good study tool.

Since my wife passed, I have not gathered with others on a continual basis.

Let the journey begin, and let Christ be preeminent in everything.

My website is here, there are a variety of ministry topics.

Brother Tim Germain editor@ekklesiajourney.com/

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I’ve always been fascinated by hearing stories from people who follow Christ under persecution. As Westerners, we may wonder how well our own faith would hold up and what church would look like when persecution knocks on our front door. The following is a Facebook post from Wendy Click and is well worth reading. It’s a bit long, so grab a cup of coffee, relax, and let your heart be open.

Giving My Love Back to America
Lessons from the Chinese House Church
By Wendy Click (2019)

When I came to America, I felt very thankful.

Wherever I went, one of the first things I wanted was to thank the Western missionaries who came to China more than 100 years ago. They told people about Jesus. They helped Chinese people. They started schools and hospitals. They brought new ways of learning and new technology.

Most of all, they brought the message of Jesus Christ.

Their prayers, tears, hard work, and even their blood were not wasted. The good news about Jesus took root in China. Many Chinese Christians over the years were changed by that message.

I am one of those people.

Today, I want to give that love back. I cannot pay back the gospel, because no one can. But I can serve Jesus in America. I can pray for this country. I can tell Americans about Jesus.

I believe God has not forgotten what the Western missionaries gave up for China. I also believe God can use Chinese Christians to help the American church today.

This is the story of what I learned from the Chinese house church. And this is what I think American Christians can learn from it.

The Church Is Not a Building

The idea of a house church may sound new to many Americans. But house churches are not new. They go all the way back to the New Testament.

The first Christians met in homes and in public places.

Acts 2:46 says:
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”

Paul also talked about churches that met in homes. In Romans 16:5, he said hello to “the church that meets at their house.” The same kind of words appear in 1 Corinthians 16:19 and Colossians 4:15.

This does not mean Christians must only meet in homes. We can worship in church buildings, homes, schools, rented rooms, or other places.

Jesus said: “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” – John 4:24

The place is not the most important thing.

What matters most is this: Is Jesus at the center? Are people learning from God’s Word? Do they love each other? Are they living as His followers?

The church is the body of Christ. A building can help the church, but a building is not the church.

How the Chinese House Church Began

The story of Chinese house churches is not simple. It cannot be told in just one way.

Western missionaries had already started churches in China before the Communist government took over. After 1949, things changed a lot. The government took control of churches. Religious freedom became very limited. Many Christian leaders were put in prison or forced to stop public work.

During the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, almost all public Christian worship was stopped. Churches were closed. Bibles were taken away or destroyed. Many Christians were put in prison, publicly shamed, forced to work hard, beaten, or hurt in other ways.

But the church did not disappear.

Christians met quietly in homes. Families prayed together. Believers memorized Bible verses. They met with family and trusted friends. In some places, people traveled to faraway areas to worship.

The house church was not first planned as a way to grow the church.

For many believers, it was simply the only way to stay faithful to Jesus when they could not worship in public.

That difference is important.

We should not make the Chinese house church sound perfect or romantic. It grew in very hard times, and it had its own problems. But persecution taught Chinese Christians something that many comfortable Christians can easily forget:

The church can keep going without buildings.
The church can keep going without big budgets.
The church can keep going without fancy programs.

But the church cannot stay strong without Jesus, the Bible, prayer, and people who follow Him faithfully.

A Voice from Chinese Church History

One important person in Chinese church history was Francis Wilson Price, also known as Bi Fangyu.

Old records from the Chinese Christian movement say that Price cared deeply about the future of the church under Communist rule. He believed Christians needed to get ready for a time when public church buildings and groups might not exist anymore.

So he encouraged Christians to find ways to keep living out their faith in families and small groups.

His work became part of a bigger effort by Chinese Christians to prepare for hard times.

The goal was not to create a cool new kind of church.

It was about surviving and staying faithful.

This history is important when Americans hear the words “Chinese house church.” The name did not first mean a modern way to save money. It meant believers who kept following Jesus when the normal ways of worship were taken away.

What Persecution Taught the Chinese Church

During the Cultural Revolution, many Christians learned to value things that had become hard to get.

They valued the Bible because Bibles were hard to find.

They valued prayer because they never knew if they could meet publicly the next day.

They valued Christian friends because they needed each other to keep going.

They valued sharing their faith because faith was not something to hide.

They valued helping each other grow because every Christian needed to know how to follow Jesus without always depending on a paid pastor.

In some places, believers memorized large parts of the Bible because written copies were rare.

Some Christians copied Scripture by hand. Others hid Bibles where they hoped the authorities would not find them.

The Bible was not just a book for Sunday morning. It was their spiritual food.

One older believer once told about hiding a Bible in a container because authorities were searching homes. Stories like these show how precious the Bible became to people who were being persecuted.

Their suffering became like a classroom.

The Holy Spirit was their teacher.
The Bible was their textbook.
Life itself was their classroom.

This does not mean suffering is good. It means God can still shape His people even when they suffer a lot.

Prayer Before Programs

One of the biggest lessons I learned from Chinese house churches is how important prayer is.

Many early gatherings did not start with fancy programs. They started with prayer.

Believers prayed for their families.

They prayed for their churches.
They prayed for people who were suffering.
They prayed for others to be saved.
They prayed for God’s will.

In some places, Christians met very early in the morning to pray. In other places, they prayed late at night. Fasting and prayer were also common.

I have seen Chinese believers pray for one or two hours with great focus.

They did not always say, “God, give me what I want.”

Often they said, “Lord, what do You want to do?”

That difference matters.

Prayer is not a trick to make revival happen. Revival is God’s work. But a church that prays is a church that knows it needs God.

The simple truth is this:

Without prayer, we cannot expect a strong spiritual life.

Hunger for God’s Word

The second lesson is hunger for the Bible.

When the Bible is easy to get, we can easily take it for granted.

When Christians know that owning a Bible might cost them their freedom, the Bible becomes precious.

Chinese believers copied Scripture, memorized it, listened to Christian radio, recorded sermons, and shared Bible teaching with each other.

This created a culture where regular Christians were expected to know the Bible.

The result was not always perfect teaching. House churches also struggled with weak training and wrong ideas.

But the hunger was real.

American Christians have almost unlimited access to Bibles, sermons, books, podcasts, conferences, and study tools.

Our challenge is different.

We have the Word.

Do we hunger for it?

A church can have great programs and still be weak if God’s people do not know God’s Word.

Every Christian Must Become a Disciple

Another lesson from the Chinese house church is that ministry cannot belong only to paid pastors.

In many Chinese house churches, regular believers learned to share the gospel, pray for others, care for new believers, lead small groups, and teach the Bible.

