Simple church

:"see also House church".

Simple church is a re-definition of church as a Christ-centered community established primarily on relationship both to God and to the other members of the group. The term "simple" is used to denote the movement of many traditional church characteristics to the category of non-essential, or even unhelpful, in this model of church. A simple church may meet anywhere, with or without religiously trained persons or "clergy", may not have any formal liturgy, and little if any programmatic or institutional structures [House2House Magazine Website, " [http://www.house2house.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=2 What Do We Mean By Simple Church] " "House2House [http://house2house.net http://house2house.net] " (Accessed September 29, 2006). Authors Tony and Felicity Dale, founders of House2House Ministries, may have done much to coin or promote the term "simple church" by their book "Simply Church" (ISBN 0-9718040-1-X).] [MetroSoul Website, " [http://metrosoul.org/whatwedo.shtml What We Do :: Planting Simple Churches] " "MetroSoul [http://metrosoul.org http://metrosoul.org] " (Accessed September 29, 2006).] . To facilitate relationship, discipleship (spiritual formation), multiplication, mobility, and member ownership, a simple church is usually a small group of no more than 20-25 persons. Church "programs" are virtually nonexistent and small group participation is essential. Member movement from worship to small group to mission work is a primary focus.

The term simple church is often used interchangeably with other terms like organic church [This term has grown, especially due to the influence of Niel Cole and Paul Kaak. Cole has even authored a book entitled "Organic Church" (ISBN 0-7879-8129-X), detailing his experiences in simple church planting.] , essential church, primitive church, bodylife, relational church, and micro-church [Larry Kreider, " [http://www.dcfi.org/House_Church_Sem_One_Day.htm House Churches & Micro Churches] " "Dove Christian Fellowship International (DCFI) [http://dcfi.org http://dcfi.org] " (Accessed September 29, 2006).] . Some groups use other names for their groups, although they would consider themselves part of or related to the simple church phenomenon. A good example of this is Emerging Church Network's "authentic faith communities" [Emerging Church Network Website, " [http://emergingchurchnetwork.com/church_planting Church Planting] " "Emerging Church Network [http://emergingchurchnetwork.com http://emergingchurchnetwork.com] " (Accessed September 29, 2006).] or "emerging indigenous faith communities" [Alan Hirsch and Mike Frost, "The Shaping of Things to Come" (Henderickson Publishers, Peabody, 2003, ISBN 1-56563-659-7), pgs 26-28.] . Perhaps the most common synonym is house church, which has much more popular usage and predates the term simple church significantly.

The name simple church is favored over house church by some because the house church movement has often been associated with embittered reactions against more traditional forms of church. Whether earned or not, with some people the house church movement has a reputation for being insular and exclusive, even cultish -- something that many who are concerned about missional living want to avoid. Also, simple churches can meet anywhere, not just in houses, leading some to see the term "house church" as too limiting [See Wikipedia article on house church "Self-Understanding".] . Others think simple church a broad category that should include "house church" as a sub-set. However, in many circles, such as large conferences and gathering of simple church practitioners, the term "house church" is used freely, or even dominantly.Compare/Contrast with Home Church.

Simple Church appears to compare with Institutional and Home Church when both describe themselves as existing to promote the teachings of Jesus Christ. The primary difference is revealed when there is a lack of common promotion of the "church" (Church being defined as the employment of special people, meeting in special places, using special rituals.)

Simple Church appears to center around a person of uncommon charisma, understanding, virtue, friendliness, and hospitality, but with only the capacity (space, staff, money, or program) of an individual. The focus of that person determines the kind of church it is. When that person focuses on the teachings of Jesus and encouraging those to believe in Jesus (salvation), follow his teachings (followership), and helping others promote the same (discipleship), then there are many similarities to Institutional and Home Church. When that person focuses on other things, the similarities are limited.

Home churches appear to center around the creation of economic opportunities, capacities, and progress from the capacity of an individual (space, staff, money, and program) to the capacity of an institution, with "home" being an early stop on the long road.

