City Wide Church - a return to simplicity

by Chuck Tooman

Jesus said, "I will build my church."

The church that Jesus builds is a simple church. One person has explained it this way: "The work of God is incredibly simple and unusually inexpensive. So if what you are doing starts getting terribly complex and amazingly expensive, you might question whether it is God's work at all."

Church, as Jesus defined it, is personal and community relationships centered on intimacy with Jesus. In fact, Jesus put it this way: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them."

Simple church: Small groups of two or more people gathered in the name of Jesus for personal intimacy and relationship with Jesus. Simple churches make up the city-wide church. All the churches in the New Testament were simple, city-wide churches, and they are a part of God's plan for living out a vital faith and thus restoring the Kingdom. Note: Simple should not be misinterpreted as shallow.

In simple churches (also known as house churches) people can mature into living out a pure, stripped-to-the-core, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

In simple churches, people can mature into living in right relationship with God and each other—free of religious traditions and other encumbrances.

In simple churches people can experience the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and healing for both body and soul. Simple (house) churches are a part of God's plan for living out a vital faith and thus restoring the Kingdom.

The primary purpose and calling of simple churches is (1) proclaiming the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and (2) teaching these great truths to trust-worthy people who will then pass them on to others.

(Please note: Felicity Dale, in An Army of Ordinary People, Karis Publishing, observes that simple churches do not reach out to existing Christians in more traditional churches, which we sometimes call "legacy churches". The reason we use the term "legacy churches" is that we value the spiritual deposit that so many of them have given us—truly a great legacy. The last thing we wish is for a group of disgruntled Christians that gets together to complain about the traditional churches they have left. How could God multiply that?)

What do simple or house churches do when they get together? There is much variety. They first of all recognize that they are together because of Jesus. Sometimes they share a meal at someone's home—or picnic at a park. They may share their experiences and life with Jesus. They may study the Bible. They may sing. They may pray. They may do all of those or even various combinations of them. Their meeting together does not have to be the same every time. The important thing is that they simply respond as the Spirit of Jesus leads them. They might even paint someone's home, clean up an elderly person's yard—all in a spirit of fun, fellowship, accomplishment and compassion.

Ages Not an issue. Sometimes ages range from infant to senior citizens. Some-times it is a group of 20 (or 30 or 40) somethings. It is the spirit in which they gather that counts.

Time Whenever the Spirit and consensus lead. Wednesday night, Sunday morning, Friday morning or any afternoon. The important thing is that Jesus be present. No day or hour is more holy than another.

Sabbath Set aside one day out of every seven to rest, be refreshed and restored. Celebrate Jesus and trust God to provide your needs. The celebration, by the way, does not always have to be sitting in rows in a building and looking at the backs of the people in front of you.

Place Homes are where the church met, and experienced its fastest growth, for almost 300 years after Jesus' resurrection. Homes are where warmth, intimacy and relationship are most easily achieved. Simple churches can also meet in offices, garages, restaurants, sidewalks, open fields, river banks, lake shores, what have you.

How many simple churches can a city have? First there is only one church—the church of Jesus Christ. A city of 40,000 people, for example, has one church. According to scripture if you are a member of one church you are a member of every church—even if some of them have labels attached and buildings with a name above the door. Jesus did not recognize labels when he walked the earth, and when you get to heaven he will immediately scratch from your memory whatever label you have been attached to or used to while on earth.

Your city may have as many simple churches as your situation allows. A simple church or two on every block in every city would be a great testimony to the Spirit and work of Jesus, but certainly one within walking distance of every home is a worthy goal.

Connection
Do simple churches ever fellowship together? Joyfully, yes. Two or three or many may get together for a picnic, a bike ride, an art festival, or go camping together. Several of them may rent a stadium and sponsor a gospel concert. It is important to note that just as you are a member of every church in town, you are also connected to every church in the state, country, and world—through the blood of Jesus Christ and the price he paid for the church. We are all one church. There is no such thing as an isolated church. A church that insists on isolation is not church; it is a cult and the spirit of Jesus is not in it.

Robert Fitts, founder of Outreach Fellowship International, has written a declaration of unity about the church's oneness:

A DECLARATION OF UNITY
I belong to everything that belongs to Jesus
And everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to me.
It's not "Us and them."
It's just US!
For there is only one Body of Christ.
And the problems of the Church, the whole Church, are OUR problems!
For WE are the Church!
And we can do more together than we can do alone.
"One shall chase a thousand, and two shall put ten thousand to flight."