This does not mean everyone has the same job.

The New Testament clearly teaches that people have different gifts and different ways to serve.

But every Christian is called to follow Jesus.

Ephesians 4:12 talks about preparing God’s people “for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”

So the pastor’s job is not to do everything.

The pastor must help God’s people get ready to serve.

A healthy church does not create an audience.

It creates disciples.

Discipleship Is Life on Life

One strength of a small group is that people can know each other better.

In a large church, someone can come for years and no one really knows what is happening in their life.

In a small group, it is harder to hide.

People can share their struggles.
They can admit their weaknesses.
They can pray for each other.
They can encourage each other.
They can correct each other kindly.
They can be happy together and sad together.

Romans 12:15 says: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

This is not just a Sunday activity.

It is Christian life.

The goal of discipleship is not just passing on information. It is helping one life build another life in Christ.

Paul’s relationship with Timothy is a good Bible picture of this kind of discipleship.

Mature believers should help newer believers grow.

Parents should help their children follow Jesus.

Older Christians should encourage younger ones.

Church leaders should prepare believers to serve.

Life should build life.

Sharing the Gospel as a Way of Life

Chinese culture also makes it natural to invite people into your home.

Inviting someone for a meal can open the door for talk, friendship, prayer, personal stories, and sharing about Jesus.

I remember how my husband and I prayed before meals when we visited China. A young relative noticed. Later, when he came back to America, he felt strange eating without saying “Amen.”

Simple habits can become strong testimonies.

The church does not have to wait for a special outreach event.

Sharing the gospel can happen around a dinner table.

It can happen in a phone call.
It can happen through friendship.
It can happen when a Christian listens to someone who feels lonely.

America has lots of material things, but loneliness is still a big problem.

The church should be a spiritual family where people meet both truth and love.

The Strength of the House Church Is Not Its Small Size

It would be a mistake to think small churches are always better than large ones.

Size is not the Bible’s measure of spiritual health.

A house church can be unhealthy.

A large church can be healthy.

The real question is whether the church is faithful to Jesus.

The strengths I have seen in healthy Chinese house churches include:
Prayer.
Hunger for the Bible.
Sharing the gospel.
Caring for each other.
Personal discipleship.
Sharing the work.
Simple ways of organizing.

These are not just Chinese values.

They are Bible values.

The Money Question

House churches can also run with less money.

Meeting in a living room does not cost as much as keeping a large building.

This can free up money for missions, sharing the gospel, helping the poor, discipleship, and other work.

But saving money should never be the main reason for choosing a house church.

The church is not a business whose goal is to cut costs.

Money is a tool for ministry.

Whether a church meets in a big building or a living room, its money belongs to God and should be used carefully.

The Dangers of the House Church

Chinese house churches also have serious weaknesses.

We should not make them sound perfect.

Because many house churches work outside formal systems, it can be hard to hold people accountable.

Some leaders can become too controlling.

Some believers may not have good Bible training.

Wrong teaching can spread quickly.

Gossip can hurt relationships.

Personal boundaries can be crossed.

Money can be misused.

And strong leaders can sometimes control people’s lives too much.

These dangers are not only in China.

They can happen wherever Christians meet.

The New Testament keeps warning believers to test teaching, think carefully, and hold leaders accountable.

A house church is not automatically biblical just because it meets in a house.

The question is whether its teaching, leaders, relationships, and practices follow the Bible.

A Warning About Wrong Teaching

Some Chinese house churches also had groups that treated strong emotional experiences as proof of being saved.

In some extreme cases, people were pushed to seek long emotional times, visions, heavy crying, fasting, or other physical signs as evidence that they were truly forgiven or born again.

These practices can seriously twist the gospel.

Salvation rests on God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not on how strong a person’s feelings are.

Christians should tell the difference between real repentance and spiritual pressure.

We must also tell the difference between the Holy Spirit’s work and human pressure.

A church that does not teach sound doctrine can easily be fooled.

That is one reason good Bible teaching and leaders who can be held accountable are so important.

Authority Must Be Accountable

Another danger is leaders who have too much control.

In some Chinese house churches, cultural respect for authority can make people afraid to question a leader.

But Bible leadership is not absolute personal control.

Peter told church elders not to “lord it over” the people in their care, but to be examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:2–3).

Christian leaders are shepherds under the Chief Shepherd.
They do not own the church.

Whenever a leader claims special power above the Bible, controls people’s personal choices, demands blind loyalty, misuses money, or hurts people, the church must respond with careful thinking and proper accountability.

The same warning applies in America.

Gossip and Privacy

House churches also need wisdom about privacy.

When people meet in someone’s home, family life becomes more visible.

Money differences may become clear.

Marriage problems may become known.

Children may get involved.

Unbelieving spouses may feel uncomfortable.

Gossip can spread easily.

So healthy house churches need clear boundaries.

Private information should stay private.

Personal details should not be collected unless needed.

Concerns should go through the right leaders, not through gossip.

Hospitality must never become an excuse to invade someone’s privacy.

Love needs both openness and healthy limits.

What I Have Seen in America

I have lived in America for many years.

When I first came, my English was limited, and the Chinese church became an important place for friendship.

But as I got to know American Christianity better, I began to see another side of the American church.

America has amazing Christian resources.

There are seminaries, churches, publishers, conferences, Christian schools, radio programs, TV ministries, podcasts, websites, and countless books.

Yet resources do not automatically make people spiritually mature.

I have met Christians who know very little about the Bible even though they have gone to church for many years.

I have seen churches with many activities but very little prayer.

I have seen believers who come every week but do not know how to share the gospel.

I have seen pastors under heavy pressure.

I have seen Christians leave churches because of personal hurts.

These problems should not be used to attack the American church.

The church is made of people who are still being changed by Jesus.

China has its own failures.

America has its own failures.

Neither Chinese Christians nor American Christians should think they are better than the other.

We need each other.

Why I Believe Chinese Christians Have Something to Give America

The Western church brought the gospel to China.

Now I believe Chinese Christians can bring something back to the West – not a new gospel, not a new teaching, and not a replacement for the American church.

We can bring personal stories.
We can bring a fresh love for prayer.
We can bring hunger for the Bible.
We can bring a culture of welcoming people into our homes.
We can bring a willingness to share the work of ministry.
We can bring stories of not giving up.

Most of all, we can remind each other that the church belongs to Jesus Christ.

I do not believe the future of the American church depends on copying the Chinese house church model exactly as it is in China.

Instead, I believe American Christians should return to the Bible foundations that Chinese house churches had to rediscover in hard times.

Prayer.
The Bible.
Discipleship.
Sharing the gospel.
Fellowship.
Sacrifice.
Holy living.
Mission.

