Session one: The big picture.

- As through William Tyndale God put the Word back into the hands of “ordinary people” now He wants to put the CHURCH back into the hands of “ ordinary people ”

- Dale’s ability to bring/release/identify/encourage the leading of the HS

- Wolfgang Simson’s article on the world’s biggest churches: networks of home churches now fill the top 20 churches in the world.

- In the global church there are now more people in ‘simple’ expressions of church than in the larger congregational settings.

- Examples: Mozambique , Bakers. Move of God. Churches spontaneously started as a result. 6000 churches.

- India , Victor Choudrie. 1992 resigned medicine to plant churches in India . Studied Acts to learn how to do what God called him to do: planting churches; things really got going in 1997 and now 15,000 churches by 2003. Their definition of church: only counted if the church was led indigenously and had planted another church!

- 1 st signs of these things appearing here in the West. There are the ‘sounds of rustling in the leaves’ (that’s what I’m researching – these first signs of potential church planting movements here in Britain ).

- Dales discovered a year ago that there was another LARGER network of home churches already in Austin , Texas (where they live)! Neither network knew about the other despite being in the same city!

- 2 yrs ago they estimated about 200 expressions of HC in US now 2000, though these are only the ones they know about.

- At their last National “House church” conference (Sept) 500 came from all over US. Many key denominational & mission leaders came, eg Larry Kreider.

- God is using things that ‘are not’ to bring to nought things that are.

Exercise:

Bible study in small groups; 1cor 14:26 (20 mins)

Using – 3 symbols method:

1. question mark – question…

2. candle stick – light it brings

3. Arrow – God speaking directly.

People learn by participation not by listening to person up front teaching!

This is an easy method of studying which can be passed on easily.

Session 2.

- We (from Bath ) shared a bit of our story

- Muslim lady who has opened her home and now is meeting with 2 of our women to read and pray.

- This new expression has a family foundation, a real 24/7 faith, lived out in the real world.

- We are to ‘go’ to them rather than getting people to come to our ‘culture’

- We are to be led by the Holy Spirit who is building His church. If we will let Him.

- Huge difference between ‘The Apostle Paul’ & ‘Paul the apostle’. Apostleship is a function not a title and position.

- Paul referred to these people (who thought of themselves as having a position) as ‘super apostles’ - no, no, he said, we the true apostles are the off-scouring of the world.

What is Church?

Building? Not biblical.

Denomination? Not biblical.

Jesus uses ‘church’ in matt 16:18 and Matt 18:17 – these reflect a SMALL church context. As do all the ‘one anothers’ they are largely unworkable in a BIG setting.

- 2/3 gathered Jesus in the midst is church. Do extra people make it MORE church than it already is?

1. Church universal

2. Church in the home/small

3. Church in the city of …..

Apostolic are translocal, not settled in local leadership over area. They tend to always be moving on.

Home churches are led by mums and dads.

- Exercise: learning to hear the Spirit is key to CP (church planting) process. Pray/speak over another person you don’t know. 1cor 14:3 for edification, exhortation or comfort.

Session 3

- Gt commission: All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

- We have permission and authority to plant churches

- We are to GO, not invite people to come.

- We are to make disciples not converts

- To nations , cultural groups who have the same language, belief system, etc these are all around us, we don’t need to go abroad.

- How do we ‘disciple a nation’ , by helping them to be followers of Jesus, helping others in turn to do the same. A people group is discipled when it is being led indigenously and is self reproducing indigenously.

- Baptism: immediate or delayed?

Within 24 hrs 95% stick, diminishes quickly if just 2 days longer.

- Teaching them to observe: teaching them how to obey not just to know what the commands say.

- Let the Word & the Spirit do the teaching, you help them learn how to obey.

- We teach as we go thru the day, in real situations.

Exercise: gather in groups of ‘similar people’ and think about how we can reach the people groups around us. And how many different people groups there are around us.

- We are surrounded by the nations in our own city.

Session 4

Story: Couple from London , East End . Not gone to church for 2 yrs.

Taken 2.5 yrs to get church out of their system.

Started praying for their kids.

Then started gathering few people, infrequently, who were interested in new way of church. This then drew others in.

- Elephants and rabbits. Take 2 elephants put in cupboard, after 3 years 3 elephants. Now take 2 rabbits, after 3 yrs open the door and run for your life.

- More mega churches won’t get the job done, but multiplication will.

Jer 3:14-17 14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: 15And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. 17At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem : neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

Luk 10:2

The 10:2b Virus.

2Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

- this is a command, to pray.

- could agree to pray this daily with another person.

- John White and Kenny … S Baptists CP guy in Colorado ; before they started praying this each day Kenny used to get 1 person per month contacting him interested in cp in Colorado . Now gets people almost every day.

- Troy & Tony pray each day 102b, Troy is working in Texas capitol building, and they are praying for a church in each of the 14 government buildings. Now there is a church in 5 of them.

Felicity

2 ways to start churches among unchurched :

a. Work with your Circle of influence:

- have non Christian friends!

- Invite them to get together and use book of proverbs to discuss spiritual issues.