A distingishing principal between Simple Church and a Home Church, is that a Home Church is hoped to grow into an institutional (or missional) church with paid staff, whereas a Simple Church has no interest in providing employment opportunities. (Footnote: First Annual Home Church Conference, 2007, Roundtable Discussion: Northern California Table.)

Origins and influences

Sociologically speaking, simple church could be seen as a subset of Emerging church [See Wikipedia articles on emerging church "Ecclesiology and Structure".] (although many in the simple church movement would not see themselves as part of emerging church [See such a discussion on the bulletin board of House2House's website: [http://www.house2house.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=108 http://www.house2house.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=108] (Accessed September 29, 2006).] ), a phenomenon rising from the conversation between Christianity and the culture and worldview of postmodernism. Many in the emerging church movement would consider simple church to be represented in expressions such as house church and unique gatherings like Church in a pub.

From a cultural viewpoint, postmodernism's emphasis on relationship has enabled contemporary people to reform their ecclesiology, replacing the institution of church with ideas of spiritually-related family. Also, postmodernism is in many ways a reaction to modernism, which many believers feel has infiltrated Christendom for the worst. Postmodernism's deconstruction of modernistic structures and culture has also led to deconstruction of the church, and simple church, as one stream of that conversation, has found the freedom to reconstruct what it means to be church because of this cultural trend. Simple church has also been influenced by overseas missions and the growth of church planting movements [See David Garrison, "Church Planting Movements" (International Missionary Board Southern Baptist Convention, 2004); and Rad Zdero, "The Global House Church Movement" (William Carey Library Publishers, 2004, ISBN 0-87808-342-1).] . Church planting movements are spontaneously growing church multiplication efforts that often result in thousands of new simply-structured faith communities. The growth and character of these movements has impressed many who would like to see similar things happening in Europe, the United States, and the West in general. Groups like DAWN Ministries have switched to simple church as their model for domestic missions in the hope that this phenomenon that has been effective overseas will also work here [Discipling A Whole Nation (DAWN) Ministries, " [http://www.dawnministries.org/globalministries/northamerica/simplechurch.htm Simple Church] " "DAWN North America, [http://www.dawnministries.org/globalministries/northamerica http://www.dawnministries.org/globalministries/northamerica] " (Accessed September 9, 2006).] .

The Missional Movement [For more on the Missional Movement, see [http://www.friendofmissional.org/ http://www.friendofmissional.org/] .] has also influenced simple church [Roger Thoman, " [http://sojourner.typepad.com/house_church_blog/2004/03/house_church_ba.html House Church Basics -- Pt. 3: Missional Church] " "House Church Blog [http://sojourner.typepad.com/house_church_blog http://sojourner.typepad.com/house_church_blog] " (Accessed September 29, 2006).] . Missional thinking grew from the lessons learned from foreign missionaries and as a reaction to the Church growth Movement. In this line of thought, the Church's purpose and theology come out of the Missio dei -- God's Mission in the World. This means that everything relating to church life and Christian practice should be directly derived from a theology of mission. This means the Body of Christ should be primarily identifying with humanity, reaching to lost, ushering in the Reign of God, and working towards the peace (Shalom) the Kingdom of God brings. To aid its cause, missional thinking promotes incarnational ministry, messianic spirituality, indigenaity [See Wikipedia article stub "Indigenous church mission theory".] , and innovation. For many simple church practitioners, their model of church aids in completing the missional mandate of God by being highly mobile, easily adaptable, and fundamentally indigenous.

While cultural aspects complicate the issue, many in the simple church movement point to the New Testament, especially the Gospels, Acts, and the writings of the Apostle Paul for justification of their model (see "House Church, Scriptural Basis"). Historically speaking, simple gatherings of the faithful were the norm of early Christianity. Often believers met in homes or public venues. However, how this relates to constructing a theology and ecclesiology is the subject of much debate, especially with critics of the movement. Some within the simple church movement believe the Bible shows this model as the most valid form of church, even the original intention of God. Others see the Bible as presenting an expression of simple Christian community that is a valid option, but not necessarily the "right" or "only" choice.