My Own Journey Back to the House Church

My own story has made this very personal.

I grew up in China during a hard time in its history.

My family was not Christian.

Yet from childhood, I knew deep inside that God existed.

As a young woman, I finally went to a Christian church and was baptized.

My faith later caused conflict with my job and my family. For a while I moved away from the church.

But God drew me back.

I remember standing in a church and looking at the cross. I was overwhelmed by the truth that Jesus had died for me.

I began to cry.

I knew I had wandered away, but I also understood again how deep God’s grace is.

From that point, my life changed.
I began studying the Bible.
I listened to Christian radio.
I served in the church.
I shared the gospel with friends.
I began to want more Bible training and ministry.

Eventually, God led me into marriage with an American Christian man who shared my desire to serve Jesus.

In 2001, I came to America.

I did not know then how God would use my life in this country.

Coming Back to America with Thankfulness

Several years later, I began to feel a burden for Chinese people living around the world.

But slowly, I began to see America differently.

I had first come here as someone who received.

Now I began to ask:
What can I give?
How can I serve?
How can I pray?
How can I share Jesus?

One day while praying, I found myself crying out:

“God, I want to preach the gospel. I want to share Your Word.”

Soon after, I was invited to a house church gathering in America.

When I saw the words “house church,” I was deeply moved.

It felt familiar.

It reminded me of the Chinese believers who met in homes, prayed together, studied the Bible, and encouraged each other.

I realized I did not have to go back to China to serve Jesus.

God had brought me to America.

And maybe part of my calling was to serve the American church.

“Do Not Give Up on America”

During one prayer gathering, several of us knelt together and cried out to God for America.

We prayed:
“God, do not give up on America.”
We confessed our sins.
We prayed for the church.
We prayed for families.
We prayed for revival.

My husband, who does not speak Chinese, was deeply moved by the atmosphere of prayer.

That experience reminded me that the deepest need of the American church is not another program.

It is not another building.
It is not another ministry brand.
We need Jesus.
We need His Word.
We need to turn back to Him.
We need prayer.
We need disciples who actually follow Jesus.

What I Believe About the Future

I believe God can bring spiritual renewal to America.

I do not know exactly what that renewal will look like.

It may not look like the revivals of the past.

It may not happen through one denomination or one ministry.

It may take place in large churches, small churches, homes, campuses, workplaces, families, and online groups.

But wherever real followers of Jesus are formed, the church is being made stronger.

Haggai 2:9 says: “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house.”

The final hope of the church is not any particular model.

It is Jesus Christ.

He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Methods may change.
Buildings may change.
Cultures may change.
Generations may change.
But Jesus does not change.

The Love Goes Both Ways

More than 100 years ago, Western missionaries crossed oceans to bring the gospel to China.

They did not know exactly what would happen.

They prayed.

They gave up a lot.

Some died.

But their work produced fruit.

Today, Chinese Christians live in America.

Some of us have received Bible training here.
Some are serving in American churches.
Some are starting new churches.
Some are praying for this nation.
Some are sharing the gospel with their American neighbors.

The direction of ministry has changed, but the gospel has not.

I came to America carrying thankfulness.

Now I want to give that thankfulness back through service.
I want to pray for America.
I want to love the American church.
I want to share the gospel.

And I want to see Chinese and American Christians serve Jesus together.

The answer is not Chinese Christianity replacing American Christianity.

The answer is Christians from different cultures returning together to Jesus.

The church belongs to Him.
The mission belongs to Him.
The gospel belongs to Him.
And the glory belongs to Him.

I received the gospel through the sacrifice of others. Now I want to spend my life helping others receive it.

That is how I hope to give my love back to America.

You can read more about Wendy Click by following her on Facebook. Search “From China to America house church”.

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It’s so great to meet wonderful people from around the world. Scott and Marla Schiele have been ministering together for more than 36 years. Without social media, we would never have had the opportunity to hear their stories. I pray these testimonies encourage you to keep meeting, keep searching, and start gathering. It’s difficult to do life together, but it is worth the effort.

We are Scott and Marla Schiele, and for the past 36 years, we have had the privilege of walking through life and ministry hand in hand. Scott was raised in Columbia Falls, Montana, and Marla in Caldwell, Idaho.

Our journey has taken us around the world, providing opportunities to pastor wonderful church communities – both traditional congregations and organic house churches – direct a year-round camp and conference center, and organize large-scale ministry events. Throughout these experiences, our passion has remained constant: equipping leaders, making devoted disciples, and teaching a Christ-centered approach to leadership across many nations.

When not traveling and ministering, Scott works as a skilled craftsman and builder. For more than three decades, he has specialized in constructing and remodeling commercial spaces, private residences, and custom homes. His hands-on experience has given him a deep understanding of every stage of the building process.

Marla comes from a rich heritage of faith, with five generations of believers preceding her. Through genealogical research, she has also traced her family lineage back to Roland Taylor, one of the martyrs mentioned in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. Scott’s faith journey took a different path. Although he grew up attending a Lutheran church with his family, it was in his early twenties that he experienced a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. The love of God and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit have profoundly shaped his life and ministry.

Whether we are traveling internationally to train pastors and leaders or gathering with our local house church each week, our mission remains the same: to see lives transformed by the power and love of Jesus Christ.

Family is one of our greatest joys. We are blessed with four incredible adult children and their spouses, all of whom love Jesus deeply and serve faithfully as leaders within their church communities.

Marla was raised in a rich spiritual heritage. Her grandparents pastored churches and Bible schools, imparting to her a legacy of ministry and a passion for investing in the lives of others. From an early age, she carried a desire to contribute meaningfully to the body of Christ and to help others grow in their relationship with the Lord.

Although she was raised within the traditional Pentecostal church, Marla eventually sensed the Lord leading her beyond familiar structures and into a more relational, organic expression of Christian fellowship. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, she experienced freedom from many of the traditions and religious patterns that had shaped her understanding of church life. This journey was gradual and continues today, as she regularly seeks the Father’s wisdom to discern whether her perspectives and practices are rooted in tradition or in the fresh leading of the Spirit.

After they were married, Scott and Marla became deeply involved in the Word of Faith movement, which strengthened their love for Scripture and expanded their understanding of faith and God’s promises. Throughout their spiritual development, however, both sensed a consistent call from the Holy Spirit to influence, encourage, and disciple others.

From the earliest days of their marriage, they opened their home to host gatherings and house churches, a practice they have continued for decades. During an extended season of prayer, Scott became increasingly aware of God’s call upon his life to serve in church leadership. Over time, he also discovered a prophetic gifting yet found few spiritual fathers available to provide guidance and mentorship in that calling.