Projects Do city-wide churches network on projects? There are indeed times when the Holy Spirit leads them to identify a need and then they respond to that need. One church painted an elementary school, another handed out bottles of cold water at a busy intersection on a hot day in July. One church took responsibility for maintaining a pocket park in a down town area; still another helps care for a single mother and her children. Some simple churches support missionaries in foreign countries, or sponsor mission trips. The possibilities are unlimited and when carried out in the spirit of love they are extremely meaningful and significant.

At a more visible level, one or more simple churches may organize a community prayer coalition, send representatives to silently pray at city council and/or school board meetings, help with voter registration drives, and help a community determine its stance on social issues.

Finances If there are no salaries to pay or buildings to maintain, what about offerings? And what about tax deductible giving?

First, the money we have is not ours; it's the Lord's. He owns it all. Secondly, he teaches that we are to give sacrificially and cheerfully. Part of the joy of simple church is the freedom we enjoy in our giving. For instance, helping a college student who is short of funds, assisting a single mother to buy diapers, or an unemployed father to pay utility bills, supporting mission funds and charitable organizations, assisting in hurricane relief efforts—all are a part of the cheerful giving that Jesus calls us to. Scripture says that the farmer is the first to enjoy the produce from his labors, and certainly our hearts do dance when we see the joyful differences our giving makes.

Tax deductible giving? First, you have to give away a lot of money to make a significant impact on your taxes. Secondly, tax deductible giving is not a biblical concept. The government allows it, and if it works out that you can take advantage of it, that's fine. But it should not be the determining factor of our giving because if we are giving for the deduction, then we are giving with the wrong spirit. The important thing is that we give in a way and spirit that honors Jesus, and the blessings he bestows in return are simply immeasurable.

Unity and decision-making One of the beauties of a church centered on personal intimacy with Jesus is that it is much more able to achieve the unity Jesus prayed for in John 17. Consensus is reached when a group prays together to seek the will of the Lord and the leading of the Holy Spirit. The key is to exercise the patience to search the scriptures and to pray through the issue until the Spirit brings the church to consensus.

Solid relationships and strength for the journey are key benefits of a city of simple churches with Jesus in the midst of them. John Eldridge, author of Waking the Dead and other fine books on the Christian walk, points out that if we are going to live in intimacy with Jesus and if we are going to live the Christian life as it's meant to be lived, then we need the support and commitment of a small band of others who are so closely committed to each other that they would die for each other if needed. We simply do not build that kind of commitment, relationship and intimacy with Jesus and each other in larger gatherings.

It is also in simple church that solid unity is established, and that is important because when Satan wants to destroy your life and your work the first place he will target is your relationships. If he can destroy your relationships, then he has a running start on destroying not only your work but destroying you as well. Again, in simple church you build the kind of trusting relationships and unity not possible in the larger bodies.

Impact of Simple Church on Intimacy with Christ and upon others Simple church, because its energies are not drained by committees, campaigns and other assorted activities that detract from our relationship with Jesus, greatly impact people's lives in a positive way. When folks gather in simple church they are able to focus on their life and relationship with Jesus, thus resulting in a more Christ-like walk for everyone. Growing in Christ-likeness in the group spills over into Christ-likeness in the home, job, community and world. Since Jesus is heaven's answer to earth's dilemmas, every one benefits.

Accountability Simple churches making up the city-wide church are extremely accountable. First, they are accountable to Christ. Secondly, the people within the churches are accountable to each other. Issues such as family relationships and lifestyle that are so often glossed over in the large bodies are often identified and dealt with much more quickly and effectively in smaller groups. The effect of personal and group responsibility, along with increased trust, results in a much more accountable Christian lifestyle.

Simple church, because of its trust and openness, also deals very effectively with mis-guided charismatic leaders and potential heresy. As long as group members hold each other accountable, heresy is very unlikely to happen. Not many of us know pastors who have fallen into heresy; most of us know several who have fallen morally.

Leadership The simple churches that make up the city-wide church are not leaderless. In all of Paul's letters to the churches of the New Testament, there was both leadership and accountability. However, the role of pastor, as we know it today, did not exist in the New Testament Church. The role of pastor was a relationship role, not an office, given for the purpose of nurturing, encouraging and strengthening each other in the Lord.

Also, at the crucifixion, resurrection and Pentecost Jesus did away with the division of laity and clergy. The Holy Spirit is now the leader of the New Testament church and the most important person in the world. In the book of Revelation Jesus reserved some of his harshest criticism for the churches that had returned to the spirit of the Nicolatians—they had re-instated the clergy-laity division.

The scripture tells us in Acts that the people gathered, sometimes daily, for community, meals, and fellowship. There was no clergy and no abundance of church "leaders". They gathered in community and the Holy Spirit led from there. The same thing happens today when we meet in simple community, seek the Holy Spirit's guidance and submit ourselves to going where He leads.

