Hello planters,<\/p>\n
Simple church is firmly on the agenda of church life in the western context. It is seen in the revivals of history \u2013 and again in the planting movements of Asia and Africa today. It is not synonymous with house church, although many are! Simple churches also gather in caf\u00e9s, restaurants, book shops, gardens, offices or work places etc. They can exist in any place where believers want to share faith with their friends. It is not the same as small groups, although some of the principles are the same! Simple churches are church \u2013 they are not some \u2018preliminary form\u2019! They will not grow to be \u2018real churches\u2019! They reflect Paul\u2019s New Testament gatherings \u2013 on the path of life, reproducible, evangelistic, multiplying, and intentional. Three dangers threaten them \u2013 (1) they remain an idea that is not practiced by those promoting them, (2) them becomes complex when denominations get hold of them, or (3) they becomes insular and isolated \u2013 like some small groups and house churches.
\nMany of the church planting teams that I have worked with in Europe, the United States and Australia \u2013 as well as in Africa, Asia and the Middle East \u2013 use simple church principles, and two of the church plants for which I now provide pastoral support are simple church. Quite a few stories and resources in this NEWS relate to simple church.
\nIt is some weeks since my last news. As well as joys (Judy and I have again become grandparents) and losses (my old Mum has passed away) \u2013 I had the privilege of returning to Papua New Guinea, after 30 years. This gave me the opportunity to visit churches I had planted 30 years ago! Check the comment below, Church Planting Lessons \u2013 30 years on!<\/p>\n
Think multiplication. Be courageous and proactive for God \u2013 and lost communities,<\/p>\n
Peter Roennfeldt<\/p>\n
CHURCH PLANTING NEWS \u2013 22 Nov 09 (check out www.newchurchlife.com)
\nNews stories<\/p>\n
Stepping Out in Canberra (Australia): STEP could be called an emerging church. It started from a \u2018Kids in Discipleship\u2019 group at the beginning of 2008. Participating families decided to have regular camps where they could invite their friends and share with them the love of God. From that the idea of having church in the bush developed. Once a month they go and gather \u2013 or \u2018have church in the bush at a location close to Canberra. Worship is based around participation \u2013 if you come it is 100% participation 100% of the time. This involves songs, prayer, activities for adults and children, and Bible study. The day includes a shared meal \u2013 and walks in the countryside. STEP now has around thirty attending bush church with plans to move to fortnightly bush gatherings next year \u2013 and, weekly in the coming years as the group grows. People from the community join in. The plan is to reach out to the community and be a church environment that is non-threatening and participatory.<\/p>\n
\u2018I Owe You!\u2019 Recently Phil Brown, Church Planting Coordinator for the Western Australian Adventists, visited the groups forming throughout the north-west of the State. At Broome he met a guest attending church for the first time in her life. She was on a committee for a community organisation and took the minutes, but couldn\u2019t attend a particular meeting. She asked the leader (a church member) if he would take the minutes for her \u2013 and asked what she could do in return for the favour. The church member said, \u2018OK, come to church with me\u2019 \u2013 and she came and said she would be back again next week. She has been participating in worship since!<\/p>\n
The Watering Hole \u2013
\nSummer gave great opportunities for \u2018God conversations\u2019 around \u2018the many BBQ\u2019s\u2019 we held
\nA Youth Alpha course
\nFrontline advisors are working with 24 people providing either debt or benefit advice
\nFunkydz Church started up again after summer
\nOther clubs (puppets, card making, gymnastics, digital photography) have re-launched
\nOur Street Pastors go out two nights a month
\nDuring National Parenting Week (Oct 19-25) the Watering Hole team were asked to co-ordinate seminars on family togetherness (parenting and family life) throughout Totton
\nYou are invited to join in daily prayer that God will create within people a spiritual hunger (see Deut 8:3) \u2013 with friends invited to join various Life Groups<\/p>\n
House Churches in Western Australia \u2013
\nA new house church is developing in Port Hedland with Barry and Sam Sisson, their family and some other young adults. Barry has been talking to his neighbour about spiritual matters and hopes to invite him along soon.
\nThere is a regular gathering of a house church in the town of Tom Price.
\nA house church that meets fortnightly in Albany. Another meets on alternate weeks \u2013 with 9 unchurched friends and 2 former members attending. With children, there are 30-35 people in these two house churches.
\nChurch planter, Pastor John Horvath, reports on a new house church in Toodjay \u2013 with 5 attending and one baptism so far.
\nA house church, led by Kerry & Kevin at the Busselton Adventist Camping Ground \u2013 has about 11 attending each week with 4 people preparing for baptism.<\/p>\n
ACTS Church Plant at Curtin University is currently working towards forming a group on the UWA Campus starting with a house church group. Jasmine and Stephan Lares are working on this project. If you know of students at ECU who may be interested contact Sven Ostring SvenOstring@adventist.org.au.<\/p>\n
Simple Church<\/p>\n
Narooma Simple Church: At Narooma on the south coast of New South Wales (Australia), Keith and Elizabeth Ward are planting a simple church. They describe its as \u2018a circle of friends sharing their lives with each other in Jesus’ presence, worshipping God and encouraging each other to follow Jesus and to share Jesus by His Word and Spirit, with the intention of birthing other simple churches.\u2019 For them simple Church is church without the four \u2018Ps\u2019 \u2013 property, program, preaching or paid-pastors. They do follow a plan and they read the Word of God \u2013 but the \u2018program\u2019 and \u2018preaching\u2019 does not dominate. Their acronym is descriptive \u2013<\/p>\n
Sharing – all of life with each other and Jesus
\nInformal & flexible – listening to Jesus\u2019 Word & Spirit
\nMultiplying – into 2 churches as soon as God allows
\nParticipatory – each one contributes something, no one dominates
\nLoving – God & others through generous relationships
\nEating – together regularly & involving others<\/p>\n
Simple Church Practitioners:
\n\u00b7 Bessie Pereira, the director of OIKOS Australia, has an enormous amount of wisdom re house church and simple church. Check out www.oikos.org.au and the blog www.oikos.org.au\/blog.