The lack of recognition for spiritual gifts and callings within many church settings, coupled with the absence of spiritual fathers intentionally raising and mentoring spiritual sons and daughters, became a significant burden on their hearts. These realities ultimately led Scott and Marla to reevaluate traditional models of church and pursue what they believe to be a more authentic expression of New Testament Christianity – one centered on discipleship, spiritual family, shared ministry, and the restoration of the original patterns of the early church.

Over the past 35 years of leading and participating in house churches, our understanding and practice of fellowship have continually evolved. In the early years, many of our gatherings functioned under the oversight of traditional brick-and-mortar churches. Some were structured according to the cell church model, which often felt like a scaled-down version of conventional church services. While these meetings provided meaningful fellowship, they could also become frustrating because leaders and ministers were expected to follow predetermined outlines rather than respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

One of the ongoing challenges we have encountered is ministering to those who have experienced church hurt. Many become what we affectionately call “Christian tourists” – moving from fellowship to fellowship in search of the spiritual encouragement that comes through corporate worship yet never remaining in one place long enough to develop deep relationships or be discipled. Others, after experiencing the freedom and presence of God in a home fellowship setting, mistakenly assume that proximity to God’s presence automatically qualifies them for leadership. Rather than embracing the process of preparation, character development, and spiritual maturity, they often desire immediate affirmation for launching their own gatherings. When we encourage them to wait for the Lord’s timing and further development, some choose to leave rather than submit to the process.

At the root of many of these challenges is the reality that people often bring with them distorted expectations of what healthy Christian community and servant leadership should look like. Many have been shaped by church cultures that differ significantly from the relational, Kingdom-centered fellowship we seek to cultivate.

In response, we have become increasingly intentional about teaching and modeling the love of Jesus and the values of His Kingdom. We place a high priority on the presence of God, making it the central focus of every gathering. We carefully guard the atmosphere of the meeting, seeking to remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit and gently redirecting the group whenever necessary to align with what He is doing in the moment.

Another challenge involves individuals who unintentionally dominate discussions through lengthy testimonies or extended personal stories that draw attention more to themselves than to the goodness and faithfulness of God. In these situations, we have learned to graciously redirect the conversation by celebrating God’s work in their lives and then inviting others to contribute. Over time, this creates a healthier culture of participation and mutual edification. Those who embrace the culture grow, while those unwilling to do so often choose to move on.

We are intentional about ensuring that every person has an opportunity to contribute during our gatherings. Whether through a testimony, prayer request, question, teaching, encouragement, or insight, everyone is valued and given space to participate. We have found that this approach fosters genuine community, promotes spiritual growth, and encourages every believer to discover and develop their unique place within the Body of Christ.

Authentic relationships have provided others with a unique opportunity to see the bigger picture of Christ’s salvation and the unwavering faithfulness of God. In the context of genuine fellowship, it becomes possible to live transparently and openly, allowing others a glimpse into how both hardships and victories play a vital role in developing a steadfast, unshakable faith.

As we reflect on God’s goodness and give thanks for His faithfulness, we are continually transformed ourselves. Looking back, we can clearly see His hand at work in every season and every circumstance of our lives.

All four of our children were raised in ministry alongside us, traveling to the nations and sharing the Gospel from an early age. Today, each of them remains actively involved in ministry. They lead their own home fellowships, serve in worship leadership, and continue to carry the Good News to the nations. Seeing the next generation embrace the call of God on their lives has been one of our greatest joys and blessings.

Leading a house church is both a privilege and a challenge. It requires leaders to embrace the heart of a servant and genuinely place the needs of others before their own. If we measure our effectiveness by a single meeting or a particular outcome, we are likely to become discouraged. Ministry is a lifelong journey, and lasting fruit often develops over time. In God’s wisdom, some of that fruit may remain hidden from us for a season, protecting us from immaturity and pride while deepening our dependence on Him.

Therefore, be confident in the gifts and calling God has entrusted to you, and minister with generosity and grace. Remain faithful to the specific role God has given you; you are not called to meet every need or carry every responsibility. Learn to delegate whenever possible, empowering others to grow and serve alongside you.

From the very beginning, clearly communicate the purpose of the gathering: to glorify God, to see people restored and healed in spirit, soul, and body, and to raise up, train, and equip disciples who will, in turn, glorify God and make disciples themselves.

House churches that endure are led by men and women who choose to love people first, seek the Lord daily, and prioritize His Kingdom above all else. When Christ remains at the center and love guides every decision, healthy and lasting spiritual communities can flourish.

Longevity in ministry is a choice. Make a lifelong commitment to becoming more like Jesus and to never giving up, regardless of the challenges you face. Embrace the way of the cross, recognizing that every trial, disappointment, and setback serves as fuel in the refining process God uses to prepare and mature us for His purposes.

Hold firmly to the conviction that God can work all things together for our good. Remain teachable, willing to release inaccurate or incomplete teachings from the past and stay enrolled in the school of the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to continually shape your understanding and lead you into greater truth.

As leaders, our motivations must remain pure, and our desire to obey God must always outweigh any fear of man. Ministry was never intended to be a solitary journey. Seek out like-minded leaders who share a common vision and heart for the Kingdom. Together, build as a spiritual family, encouraging one another and advancing God’s purposes in unity rather than isolation.

Scott & Marla can be reached at 918-938-3021 or outpouringintl@gmail.com. Check out their website at www.outpouringintl.com.

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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 Chris Jefferies. Check out his link for a free download of his book.

I’m Chris Jefferies, I grew up in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England, UK, a small town (about 20-21 thousand people). We don’t call that a city here, it’s an ancient town, founded in Roman times in 75 AD. I studied horticulture at Bath University and worked at a research station just outside Bristol on pollination and fertilisation of fruit crops including apple, pear, gooseberry, but mainly plum. I married my first wife, Judy in 1970; we became close friends during our final months at school. Judy developed bowel cancer in the 1990s and died in December 1995 when one daughter was at university and the other one finishing at school.

I think I first experienced Father’s presence as a deep voice like thunder when I was just outside my junior school, aged perhaps 7. It seemed very significant at the time. There were no words, but there was a powerful presence and I knew it was real, significant, and the voice of the Most High – as if I was being given an important job. I did not experience the Son, Jesus, until much later, when I was about 19 or 20. I’d begun a kind of searching. I was confirmed as an Anglican when I was 14 though that had meant nothing to me. I went through the process because that’s what my parents expected.

The time of searching continued after Judy and I married and we discovered the Plymouth Brethren in Bristol with their ‘Open Meetings’ where any adult male could help lead the meeting in a cooperative effort that reflected what I’d read in Acts and in Paul’s letters.

