A Church of Two…Now More Than Ever!
Amid the COVID-19 quarantine, let’s recapture the importance of a “church of two!” What is a church of two? Why is it important? Check out this post!
Amid the COVID-19 quarantine, let’s recapture the importance of a “church of two!” What is a church of two? Why is it important? Check out this post!
Here are 8 ways we have seen the Holy Spirit give birth to new simple church communities.
Recently I put together a simple printout that you can use as a bookmark in Life Transformation Groups (LTGs). On this bookmark, I have put some questions and symbols that we have used to train others in discovery Bible study as well as some questions intended to foster authentic disciple-making friendships as well as a few prayer ideas for praying for friends found in Neil Cole’s LTG resources. This tool will be best understood if you take a second to learn more about Life Transformation Groups and how they can be a helpful way of thinking about making disciples. Check out… Read More »Tool: LTG Bookmark
There is no formula for how to start a simple church. The Holy Spirit must be the Initiator and Leader if a real church community is to be birthed. Even still, I have seen several ways God can use you to give birth to a new simple church family! 1. LTG – As you and a friend or two begin a Life Transformation Group (LTG) and you see that LTG multiply into two LTGs, a simple church can be formed. It’s logical and natural that you say, “why don’t we all share a meal together?” If married, the husband’s and… Read More »8 Ways To Start A Simple Church
This was really the first year we considered ourselves “doing” simple church, and it has been full of winnowing away, learning what really matters, and growing in love. We have been stretched in every way and are much better for it! As the year started, we were several months in to our decision to stop attending Sunday morning worship services at a local church. We felt called to be more directly involved in our local community, and had started attending this local church as part of that leading, but after only a few months we sensed the Lord had other… Read More »Our Year in Simple Church (part 3) – By Jeff Herron
When you think about reaching out to others, what do you invite them into? I believe that what is needed in the body of Christ is believers who are willing to generously offer Jesus-centered friendships to others they meet. Far too often, we encounter spiritually interested folks and we invite them to our “meeting,” our “church,” or encourage them to “get plugged in” to some ministry. However, for many of us we simply do not know how to practically invite people into a relationship with Jesus. Often this can be because we simply do not feel qualified or capable to… Read More »What Are We Inviting People Into?
Wired magazine has posted an article that examines how Sergio Juárez Correa in Mexico has been experimenting with a “radical new teaching method” that is having an amazing impact on his students. As the western church continues to cling to many of the same ideas about education and discipleship found in modern academia, I think that we, the Church, would do well to rethink our ideas about learning as Sergio. In fact, I think that the ideas about learning he “discovered” are really not new at all, but very much a return to the methods that Jesus used to make disciples… Read More »A “Radical” New Teaching Method Discovered?
Last month, I attended the Simple Church Conference lead by Neil Cole. I have read books and articles written by Neil but I really enjoyed the teaching on Life Transformation Groups (LTG). During this time, the Lord began to speak to me about seeking a person with whom to experience an LTG. I began to ask Him for wisdom about a person to ask. After praying for several days, God placed a woman on my heart. Sherry is a lady that I have met before, but do not know well. At first I did not know if I wanted… Read More »LTG – Just Do It! (Guest Blog by Marian Toth)
Hey Gavin, have you seen this commercial? I like it because it visually shows how the body of Christ is meant to reproduce. Individually, we can all reproduce ourselves and make disciples. If you notice in the commercial, these people are just going about their business, hanging out with one another. Then BAM! They reproduce. Two becomes four. Four becomes eight. Eight becomes sixteen. Soon there are hundreds in the commercial. It is also a good visual example of how simple churches can reproduce themselves. No programs. No systems. Just natural. It is a strong image. I recently received this… Read More »Verizon Shows Us Relational Multiplication
“I really want to start following Jesus…what should I do?” If a friend asked you this question today, how would you respond? For me this scenario highlights the “church” paradigm shift that has transpired in my life and touches on a key reason why I believe so strongly in the simple church journey. For most of my life, I have thought the appropriate response to a disciple would look a little like this checklist: –“Find a good church”–maybe mine, maybe another if it would be a better fit. –Set up a meeting with the pastor of the church to talk… Read More »How Would You Answer?