In every group, including simple church, there are those individuals who because of their walk with the Lord, are ultimately recognized as leaders among the people. Folks listen to them, honor and respect them. But, their rise to leadership (or Eldership) is natural rather than contrived.

Communion and Baptism The shed blood of Jesus Christ and the splitting of the veil in the temple paid the price for the forgiveness of our sins; it also took away control over access to the Father and the Son. In the spirit of intimacy with Jesus, a father may commune his family, a married couple may commune each other. A gathering of friends may do the same. Nowhere in scripture did the Father give anyone permission to pirate the blood and body of His Son and then set up rules as to who may participate and receive. Neither did he give anyone permission to divide the Body and attach labels to the divisions. Re: baptism, a close reading of scripture reveals that people were baptized by those who led them to the Lord. Jesus has not changed that. Fathers and mothers may baptize their children, friends may baptize friends. Remember, Jesus said to baptize into his kingdom, not into a system. Believers may baptize believers, and that is as it should be.

Where from Here So if one person feels called by the Spirit to begin simple church, where might he or she begin? Here is one possibility: Invite one or two of your friends over to your home for a meal--or coffee. After you have had an opportunity to share and be comfortable, ask a question such as, "Do you ever give any thought to your spiritual life?" Or you might say, "You know, I have been giving a lot of thought lately to my spiritual life. Where are you in your spiritual walk?" Then, just let the conversation go where ever the Spirit leads. At the end of time together suggest that you get together to talk some more. Then at some point in the future invite a few others over. Perhaps even families. Again, let the Spirit lead and over weeks or even months church, that oneness in Spirit that Jesus calls us to, will begin to develop.

Another possibility: House2House Magazine offers this short article titled "What Is Simple Church"? (again, simple church is the essential and basic component of the city-wide church).

Excerpt:

"Simple Church is about a way of life. It is not about a change of location, but about the way we do church. Here are some of the key components to keep in mind:

FOOD - When you get together, eat! It provides a great atmosphere for people to have open, honest communication with each other.

OPEN PARTICIPATION - "What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." I Corinthians 14; 26. The key is "everyone has...". Everybody should be able to participate.

BIBLE STUDY - Keep it simple and interactive. A great technique is to look over a few verses together and then share what each person has learned.

PRAYER - "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer". Acts 2:42. Find out what is happening in each other's lives and take the time to pray for each other. Expect God to move powerfully and to speak to the group as you pray.

SIMPLICITY - Make sure that whatever you do can be duplicated. If the church is going to multiply rapidly, it must be kept simple.

Church is not about the weekly gathering; it is about a different way of life. "Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.' Acts 5:42

All the fore-going have come together today, early in the 21st century, to make simple church the single largest movement in the church world-wide.

Want to know more? Somewhere close to you are people who can help you to explore simple church in your community. And...there are probably more people around you than you realize who are interested in such an experience and relationship. The authors of this pamphlet would be more than happy to help you in any way they can; please feel free to contact them. Below is a partial listing of resources for learning more about simple church, house church, city-wide church and issues related thereto.

Written by Chuck Tooman
Christ's Servants to the Nations
Note: you have permission to download and print, but please do not change the copy. Thank you.

Bibliography and Resources

• Dale, Felicity. An Army of Ordinary People. Karis Publishing, Austin, TX. 2005
• Dale, Tony and Felicity. Simple Church. Karis Publishers, Austin, TX, 2002.
• Eldridge, John. Waking the Dead - The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive. Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, 2003
• Fitts, Robert. The Church in the House—A Return To Simplicity. Preparing the Way Publishers, Salem, OR, 2001.
• Fitts, Robert. Forty Trends Back to Simplicity. Kona, HI, 2005
• Krupp, Nate. God's Simple Plan for His Church. Preparing the Way Publisher, 2003.
• Rutz, Jim. Mega Shift—The Best News Since Year One. Empowerment Press, Colorado Springs, CO, 2005.
• Rutz, Jim. Open Church. Seed Sowers Publishers, Beaumont, TX, 1992.
• Rutz, Jim. The Rebirth of the Church. Seed Sowers Publishers, Beaumont, TX, 1992.
• Stedman, Ray. Body Life. Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids, MI, Revised Edition, 1995.
• Tooman, Chuck. Richness in Christ. Preparing the Way Publishers, Salem, OR. 2006
• Viola, Frank. The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. Present Testimony Ministries, Gainesville, FL, 2003
• Viola, Frank. Pagan Christianity. Present Testimony Ministries, Gainesville, FL, 2002.
• Viola, Frank. Rethinking the Wineskin. Present Testimony Ministries, Gainesville, FL, 2001.
• Zdero, Rod. The Global House Church Movement. William Carey Library, Pasadena, CA, 2004.