We moved to Yatton, a village near Bristol, where we took out a mortgage and bought our first home. And it was here that I was introduced to the Holy Spirit in a real way.

Judy and I began meeting with friends from very different backgrounds – Anglican, Catholic, Baptist, you name it. The thing that bound us together was the ongoing move of the Spirit. This began in 1975 after the birth of our first daughter. Organic meetings have come and gone from that time on, but they’ve always been what I’m most comfortable with. No rules apart from the rule of love amongst his people! HalleluYah! There were many challenges, described in this series of posts.

I’d say the biggest changes have been recognising more and more clearly that the way things were done in the early church works really well, while none of the human-managed approaches have worked out effectively. At present I’m part of a Baptist Small Group; I don’t attend the Sunday services, just the home group. I’ve tried for 8 or 9 years to explain the difference between a friendly Bible study and a family/community, but I seem not to be getting the message across fully. They value my contributions and are happy for me to take them off-piste from time to time, but they’re chained to the system apart from these infrequent excursions. My daughters have not benefitted much from the meetings we had while they were growing up. Debbie is open to talking about spiritual things, Beth (3 years younger) is a firm atheist as is her husband (who has a degree in theology!).

I’d point people to look carefully at the great commission in Matthew 28, and to read Ephesians 4 several times. And I’d say that struggling with a group (unless you feel called to do so) is likely to be ineffective and frustrating. Starting a group? Anyone can do this, especially if they already have like-minded friends and/or family. Keep reading the gospels, keep reading Acts, keep reading the letters. I’d remind people that we all have the APEST gifts (I call these the gifts of service). But we don’t have them all to the same degree, that’s why groups are important, in part. What I lack will be someone else’s strength and vice versa. We serve one another. If you feel you should start a group, if Jesus is calling you to do so, just make a start and see how it goes. For more I’d point people to my short book, JDMC.

The group Jesus started on the shore of Galilee, lasted only 3 years. Lasting is not a bad thing, but neither is it a necessary thing. I wonder how long Corinth lasted? We don’t know. Lasting too long can be a problem; maybe it’s a sign we need to be doing more planting. The body of Christ has existed in one form or another for nearly 2000 years. But that has been achieved by reproduction. It’s how life itself continues, many, many new beginnings, as long as births exceed deaths life will grow and extend. Same with meetings. What we need to avoid are bad endings where brothers and sisters fall out over various issues. The group may end or divide (another form of multiplication) but everyone should remain on good terms and continue loving one another. Groups should never get too large. Ten to fifteen people is good, but the dynamics change as the numbers increase.

This is so important. Jesus is the person who ultimately organises the group (I will build my church.) Jesus expresses himself as leader, guide, facilitator through the distributed gifts of service (APEST again). We all serve one another, Jesus decides how to hand out those gifts.

You can check out Chris Jefferies blog here. Download a free pdf copy of Jesus, Disciple, Mission, Church here.

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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 Joel Davis.

Some 18 years ago, a friend and I who were both trained as ministers and on staff at the same church began sensing that there was “something more” that the Lord was calling us to.  We just could not grasp in that season what it was, and truthfully, it would have destroyed us had He exposed us to the entirety of it that early on.  We were determined to reject the notion that whatever was the next thing, we must NOT get credit for it, nor be seen as the “leaders” of it.  We already knew the pitfalls of that approach.  It’s why I’m extremely reluctant in one sense to be featured in this segment of “Unsung Heroes”.  There is nothing heroic about embracing a moniker or even a sentiment that anything I have ever done for the Lord came from me.  If it inspires people or orients people towards the glory of God, then He alone gets the glory, not me.  Which leads to me to the crux of my story.   

Not long after we stepped out of our traditional church setting, we came to embrace the idea that even though we were meeting in our homes, it was not “meeting in homes” that our Lord was passionate about.  Jesus words to seek first his kingdom Mt.6:33 burn deeply in our hearts.  Our pursuit is not a location, a program, paradigm or model.  Neither is it a “pattern” of activities that we see in the NT as if we could simply “do what they did” and repeat their behaviors.  The tribe we came from were famous for that, we had to do “everything by the book” or as we always said, “We speak where the Bible speaks, we are silent where it does not”.  We certainly continue our deep conviction about the high value of Scripture, but the Lord has taught us that it is HIM and HIS KINGDOM that are the totality of what Scripture reveals.  HE (not the book that reveals the HE) is the actual and final authority and His divine life (the indwelling Holy Spirit) is what makes it become the very thing He is dreaming it will become.   

We have discovered that this pursuit of Christ is both the most difficult AND the most glorious thing we have ever determined to pursue.  Some say its simple to “start” a house church, and we agree, anyone can do that.  On the other hand, what Paul says about the “foundation” being laid (1 Cor.3:10) requires something outside of ourselves that none of us can replicate.  It MUST come from the Lord, it cannot be manufactured by human effort.  It is, as Paul says, only “given by grace”.  It begins with an earth shattering, soul shocking revelation of the KINGDOM GOSPEL of Jesus Christ to a people.  The people falling down in humility, picking up the mantle of suffering and death and joining Jesus on the altar….sounds like Jesus words in Mark 8:34.  There is no other way to arrive at this beautiful “ekklesia” that Scripture says will become a a home, a temple, a bride, and a body for Him to express Himself on earth.  So much to unpack in what I’m attempting to describe here.  If you want to learn more about how God is establishing Kingdom community in our little neck of the woods, reach out to Joel Davis at: 

twindaddyjoel@msn.com 

941-224-3848 

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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 Art Mealer. You can read an excerpt from his exceptional book The Servant Community here.

I became a Christian as a young adult in the early seventies. In the beginning, I loved everything about church: from its high ceilings and imposing pulpit to seeing friends dressed up and smiling in its pews. During those first few years, I read the Bible for hours nearly every day. Although I was hungry, I never felt dissatisfied. Then something changed.

Do you remember seeing one of those images you can interpret in two different ways? At first, your brain registers only one image, such as the face of a young girl. Then, suddenly, another image – say, a much older woman – comes into a new focus from the same lines. That happened to me one day, as I sat in the pew, everything I’d been reading in the Bible seemed to stand out differently from what I experienced during our week-by-week meetings. Between the hymns and the collection that Sunday, my perception suddenly shifted between two images. One had well-dressed rows of people sitting quietly, stiffly attentive to the minister at the front. It had the feel of listening to a professional lecture at a university. The other image that came into focus was glowing with cousins and aunts and uncles enjoying one another – laughing, chatting, and talking as if enjoying a barbecue at a casual family reunion. While the view seen in the traditional church models remained clear, I’d been blind to another equally evident vision reinforced by the very same Scriptures.