- then they invited friends of their kids round on sunday morning, breakfast and bible stuff; kids started getting saved then kids parents came after while and all began meeting together.

This is how they started their first 2 churches.

b. start in someone else’s home if they’re interested.

Pattern:

- start with meal

- ask people to share where they are on their spiritual journey

Then subsequent meetings:

- meal

- ask how are people doing?

- and what God events have you had this week? Known as prevenience – God already at work in the unsaved.

- spend time in word; gospel of John . Question mark, candle, arrow method.

- Don’t let the Christians give the answers, just let the Word & Spirit work .

Luke 10

Exercise: simple method (question mark/candle/arrow): on Luke 10: 1-10

- not apostolic teams: but 2’s.

- 72 Jesus saw as few! We’d be excited!

- Ask for more workers for the harvest. These workers will come FROM the harvest.

- Local people will reach local people

- we are sheep among wolves! His strength is made perfect in…

- don’t take spare bag, shoes etc becos:

- Provision’s in the harvest

- And we’re not planning to stay long. Paul doesn’t stay places long.

- Philippians - he only spent a couple weeks, letter dealt with minor problems

letter to Corinth full of problems where he stayed 18 mths!!

- How do we bless the home: find way to bring encouragement & blessing to the home. Offer them opportunity to receive God’s blessing: would you like me to pray about that? The blessing will come if they receive it.

- don’t go from door to door. Go where you’re welcomed and made hospitable.

- eat & drink with them.

- pray for the sick

- only then preach!

Felicity:

Story: Meadowbrook (council estate)

- Prayed, walked,

- caught prayer walking in downpour, met Lilly

- began once or twice a week dropping by to pray for their needs, God started answering prayers.

- started meeting there, 2 kids, relatives, 35 in her flat. Lots of miracles.

- Ray, lillys son at 19 gang member so couldn’t be a xn

- blood test, could be a serious problem, got to go in to hosp, so he prays that if God heals him his honour & respect goes to Him. Turned out nothing wrong with him, so he made his commitment.

- now he leads the church.

Q & A’s

Story: from Saltford, about language school, drawn Chinese, English, Albanian Kosovans, formed into new church

Q: Do you all meet together at times?

- monthly celebrations stopped because in the big meeting they were modelling stuff which was the opposite of hc (home church) values, ie simple worship etc.

- Neil Cole, starts churches ‘out there’ rather than ‘in here’. In coffee shop found networks of people groups, like vampires!

- now 400 churches

- Neil teaches that bad people make good soil for the gospel, because their lives are full of crap!

- Holy Spirit seems to be lowering the bar in terms of leadership requirements, so ALL can plant or lead a church.

- we need to embrace LIFE & demonstrate enjoyment of life & people, not just be miserable christians.

- easy to start churches in care homes.

- our pic of starting church has to change; simple model; easy.

Lunch conversation:

- Really struck by the need for trust in the power of the Word & Spirit to do the life transforming. Allow the Word to do its’ work in non believers & christians too.

- We have to be shaped by the missional aspect. Not focus on the church gathering itself.

Session 5

DNA OF SC

1. Simplicity. So that it can reproduce.

- anything complicated cannot be reproduced easily

- eat

- share

- word

- pray

“but got to have good teaching”??? but, are people learning what’s real?

- prophetic/apostolic ministry coming in from outside is not needed in the individual home church itself because they are dealing with day to day real life issues, it should operate amongst leadership contexts to help shape thinking etc.

- truth is a person not a concept. So it’s not about having all your thinking straight but knowing Jesus, The Truth.

- Eph 4:7

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (see Ps 68)

9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

- usual style of Eph 4 ministry is to prevent others doing what they do, this is completely the opposite to what they are supposed to be doing. They simply demonstrate their gifting instead of teaching others to minister.

- The purpose of the gift is to bring Christ (Ps 68)

- Jesus was a servant to the 12.

- Mt 20:24 Leadership:

Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many

- But we do the opposite.

- Real leadership wants to lift people up above themselves. To release Gods people to do the work of the ministry.

Session 6

CPMs

- Prayer precedes and sustains a cp movement.

- Dales business lost key client same day they launched H2H mag, recognised the battle was spiritual. The battle had to be fought first in the spirit.

“No empire building, no control, no glory for men”

Exercise: praying together out loud;

- Gods glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Will this happen thru existing churches? I don’t think so. I think God has a bigger plan! Why not here? Why not now?

Mark 9:38

38And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. 39But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40For he that is not against us is on our part.

- we’ve got to ‘let go’ and release the ‘ordinary people’ to get on with what God’s work, the vision they have.

- They don’t need ‘permission’.

- sometimes a seed needs to go into the ground and die before new life appears.

“Church on the loose” “In the hands of the people”

Session 7

- don’t be surprised if God stirs some of us to take responsibility nationally

- but don’t allow yourself to be put on a platform as a ‘star’

- there needs to be strategic thinking

Q & As

1. Where to start in Bible with new Christians: John , or key stories.

- £££ agree to give x% of income to each thing, rather than commit a specific monthly amount.

- make consensus decisions about what to do with offerings so that everyone takes responsibility for it not just the leaders.