\n\u00b7 Peter Fowler is the Western Australia director of OIKOS and also coordinator the Adventist House Church Network in that State. Peter is happy for you to contact him – prfowler@bigpond.net.au.
\n\u00b7 Rudy Dingjan in the Netherlands has a lot of experience in simple church \u2013 as does Pierre Kempf in the south of France. Contact Rudy by email at rdingjan@adventist.nl and Pierre at pierre.kempf@adventiste.org.
\n\u00b7 David Cox has wide experience and is a huge resource on simple church. David can be contacted at davidcox30@gmail.com.
\n\u00b7 Milton Adams is cultivating a growing Adventist network of simple church. If you are ready to become a frontier missionary in your neighborhood check out www.SimpleChurchInfo.com .<\/p>\n
From the Adventist House Church Network in Western Australia (Newsletter \u2013 Oct, 09)
\nGatherings: On September 12, twenty people who are on the house church journey gathered in the Carmel College Assembly room for the larger quarterly gathering (there were equally that many who sent their apologies). Those attending were able to experience a new expression of being church without being dependent upon the structure of a specific program \u2013 and where every person had an opportunity to contribute.
\nTraining Events: The first city wide training event for the year was held on September 6 at Advent Park. Thirteen people spent the day together to connect with a biblical model of the fast mobilization of house church groups \u2013 a catalyst for a movement.
\nNext Training Day: 28 Nov 09, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm @ seminar room 2 (opposite the ABC centre) at Advent Park, 345 Kalamunda Road, Maida Vale. Contact Peter Fowler prfowler@bigpond.net.au.<\/p>\n
Church Planting Lessons \u2013 30 years on! Judy and I left Papua New Guinea at the end of 1979, so to return to Port Moresby to conduct a week-long \u2018festival of faith\u2019 at Pacific Adventist University gave me the opportunity to visit some of the 14 churches we planted in the city, as well as meet some who became believers at other churches we planted around the country. It was both sobering and exciting to visit and reflect upon the journey of those churches planted so long ago \u2013
\nWhat you plant is what you reap! In the early middle 1970s we planted churches \u2013 rather than churches that multiply. The result is that most the churches planted then have gotten bigger, but the priority has not been on multiplication!
\nPlant churches that multiply! If I were to have my time over again \u2013 I would cultivate the principles of multiplication into the DNA of every church plant! It is exciting to see the growth \u2013 but, it could be even greater!
\nYou can never envisage the impact of a church plant! Thirty years ago it was not possible to envisage the growth of these churches \u2013 perhaps representing over 10,000 believers today!
\nWorking with future leaders \u2013 had a huge impact! In those years many church plants were focused upon reaching and involving university students and future country leaders \u2013 and this has resulted in new churches all over the country.
\nIt is important to be proactive! Those 14 new churches in Port Moresby would not have been planted without the efforts of dedicated teams of members and planted \u2013 but there should be hundreds!
\nDenominations do not plant churches \u2013 local churches, members and pastors do! Denominations that do not affirm people, empowering and releasing them, will never reach their potential. Micromanagement and control are not environments of growth, reproduction and multiplication.<\/p>\n
Resources, websites & equipping<\/p>\n
Resource on Salvation Army Site: Rebecca Walker, a resource writer for The Salvation Army\u2019s Australia Southern Territory (based in Melbourne, Australia), has taken and put some of my materials on church planting into a very succinct form \u2013 now available on http:\/\/www.salvationarmy.org.au\/corpsresources\/post.asp?post=80 . There is also a PDF version: http:\/\/www.salvationarmy.org.au\/corpsresources\/uploaded\/20091023_ChurchPlanting101.pdf . Thanks Rebecca.<\/p>\n
Equipping next generations to plant: The Baptist Union Victoria has posted a brief article on releasing young adults to plant the next generation of churches: http:\/\/www.buv.com.au\/witnessweb\/190-nov-09-equipping-next-generations-to-leave-church<\/p>\n
Great stories of church planting in early Methodism \u2013 check out http:\/\/daves-little-blog.blogspot.com\/2009\/10\/movement-inspired-by-holy-spirit.html<\/p>\n
For photos of a baptism at the Revive church plant \u2013 see http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/home.php?#\/photo.php?pid=2443479&id=704406761&ref=nf<\/p>\n
The state of church planting in Australia \u2013 check out Steve Addison\u2019s blog: The state of church planting in Australia<\/p>\n
Western Australia Church Planting Summit, 2010 – Feb 26- Mar 1 @ Logue Brook Dam: for all interested in how to plant and multiply groups. Each house church plant and current church planting team is to bring a new team of at least four \u2013 who will plant the next church!<\/p>\n
CHURCH PLANTING NEWS
\nPeter Roennfeldt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hello planters, Simple church is firmly on the agenda of church life in the western context. It is seen in the revivals of history \u2013 and again in the planting movements of Asia and Africa today. It is not synonymous with house church, although many are! Simple churches also gather in caf\u00e9s, restaurants, book shops,… Continue reading