Once I saw that second image, I couldn’t ignore it. By the end of the sermon, the disquiet in my heart shifted all I knew about the church into this alternate image of sacred, familial, simplicity. I realized that what we’d traditionally dismissed as the “primitive, early church” appeared now as the natural and normal church of relationships -maturing and nourishing one another – just as we see described in scripture.

That event was over fifty years ago, and I still can’t unsee either perspective. As a result, I’ve pursued that fresh, alternative biblical church experience without animosity towards my traditional friends. This return to the scriptural pattern had no name or books describing it. Since the 1990’s it has been known as the small church movement (variously called the New Testament Church, house church, organic church, micro church, simple church, and so on). Over the past 50+ years I have experienced deeply peaceful house churches and a few splits and schisms as well as a few helpful traditional churches. I continue today to be part of a house church. I recently thought to set down all I had learned over the years into 20 brief chapters and published, The Servant Community. One among 100’s of good house church related books available today.

Various house vs traditional models will continue to point out the “errors of the other’s way,” charging each other as being “unbiblical.” But hold on. Can you tell me of a more unbiblical organization than the synagogue? Not found anywhere in the Torah. No instructions for their practices. Used by the diaspora Jews as a place of prayer, beginning a few hundred years before Christ, until this very day. Yet, we read: “He (Jesus) went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was His custom.” – Luke 4:16

In spite of setting out yet another detailed house church resource, my encouragement to you is “grace.” At the end of the day, be free. Set others free. God used the nation of Israel in spite of their failures to “do things right.” Stay humble. Jesus had a habit of attending the unbiblical synagogue. Pursue His leading. Our God doesn’t fit into anyone’s box.

To purchase Art’s book, click here.

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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 Leo Castillo in Silang, Philippines.

I am Leo Castillo, married to my wife Nina. I grew up in a Roman Catholic family, studied in a Catholic school and ended up taking a civil engineering degree in a state university here in the Philippines. It was in that school where I got to know Jesus personally and where I was involved in a Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC, now Cru) movement.

It was also at CCC where I was introduced to small groups and where I learned how to disciple others. My spiritual growth during that time was influenced to a large degree by my relationships with fellow believing students. We became involved in each other’s lives and many of them became my lifelong friends.

At the same time, we were encouraged to become part of a “local church” besides our involvement with the campus movement. Being a submissive young Christian I complied, choosing to join friends from CCC who went to a small church near our campus. Church life for me, however, was something I found strangely wanting. Sitting passively during worship services was something I had to endure more than relish. There has got to be something more to church and the Christian life than worship services, I thought.

When I entered the corporate world after graduation, I also became involved with a CCC ministry among working adults in the workplace. And like the ministry at campus, the CCC professional ministry had at its core the same small discipleship groups. At the same time, I had been hopping from church to church, still searching but never settling down in one.

But even before I started working, I had begun a house fellowship at a depressed area near my hometown. (This was back in the early 1980s.) I was sent to this place by my former church even though I was no longer part of the said church. This house fellowship involved two families and would constitute what people today would call a house church. After two years, this same group began to reach out to their relatives in a remote town in the province of Cavite. I had equipped them in sharing the gospel and discipling others – something we were trained to do in CCC – and they were able to subsequently start 5 house groups in that town.

Back then, I did not know any better and wrote the Assemblies of God, asking them to take over these house groups. They were somewhat taken aback by this, remarking that it was the first time they had been offered a church that others had started. One of the guys I was discipling subsequently became a pastor of the traditional church that was formed in that town composed of believers from the house groups.

After working for about 6 years, I quit my job to join Campus Crusade as a staff member. I was initially assigned to the professional ministry in Metro Manila. It was here that I met Nina and we got married in 1995. We eventually got involved in helping CCC ministries in other countries start ministries among working adults in their cities. Afterwards we got assigned to CCC’s Southeast Asia Area of Affairs. Our involvement in these ministries exposed us to various expressions of Christianity – in communist countries and countries with predominantly Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist populations. More than anything else, this exposure helped us to become more principle-centered in our approach to Christian life and ministry.

During our last 5 years with CCC our teams began talking about house churches. Christianity in many of the countries we were helping had taken an underground approach and believers there were meeting in small groups and often in houses. This would have a profound impact on us. But we had also began to look beyond the forms organic/simple/house churches have taken to realize that in effect we had been doing “church” all these years when we disciple people and meet them in small groups. Even if these groups were all outside the institutional church.

We eventually left CCC 18 years ago. We felt the Lord was calling us to focus on simple, organic churches and working with the poor in our country. One of the first house groups we started was composed of people who have been believers for several years and have been disillusioned with the institutional church. Inevitably, our meetings at home always turned into discussions on what was wrong with the traditional church. We would sometimes talk about our struggles but, somehow, we never related to each other in a deeper way. Inevitably we went our separate ways.

At the same time, Nina and I reached out to poor communities in my hometown. We started by offering scholarships to young people who wanted to go to college but were unable to afford it. We later expanded this to helping people start small businesses but this did not work out well. We concentrated on education for young people in these communities, expanding our help to providing school supplies for elementary and high school students as well as extra-curricular help for them through educational workshops and visits to museums in the city. 

From these outreaches we were able to form several house churches in my hometown and in another town north of Metro Manila. Most of these were organically formed. We never required the families whose children we were helping to join these gatherings. Even though we were still following the format of our discipleship groups in CCC – such as using bible study materials and training them in evangelism – we began to see that we needed to focus more on how believers in these house gatherings related to each other.

It wasn’t always easy especially when conflict arose between some of the people in these small groups. But these believers were already a community even before we met them and the only change needed was in their hearts as they learned to trust God and to love one another. Conflict was an inevitable part of community life and were glad when we saw them handle such conflicts in a Spirit-filled way over time. We also noticed that poor people tend to relate to each other more authentically than those in the corporate world and this had a profound impact on us.

The longest time we stayed in any one group was probably 5-6 years. We would move on to another community whenever we felt we had done enough. At one point we were meeting as many as 3 small groups in the course of the week. Our biggest problem was getting them to meet on their own. There were some groups that have stopped meeting once we left, even though we tried to prepare them to meet on their own. Meetings are important as Hebrews 10:25 says but we also feel that organic church or ekklesia goes beyond meetings to the kind of relationships within the ekklesia and how they relate to people around them.

The Covid pandemic and my near-death experience due to Covid have scaled back our efforts in reaching more communities for Christ. (It was the Lord’s miracle that I survived after nearly 4 months in the hospital.) We also moved outside the city 2 years ago and had to start from scratch in our ministry. Nina is also dealing with what many people would consider a life-threatening health issue. But we continue to reach out to people in our subdivision and have started a small group here. We are learning to be much more interactive in our gatherings, how to listen to God together and to be more deeply involved in each other’s lives – the same way we have done discipleship in campus and in the workplace decades ago. Most of all we are learning how to center our community life on Jesus and faith in Him over and above all else.

