I was thinking this week about the house church model. If you would have asked me 4 years ago what I thought needed to happen in the body of Christ I would have told you we needed to do house churches.
But after visiting house churches for the last 4 years I have changed my mind….sorta.
We visited one house church and when the lady answered the door she asked us what we were doing there. We told her we came for house church and she said “Oh….come in.” Nice warm welcome!
We were a part of another house church for a couple years with some great people but trying to get them to do anything except meet together was like pulling teeth. No Evangelism, No Multiplication, No doing life where life happens. It was just meet and talk about whatever. And of course I enjoyed meeting with the people but I believed in the house church movement because I could see the potential of rapid multiplication of disciples that make disciples of nations.
This got me to thinking about why house churches in the West are like this.
Here's my opinion. Since we have been shaped by a western individualist culture we go to the congregational church and the house church for the same reason “What I can get out of this….”
In the Bible Paul talked about a community of people who loved Jesus and their sole purpose was to reflect Jesus to the outside world. It wasn't about “What I can get out of this church” It was about “How can We, as a body, represent Jesus to the world.
So I would like to recommend a new “House Church Strategy” but it's not even a house church thing.
I want to take the house out of the new strategy.
It's very interesting that when Jesus chose what to call his followers he named the leaders 'Apostles' The Apostle was the leader in a band of ships, sent out from the home country. And whenever they would get to a new place they had one job. Make whatever place you land in look and act just like they do in the home country. It might be something like “in the United States, as it is in Rome” or whatever….
The Apostle was in charge of creating the culture of the home country in a foreign land.
So….I want to call these new churches “A Teams” or something like that (kinda cheesy…I know). Apostolic Teams that have one mission. To go into the 7 spheres of influence, the 7 mind molders, and so change the culture that it reflects the King & his Kingdom. Kinda reflects the prayer of Jesus “On Earth as it is in Heaven”
Here's how this will work on a practical level.
There's 7 Culture Molders in a society. Lance Wallnau calls them mountains
An “A Team's” primary mission is to gather a group of followers of Jesus in whatever mountain they are called to invade. This might be your business, your school, your government, whatever.
They will be armed with the Commands of Jesus and they will know how to use them (Matt.28:18-20). Meaning they can teach non-followers of Jesus how to follow his commands in non-christian language. And when they begin to follow his ways they will see his ways work because they do!
The question a leader of an “A Team” will ask is this:
How is the culture of this organization be effected? Is it being changed to reflect the Kingdom?
If the answer is no…we're just having a Bible Study during lunch time. Then you need to change what you're doing. The whole goal is to change the culture like an Apostle would do in times of old!
This blog is going to be focused primarily on how to do just this effectively! So…click that little RSS Icon and subscribe to this blog so you can join in on the conversation and we can go do this thing together!
Many Blessings,
RK Castillo
PS…If you disagree with me, agree with me, want to add more…anything. Leave a comment below!
