university campus “churches”

There seem to be more and more churches in college communities that are extending their influence onto the campus by planting a student led, on-site, organic church there! For Example:

~One campus in Texas has 15 such churches this Fall

~A University has one Dorm Church in which the home pastor podcasts his sermon to a group of 8 freshmen, worshipping in a dorm room, who text back responses to his sermon while he is speaking

~A midwest state church leader recently challenged 350 students from all over the state to plant a church on every campus within 6 months, then double that in 6 more months, then triple it in yet another 6 months

~A large church “college minister” recently challenged his community group leaders to truly be “ministers” and guide their individual groups to live-out all of the functions of the church in their unique settings

So, what’s happening in your arena?  Is this kind of grassroots movement spreading?

What if a journalism major was taught how to “be church” with his buddies (and unreached friends) in an apartment, then he graduated and got a job in Seattle on a magazine staff…….instant church planter in Seattle!

simple questions to ask a 1st century house church

Just 8 words in the Bible reveal worlds about “house church”…Romans 16:5a says, “greet the church that is in their house”.  God, through Paul,  is clearly affirming the group in Prisca & Aquila’s home as a church.

Ask yourself a few clarifying questions about that church:

Where did people sit? How big was the house/room? How many fit inside?

Was there a pulpit? Musical instrument? How did they worship? Disciple others? Do missions/ministry/evangelism?

Who gave them permission? (trick question)

Who led? How were they trained/prepared?

How long did the church exist? How many lives did it change?

How much did it cost? What did they do with their offerings?

Well, you get the idea…it was simple, but truly the Body-of-Christ in that sphere of relationships, for that little slice of history. Seems like that kind of church could multiply wherever life takes you…..

outdoor “medical community” church

I hung out this week with a young man who prayerwalks in a park near the downtown medical community of a large city in Texas.  He has bumped into (God arranged encounters) several persons who are hungry for something from God that they can hang on to.  So four others now help him with a regular “church-in-the-park”.  They connect with nurses, single moms, HIV patients, professionals in benevolent services…a whole “tribal group” that needs spiritual health as much as anyone else. 

 As we sipped our coffee in a brand new Starbucks across the street from the hospital there were persons around us recruiting medical supply reps, wearing scrubs, and coming/going from hospital vocations…….and there we sat, him telling me about how church works in this unusual setting….pretty cool….pretty Christlike of him going to the masses don’t you think?

Do you “see” tribal groups in your community that need an everywherechurch on their turf?  Ever try prayerwalking…..

a contagious definition of “church” …and Christ-honoring!

“The church is a group of Christ-followers who function, believe, and understand themselves to be the Body-of-Christ in their sphere of influence”. (from Kenny Moore in Denver)

Generally the functions are identified as worship, evangelism, discipleship, ministry, and community, with prayer, baptism, missions, Lord’s Supper, and church planting included as key components of those five…..but how does the Holy Spirit guide you about this?  Read Acts and the New Testament yourself and note the recurring patterns of Christians as they gathered….let HIM lead you about what to include as functions of your church (some call them rhythms).

Now, if a group is doing those things in a cathedral, or in  mega-building with stage, or in a white wooden chapel, or in a home, or in an apartment, or in a park, or in a parking lot, or in a cafe’, or in a dorm, or in the 1st century catacombs/caves…….THEN ITS A CHURCH!!!!

What if a group is doing less than those things?  Then its not a church no matter what the sign says!  The group must be a fully functioning Body-of-Christ in order to become His Hands, His Voice, His Heart, His Compassion in their slice of the world.

So, why can’t a group of Christ-followers just begin to live-out the functions or rhythms of the Body-of-Christ together……………………………………………………….now that could spread through passionate believers wherever life takes them!

….for more ideas about this visit www.coffeehousechurches.com and click on the video (especially the 4 minute diagoue for group discussion about halfway through)

lukewarm look-a-likes….

I often share this powerful quote from Michael Slaughter:

“The unpaid servant will spell the success or failure of the Christian mission….people who are willing to give of themselves to be real followers of Jesus Christ….radical Christianity.

I’d rather have a church of 12 people who can replicate the DNA of the Kingdom of God than a church of thousands that will infect people with something less.

Take time to build the real thing, not watered-down, lukewarm look-a-likes. If we’re going to be the church at all, let’s be the real thing. Build the church God’s way…as an organic movement of unpaid servants.”

Michael Slaughter, unLearning Church, Abingdon Press

…a faith-community epidemic via Starbucks?

My plan was to put a CoffeeHouseChurches DVD in every Starbucks in Texas…until I saw there were 269 Starbucks just in Dallas county! 

So, plan B is to put the DVD into the hands of any growing Christian who visits a Starbucks who will passionately:

1. Ask God to guide the DVD to the hands of a Starbucks guest or employee who is hungry to see a faith-community developed among their friends….a person whom God has been preparing to do something with HIM (like HE did Lydia in Acts 16).

2. Then ask God to lead that person in how to take HIS next step …maybe they will start the group by using the examples on the DVD, or maybe they will involve a stronger Christian friend and mentor to guide the process, or Maybe God will guide them to do  something in a whole new way.

Thats all.  Let’s see what God might do in 5000 Starbucks across our state….well, everywhere!…….let me know your address if you want a few of the CoffeeHouseChurches DVDs to put out there. ecinfo@everywherechurch.com

We are almost a church!

After a few months of prayerwalking, picking up litter (servanthood ministry), conversations, meals, and developing friendships (community), Wade & Jake sat around after a picnic with residents at a trailer park last Sunday and talked about God’s encouragement for living (sounds like the embryo of a discipleship Bible study to me).  They decided to end their dialogue by asking the group if any of them had  prayer requests….4 or 5 trusted the guys enough by now to open up about a problem or person in their lives that needed God’s touch.  By just being present and genuine with this impoverished community the two young men were laying the first foundations of Relationship evangelism……..

The only thing they lacked last Sunday was worship.   How could they lead the group to gather regularly and expand on such meal/share/prayer times….and even add a focus on God and His Greatness in the process…a guitar maybe, or CD perhaps?

The God-Hunger is there…..that’s obvious  The mutual trust has been built.  The two young men seek God’s guidance persistently about how to live as a fully functioning onsite Body-of-Christ with this overlooked group……to join HIM in changing their eternities, and  transforming their lifestyles….to make it the group’s own simple church for changing their slice of the world!

Since God has already revealed His desire to change lives and to see persons become Christ-followers…probably HE will guide these everyday young men to the next steps in birthing such a church! 

 I wonder how they will have the first baptism? …and how many futures will change because of their outside-the-box faith journey???

Would you pray for God to send forth laborers into the harvest, developing such simple examples of church in the overlooked groups around you?  Luke 10:2b