Values

As in any decentralized, spontaneous movement, a variety of values are expressed in simple church. Due to the influence of some key groups and Acts 2:42-47, three overarching values have emerged in many circles:

Paul Kaak and Neil Cole originally articulated these values using the organic metaphor of DNA:

D - Divine Truth : Truth is the foundation for everything. By Divine Truth, we mean the dynamic and living presence of Christ and His Word. [A recent variation refers to the "D" as "Divine Connection" and views the Word of God and prayer as two primary means of maintaining that connection with God. The DNA metaphor is thus extended to include four overarching values instead of only three.]

N - Nurturing Relationships : Healthy relationships are what make up a family. Love for one another is to be a constant pursuit of the family of God. This is the most basic of Christ's commands.

A - Apostolic Mission : Apostolic means, simply, “sent.” Just as Jesus was sent on a mission, so we are sent out on a mission for Him. Our mission is to go into the world and disciple the nations for their good and God's glory [Niel Cole and Paul Kaak, "Organic Church Planters Greenhouse: The First Story" (CMAResources. Long Beach, 2004) pg. 1-6.] .

These values have since been promoted by House2House Ministries [House2House Magazine Website, " [http://www.house2house.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=2 What Do We Mean By Simple Church] " "House2House [http://house2house.net http://house2house.net] " (Accessed September 29, 2006).] and DAWN North America, and have been adopted by various groups like New York's MetroSoul [MetroSoul Website, " [http://metrosoul.org/whatwedo.shtml What We Do :: Planting Simple Churches] " "MetroSoul [http://metrosoul.org http://metrosoul.org] " (Accessed September 29, 2006).] .

Media and popular attention

While simple church in various forms has been practiced for some time, it has been a minority movement that has gained little notice. In recent years, the growth of the movement as it becomes more missionally focused, and the adoption of simple church by various missions groups, missionary societies, and parachurch organizations, has led to increased visibility. News coverage by specialized and mainstream media is becoming more common:

**Michael Alison Chandler and Arianne Aryanpur, " [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/03/AR2006060300225.html Going to Church by Staying at Home: Clergy-Less Living Room Services Seen as a Growing Trend] " "Washington Post [http://www.washingtonpost.com http://www.washingtonpost.com] " (Printed June 4, 2006, pg. A12) (Accessed September 30, 2006).
**Stuart Laidlaw, " [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1146606640344&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home Religion, but no church required] " "Toronto Star [http://www.thestar.com http://www.thestar.com] " (Accessed September 30, 2006).
**David Van Biema and Rita Healy, " [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1167737-1,00.html There's No Pulpit Like Home] " "Time [http://www.time.com http://www.time.com] " (Accessed September 30, 2006).
Many books have been written on the simple church movement, especially by insiders (see booklist of Wikipedia's House Church, Recommended Books). Recently, books are beginning to appear by those studying the movement from a more objective view. Most notable is George Barna's "Revolution" [George Barna, "Revolution" (Tyndale House, 2005, ISBN 1-4143-1016-1 ).] . Barna, perhaps the most influential pollster and church growth consultant in Evangelical Christianity, says that "revolutionary" expressions such as simple church will soon account for one third of American spirituality [Ibid. pg 49] .

Visibility of the movement has also increased due to national and regional gatherings of various kinds. The largest of these is the Annual House Church Conference held in Denver, and, occasionally, other locations by House2House. There are also many smaller localized or regional conferences where people may be exposed to simple church ideas, like CMA Resources' Green House, and DCFI's House Church Seminar.

