Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday the House2House board met in Austin for our annual board retreat. Everybody comes at their own expense, with most people staying in our home or some preferring to pick up the tab for hotel space. Then we have three relaxed days to pray, reflect, discuss and plan. The direction for House2House, even the question of whether or not House2House should still exist, are always on the agenda. We try to follow Jesus in only doing “what we see the Father doing.” (See John 5:19) This year’s time brought us to a very clear place of unity and clarity. Let me explain:
- As we considered the past, we were so encouraged to see what the Lord has done. House churches and house church movements have rapidly entered the mainstream of American Christianity over the past few years. This was almost inconceivable just a few years ago. House2House has not caused this, but it has been allowed by the Lord to be a small part of this seismic shift in the direction of church in America.
- Events like the 2011 Exponential-Verge conference confirm that from the largest to the smallest churches across America, thinking and action steps are happening because of the impact of house church type thinking. The emergence of the concept of “missional”, although meaning different things to different people, is testament to the impact of the rapid growth of church planting movements (small, rapidly multiplying churches that are planting churches) all over the world. Church leaders across the denominational spectrum are exploring concepts and reaching out to those, like Neil Cole and The Greenhouse Movement, who are making simple/organic church principles accessible and understandable to all.
So where do we go from here. Felicity and I have watched over the years to see how we can best fit into the Lord’s plans for us. We are generally pretty good at the pioneering stages of a new movement. We love change! But we are not nearly as good at leading the pioneers on into maturity. We are better at casting a vision and helping it get off the ground than subsequently building it into reality. But God always provides the leadership that is needed. Over the past few years, Ken Eastburn (many of you know of the work his wife, Ali, does with www.withthisring.org) has had a growing sense of his commitment to working with house church movements to help them mature. Out of this discussion and the hard work that Ken has been putting into House2House over the past year, the board has come to the following decisions:
- Asked Ken to become the new (also the first!) Executive Director of House2House. Ken’s role is to help steer and implement the goals as articulated by the board. We hope that we can make this a full-time position, as the Lord shows the way to raise the finance necessary. We have not had full-time staff the last few years.
- David Underwood, one of the original four people (along with Jim Mellon and Tony and Felicity Dale) to start House2House, is going to be taking over as Chairman of the House2House board. I will continue to serve as a co-chair for this next year while Ken and David learn the ropes and work their way into their respective responsibilities.
- We are initiating a series of tools and services that we believe will help to support the cost of this expanded role for H2H.
- Katie Driver, another board member, and Felicity Dale are pulling together the core of a coaching and support mechanism for house church leaders looking to re-energize and mature the house churches that they are leading. For more information on this contact [email protected].
- Alongside this, we want to expand the relationship with the www.lk10.com site, and encourage people to strongly consider their six week Foundations Course, as an awesome tool for individuals or groups to grow into a deeper understand of the leading of the Holy Spirit within a small group context.
There are two other things that I want to mention to help everyone getting this newsletter understand the changes that we see taking place.
- First, the Lord has been giving me a clear vision of what I can do through my company to radically transform how Christians handle the ever escalating costs of medical care. Most Christian families, let alone churches and ministries, are not aware that there are substantially cheaper and better alternatives to handling health costs than using medical insurance. I am now specifically working with the staff of churches, Christian schools and colleges, mission groups, and Christian businesses to help them cut their medical cost by 50% or more. Any of you who would like to know more about this should go to http://www.thekarisgroup.com/
Services/ to find out more.IntrotoMedicalSharing.html - Secondly, scriptures teaches that we all have the privilege of helping to support the people and ministries that have helped us (see 1 Cor. 9:11-12). We want to start encouraging each of you to consider making a small, monthly donation to H2H as a practical way of supporting the vision and ministry of House2House. As little as $10 per month from enough people will make a significant impact on how we can implement the many things mentioned above. Your part in this is both vital and much appreciated.
Well, that is more than enough for one newsletter. May I urge you to pray with us as we seek to follow the Lord into 2012 and all that the Lord is asking of House 2 House in the year to come.
Every blessing,
Tony and Felicity Dale and the H2H team.
The Pastor Has No Clothes!
By Jon Zens
Protestantism carries on with the practice of making the “pastor” the focal point in church. In The Pastor Has No Clothes, Jon Zens demonstrates that putting all the ecclesiastical eggs in the pastor’s basket has no precedent in the New Testament. Using 1 Corinthians 12:14, Zens shows the usual way of doing church contradicts Paul’s self-evident remark that “the body indeed is not one part” and then goes on to unfold from that Epistle how the living church functions “with many parts.” Jon dismembers the traditional pastor doctrine from various angles by combining two new essays and a response to Eugene Peterson’s The Pastor: A Memoir, with three past articles and excerpts from his response to Dr. Ben Witherington’s review of Pagan Christianity.
Journeys to Significance: Charting a Leadership Course from the Life of Paul by Neil Cole
A powerful, biblically based model of leadership development based on the life of the Apostle Paul
All churches, denominations, and parachurch organizations are eager for new models of leadership development. Cole uses the life and leadership lessons of the Apostle Paul to show how to develop leaders who are skilled, dedicated, and always open to learning from experience.
- Cole, a trusted, innovative authority, uses the four journeys of Paul to shows how leaders can grow to be more influential.
- A publication from the acclaimed Leadership Network
- Paul, the original “church planter,” was very instrumental in the growth of Christianity—and a perfect model for today’s leaders.
Shows how Paul’s leadership developed over the course of his life to get better and better with time and maturity—and how they can do the same.
Small Is Big!: Unleashing the Big Impact of Intentionally Small Churches By Tony & Felicity Dale with George Barna
Church planters Tony and Felicity Dale and acclaimed researcher George Barna bring a big message to God’s church. How might we change the world if our Christian faith began multiplying at a rapid pace—through a way of life that is explosive and transformational? It happened once before, in the early days of the church; what will it take to bring us to that point of urgency and determination again? Small Is Big offers keys to 21st-century evangelism: leveraging the power of the small—and taking the gospel to where the people are and the pain is. And as God uses us to channel Jesus’ love into a hurting, desperate world, we’ll see his church grow beyond anything we could have imagined. Originally published as The Rabbit and the Elephant and now updated with new material.
House2House
PO Box 229
Clayton, WA 99110-0229
House2House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