Perhaps our biggest takeaway from years of “doing church” is to start with non-believers as much as we can. Believers who have grown disillusioned with the institutional church and who want to form small groups, simple, organic or house churches, still unconsciously take the institutional church culture with them. We have struggled in the past trying to wean them off from this orientation. We might meet them from time to time – which is what we’re doing more often these days with friends who have been involved in the same ministries in the past. These are times for reflection and mutual encouragement which at this point in our lives become fulfilling and fruitful times. But our focus is on reaching non-believers and forming small communities of God’s Kingdom with them. Our approach is to go to them, to enter their existing communities and create Kingdom communities from within rather than asking them to come to us.

You can contact Leo by email at engrjpleo@yahoo.com and check out his blog at https://shoestringjourneys.wordpress.com/

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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 Beresford Job.

I came to know the Lord in 1971 whilst touring with a street theatre group. One of the guys from a bunch of Christians we happened upon hugged me. In the literal twinkling of an eye, Jesus revealed Himself to a lost and messed up young hippy. In an instant, I knew myself to be a sinner in utter need of His love and grace. In that moment, I was turned upside down and inside out, and all I wanted to do was to follow Him from that moment onwards.
 
Among the numerous things that I suddenly knew to be true, but which had never been the slightest part of my thinking before, was that the Bible, which I had never even read (except for a couple of Old Testament passages at school in a Religious Education class) was God’s Word, and that it was meant to be our final authority in all matters.
 
Within just a handful of years, the Lord had led me into a full-time pastoral and teaching ministry. I was fully focussed on His calling on my life to look after people and help them grow in the Lord, and to teach what Paul referred to as ‘the whole counsel of God’. However, I had a special burden to help believers form into house churches as taught by the Apostles in the New Testament, as opposed to the traditional churches which are instead based on the teachings of the Early Church Fathers. Now, fifty years later, in various parts of the world, I continue in this same ministry and calling. Forty of those years having also served as an elder in one such local church at home in England.

There was absolutely no way I could have ever fulfilled this calling from the Lord on my own. He eventually brought me the person I needed more than anyone else, second only to Him. Belinda and I married in 1984. After years of wondering whether it was only ever going to be just the two of us, in 1998 Belinda gave me the most beautiful daughter I could have ever imagined. We named her Bethany and, until recently, she travelled with us wherever we were seeking to help the Lord’s people. Our calling has always been strictly a family effort as far as we have been concerned. Nowadays, Bethany’s life and work commitments means that she can usually no longer accompany us. We were thrilled, however, that she was recently able to be with us on a trip to a church in Australia. Nowadays it is mostly just me and Belinda travelling together.
 
I am now in my 70th year and, as I look back in time, and at things as they stand now, I can, in all but one thing, identify so very much with the experience of Paul the Apostle. Unlike him I look back on all too much sin, failure, foolishness and mistakes, and I can only but thank the Lord that He has forgiven me so fully. Like Paul, however, I look back and out on both joy and tears. Joy at those who grew in the Lord, and at the churches that are still going strong many years later, but with tears and heartbreak at those believers who did not grow and stay faithful, or who just ended up living spiritually stagnated and carnal lives. Discouragement and heartbreak also over the churches that started – and often very well – but which failed because of unrepentant sin, and the unwillingness of those believers who comprised them to truly live in the light with one another.
 
Yet even when it comes to those believers who failed to pass the test, and who even returned evil to those who laboured so hard to be a blessing and a help to them, I can truly say that it is still wonderful to know that they were at least given a chance. I feel both humbled and privileged that I and my family could have been part of that process. It is true indeed that everything works together for good to them that love God, and who are called according to His purposes. 

So to those who are already on the wonderful path of biblical church life, plus those who are not yet, but who desire to be so, I say the following: it is difficult, and it is fraught with problems, but be encouraged by the knowledge that such are the difficulties and problems that we are meant to encounter. They are precisely designed by the Holy Spirit to sanctify us, and to deal with our sin and bring us closer to the Lord Jesus. They are the trials and tribulation promised us in scripture which, if we endure to the end, bring us more and more into the very life of the Lord Himself. Believers are, by God’s infinite and boundless grace, saved whether they endure or not, but what a tragedy to just live out some comfortable, unchallenged and compromised carnal discipleship, rather than staying at the cutting edge of radical ongoing surrender to the Lord.
 
So don’t be unduly concerned with what worldly Christians might want to define as ‘success’, and neither be overly occupied with outcomes, whether positive or negative, or seemingly good or bad. All such can be left in the Lord’s capable hands. No! Be rather completely and utterly concerned and occupied with simply being faithful to the Lord, and with living in obedience to His word. Nothing is wasted as long as our desire and motivation is to  “…live godly in Christ Jesus.”

Beresford Job can be reached at…

Website: www.housechurch.co.uk
 Blog: beresfordjob.wordpress.com
 Email: talk2ccf@hotmail.com

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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 Jason Anderson recently, this is his story.

My name is Jason Anderson. My wife Catherine and I recently celebrated our 30th anniversary, and we have three grown children (and one daughter-in-law). I was born at Ellsworth AFB, SD and have lived all around the world in a multi-generational military family. I grew up in Germany, Greece, South Korea, Texas, and graduated high school in Nebraska. I also joined the military when older and lived and traveled all over again; to England, Europe, the Middle East, and all over the United States.

Growing up, I don’t remember a time when I was not at church, often more than once a week. I can honestly say that I practically cut my teeth on the back of the church pews. One day I took a quarter that was lying on a desk or counter at our church. When my mother noticed the money, she asked me where I got the quarter, and I told her how I had taken it. She talked to me about stealing and dishonesty and how it was wrong and made Jesus sad. I remember feeling very convicted and weeping remorsefully because I just knew I had done something terribly wrong and felt dirty inside and out. I wanted to be clean. So, I began to pray as my mother talked to me about sin and forgiveness.

My mother led me in a simple prayer to ask Jesus to come and clean my heart and be in charge of my life. I remember praying that prayer for weeks every night before bed, asking anew every time for Jesus to come to clean me and be with me. My mother eventually convinced me that once really was enough as long as I kept talking with God about everything and kept Him in the center of my life. I was baptized at Faith Baptist Church in Kaiserslautern, Germany shortly after my sixth birthday to much laughter and joy (a truly funny event which I will never forget).