Criticism

Several prominent voices have serious concerns about simple church. For example, referring to George Barna's description of simple church and similar trends in "Revolution," J. Lee Grady (Charisma Online Editor) says such a movement wants to "reinvent the church without its biblical structure and New Testament order — and without the necessary people who are anointed and appointed by God to lead it. To follow this defective thesis to its logical conclusion would require us to fire all pastors, close all seminaries and Bible colleges, padlock our sanctuaries and send everybody home..." [J. Lee Grady, " [http://forums.strang.com/viewtopic.php?t=7564 Fire in My Bones: George Barna's Dangerous Proposal] " "Strang Communications, Charisma Online Forum [http://forums.strang.com http://forums.strang.com] " (Accessed September 30, 2006).] Grady and other critics worry that the simple church movement could encourage people to leave more traditional forms of church, which could lead to further collapse or decline of Christendom. They also see in simple church an accommodation of current culture and "everyone does as he please spirituality" that is at best ill advised, and at worst destructive -- an accusation that has been leveled at all forms of emerging church [See Wikipedia's article "Emerging Church, Criticisms".] .

Online discussion boards contain much of the current debate between simple church practitioners and opponents because the conversation is not yet mainstream enough to be in many other forms of media [for example: R C Cafe, " [http://www.housechurch.org/cgi-bin/ubbcgi_hc/ultimatebb.cgi/ubb/forum/f/25.html Critics of House Church] " R C Cafe [http://www.housechurch.org http://www.housechurch.org] (Accessed September 30, 2006).] . These conversations usually revolve around several issues:

**Leadership: Who are the leaders and what is the leadership structure? Is the simple church understanding of leadership biblical? Is there enough control to prevent abuse, cultism, and heresy? Are the lay leaders in simple churches qualified for the care of others?
**Longevity: According to sources within the movement, the average lifespan of a simple church is only 6 month to two years [Roger Thoman (quoting Frank Viola), " [http://sojourner.typepad.com/house_church_blog/2006/09/frank_viola_ans.html Frank Viola Answers Questions] " "House Church Blog [http://sojourner.typepad.com/house_church_blog http://sojourner.typepad.com/house_church_blog] " (Accessed September 30, 2006] .] . This leaves critics to wonder how Christianity can survive in such a transient movement. What will be the long-term impact of simple church when it lacks the sticking power of more traditional forms of church?
**Teaching: It is rare for simple churches to have sermons or bible classes in the formal sense. Critics wonder when teaching occurs and how people are formed educationally and doctrinally in simple churches. Without concentrated teaching, sermons, and bible classes, how will believers be educated?
**Orthodoxy: Without denominational control or pastoral oversight, who will maintain orthodoxy among simple churches and its participants. Isn't it a breeding ground for people with wild theologies who would get drummed out of more traditional and more orthodoxy churches?
**Cultural Accommodation/Syncretism: Has simple church sold out to a culture that sinfully refuses to go to church? Is simple church just caving in to postmodernism? Does simple church promote the West's tendency to worship the individual and individualism?
**Outreach Potential: When the unchurched want to go to church, how will they when there is no location and no phone book listing? What about visiting Christians in the area?
**Relationship with Established Churches: Is simple church another movement pulling people away from congregational churches? Is simple church a threat to more traditional models? Do simple church practitioners condemn or criticize other forms of church? Can simple churches and traditional forms of church work together?

Self-criticism is also present in the movement. Leaders and prominent voices have pointed out key issues, like leadership development, exclusivity, missional effectiveness, and other items as points of concern. A good example of this is Andrew Jones, an emerging church advocate and simple church practitioner [Andrew Jones, " [http://www.theooze.com/articles/article.cfm?ID=291&page=1 My Gripes About The House Church Movement] " The Ooze [http://www.theooze.com http://www.theooze.com] (Accessed September 30, 2006).] . Many in the simple church consider this kind of self-evaluation very healthy and tie it to the important prophetic role in the movement. It also is consistent with the experimental, conversational, and deconstructionist motifs in emerging church.

References

External links

* [http://www.simplechurch.com/ SimpleChurch.com Social Network]
* [http://simplechurchnetwork.com Simple Church Network]
* [http://www.simplychurch.com/ Simply Church]