I continued to faithfully attend church and grow in my understanding of God. I was passionate about Him and at various times wanted to be a pilot, missionary, and military member. I was never far from church and was very active in children and youth programs as I grew up and we moved around the world with my father’s job in the Air Force.

When I was 17, I spent a sweltering, super-charged summer at Maranatha Bible Camp in Maxwell, Nebraska. It was a week of fun activities, energetic worship, and inspiring teaching and bible study. Yet it was also something more. It was the week God gripped my life with an unshakable call. I don’t remember the speaker, and I don’t even remember his whole message except that he taught from John 21:15-19. I remember that at the end of his sermon it was like the Holy Spirit flooded my being and God spoke through that key passage to say, “Do you love Me? Then feed My sheep; take care of My flock.” It was a call and a destiny that I didn’t yet fully understand.

I shared this call with my home church but wound up seeking an education path on my own. I decided to attend Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona with the intent to complete a Christian Studies degree, follow-up with seminary, and cap it all off from the pulpit in some little Southern Baptist church. At least, that was my plan, but, as with many young people, that resounding voice became just a quiet breeze in my life-always present, yet easily ignored.

That was especially true when my wonderful helpmate, Catherine, entered my life in a gently insistent way during my second year of college. God drew us together quickly, building a deeply abiding relationship between our kindred souls. After only nine months, we were happily married and permanently part of each other’s lives. Yet, that left us with the predicament of providing for a new family with no work and school loans piling up around us.

I turned to the only work and life I was familiar with while tuning out the calling in that quietly insistent breeze which was God’s voice. I enlisted in the Air Force and was offered the opportunity to study Hebrew at the Defense Language Institute. I completed the course of study and spent a successful twenty-year career as a Hebrew linguist.

During those twenty years, I met many encouraging people, learned many leadership and management skills, and completed several degrees. At several points throughout my enlistment, my wife and I even considered separating from the military and entering the mission field, but some timely, sage counsel from one of our mentors, a Nazarene missionary named Cliff Wright encouraged us to seek God at every decision point, which lead us to completing an entire 20-year career.

Through those 20 twenty years of service, that still, quiet voice never let us rest. At every location, and in every church, we have both been involved in ministry. God never let go of our hearts, and we never lost His call. I struggled through disappointment and frustration as each year it seemed we moved further away from the calling and purposes God had for our lives. Looking back, I can see that God was maturing me and expanding mine and my wife’s hearts with His love for others as we learned to better love ourselves.

As we moved into the final years of my military career, from 2013-2015, God worked a major overhaul in our spiritual lives. Catherine had been pursuing and encountering God and He was stirring a holy jealousy within me for the same kind of intimacy and encounters. I deployed to Afghanistan in the winter of 2012-2013 and had a revolutionary, yet very peacefully quiet encounter with God one evening while in transit to my operational area. I didn’t even realize the extent to which He was changing me as I surrendered more and more completely to Him until I returned home. One day, my wife looked at me quizzically after what would have been a normally tense interaction with my bipolar teenage son (it was quite calm and mild) and asked what had happened to me because I was a different person. God was truly rewriting my heart!

Shortly after that, the military had moved us to Tucson, Arizona and a wonderful spirit filled church. It was there we were both baptized in the Spirit, and I spend most of our first year at that church face-down on the floor with God. He breathed new breath over our dry bones and gave us long awaited words of confirmation for our calling and purpose. The pastors guided and mentored us as we transitioned into a time of expanded and changing ministry. He verbally affirmed that God had a call to ministry for both my wife and me. He also identified a gift for teaching and an affinity for youth, especially over my life. Likewise, two of the elders and several other church leaders gave almost identical words at several separate times over the course of that first year.

The end of 2014 into early 2015 was a seminal season in our lives. It was the twentieth year of our marriage, and the end of my military career. Yet God was more interested in the new beginnings in our lives. Shortly after celebrating our twentieth anniversary, I retired from the military and transitioned right into a staff position at our local church.

While at the church, I was learning hands-on ministry as I went back to school to complete a seminary degree. It was a time of growth as I discovered how to take the discipline, leadership, and teaming skills God allowed the military to equip me with and turn them to the service of His kingdom. Throughout all this my wife continues a life-long struggle with significant health issues. We continue to believe for her miraculous healing as we seek to spend more time in God’s presence and in pursuit of Him. His voice has once again become strong and insistent-no longer just a gentle breeze.

As God’s voice grew stronger in our lives (or we just heard Him better), and after we moved to Tucson, Arizona, we began to have conversations with my brother-in-law and his wife about five-fold ministry and our dissatisfaction with the mini-concert, nice Ted Talk, church format that seems so prevalent today. We talked about true discipleship and walking in an intimate community, and we shared the frustrations of traditional ministry work (they were life-long pastors).

During the Covid pandemic, so many churches shut down and tried to adapt. While their church in California was completely shut down, my brother-in-law and his wife decided to step out and launch a house church ministry. Then in the Spring of 2021, they called and invited us to run with them by launching a house church in Tucson. We prayed about it and realized it matched a 20-year-old dream my wife had about us being in ministry with family. So, we took the plunge and launched that summer.

God faithfully grew our core down to just five people from my immediate family. But we remained faithful and gathered each Sunday. Then in the summer of 2023, a couple of families discovered the NewSong website, connected with our house church, and began to run with us. Within only a few months, God matured and grew us to the point where we launched a second house church and continued growing fast. A few more months later we launched a third house church in Tucson! It was a quick period of growth and stretching filled with many challenges and changes. We learned how to form an elder board, collaborate together to support each other, and begin to disciple and raise up more leaders.

The adventure of doing life together as part of God’s upside-down kingdom is challenging. We are constantly reminding ourselves of Galatians 6:9 “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” So, we encourage one another to press forward in God’s love, to stay focused on Him, and to do the tough work of loving each other and bearing one another’s burdens. We are determined to worship Jesus extravagantly while following Him as the head of the church body. We strive to practice other-mindedness (Phil 2:3), being unoffendable (Matt 5:21-26), and cultivating an atmosphere where we champion and love one another (John 13:35).

I encourage you to chase after God’ s purposes for your life (Matt6:23)! Be bold and step into the fullness of kingdom life as you continue to follow His call to the lost, broken, and hurting in your community and beyond with His power and love-which includes signs and wonders, praise and adoration, a deep understanding of His word, and discipleship. Continually learn to lean on Him more and more. Answer His resounding call and be eager to respond. It is time!

To connect with Jason and NewSong, check out the website https://newsong.life. Jason’s blog is https://upsidedown-kingdom.org/ and you can find his book on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Servant-Leader-Exploring-Principles-Upside-down-ebook/dp/B0BSDV4KMX.

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