Luther on house churches

The following material comes from Lutheran pastor, Tim Thompson's blog The Feral Pastor. If reformer Martin Luther would have followed his stated beliefs on church praxis, the evangelical "norm" might well have been house/simple churches, rather than what we have today.

"...Luther himself proposed house churches as the natural, even preferred context for people who were serious about following Jesus. (He calls these people the ones who are "desirous of being Christians in earnest and are ready to profess the Gospel with hand and mouth.")

The following characteristics summarize Luther's "Order of Divine Service" as to the "how" churches should be organized.

• Self-organized
• Home-based
• Lay led
• Full sacramental life
• Stewardship and social ministry
• Simple catechetical instruction
• Ideal context for loving accountability after Matthew 18
• "Form and Order" are not imported but emerge spontaneously from community life.

These are derived from material found online at the Hanover Historical Texts Project, and in Volume 53, pp. 63-64 of Luther’s Works, American Edition.

Here is Luther in his own words:

But the third sort [of Divine Service], which the true type of Evangelical Order should embrace, must not be celebrated so publicly in the square amongst all and sundry. Those, however, who are desirous of being Christians in earnest, and are ready to profess the Gospel with hand and mouth, should register their names and assemble by themselves in some house to pray, to read, to baptize and to receive the sacrament and practise other Christian works. In this Order, those whose conduct was not such as befits Christians could be recognized, reproved, reformed, rejected, or excommunicated, according to the rule of Christ in Matt. xviii. Here, too, a general giving of alms could be imposed on Christians, to be willingly given and divided among the poor, after the example of St. Paul in 2 Cor. ix. Here there would not be need of much fine singing. Here we could have baptism and the sacrament in short and simple fashion: and direct everything towards the Word and prayer and love. Here we should have a good short Catechism about the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer. In one word, if we only had people who longed to be Christians in earnest, Form and Order would soon shape itself. But I cannot and would not order or arrange such a community or congregation at present. I have not the requisite persons for it, nor do I see many who are urgent for it. But should it come to pass that I must do it, and that such pressure is put upon me as that I find myself unable with a good conscience to leave it undone, then I will gladly do my part to secure it, and will help it on as best I can. In the meantime, I would abide by the two Orders aforesaid; and publicly among the people aid in the promotion of such Divine Service, besides preaching, as shall exercise the youth and call and incite others to faith, until those Christians who are most thoroughly in earnest shall discover each other and cleave together; to the end that there be no faction-forming, such as might ensue if I were to settle everything out of my own head.

So why didn't Luther follow through with these convictions concerning church practice?

Thompson shares two reasons: 1) he lacked the "requisite persons" (leaders, presumably), and 2) no one wanted to do it. So he decided to wait "until those Christians who are most thoroughly in earnest shall discover each other and cleave together."

But Tim Thompson also suggests that the time is ripe today for reversing Luther's reasons for not implementing these views on church practice:

"Well, we've got lots of people capable of leading this now, and lots of people who want it, and I can tell you, there are a whole lot of people discovering each other and cleaving together..."

Do you agree that the conditions are finally ripe today? Can today's churches gather in ways similar to those suggested by Luther clear back in 1526?

I think so. Let's bring on the New Reformation!

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P.S. If interested in reading more on this subject, check out Alan Knox's two excellent posts along the same lines, Luther and the Church, and Luther and the non-Christian "worship service".

Why are we so program oriented?

Several years ago I was invited by one of our Baptist churches in Ecuador to preach their Sunday evening message. Even though I came prepared to preach, as I sat waiting my turn, I sensed from the Lord to use the allotted "message time" to lead the church in a 1 Corinthians 14:26 gathering. When given the pulpit, I briefly shared two brief passages about what we should be seeking when the Body of Christ assembles:

Hebrews 10:24-25 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

1 Corinthians 14:26 What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.

I asked the congregation to rearrange the plastic chairs into a circle. Then with a few words of encouragement to literally "stimulate one another to love and good deeds" and "each one has..." for the edification of the saints, we began...

At first there was little understanding of what was expected, and the "how to" do what the Scriptures exhort us in these two passages. With a little prompting and some awkward silences, people slowly began to open up. We sang several songs of their choice, a couple of testimonies were shared of how God had been working in their lives. A sister shared a passage of Scripture that had spoken to her during the week. Someone asked for prayer. We gathered around that person laying hands on them and prayed. One brother confessed he had long harbored in his spirit something against another brother who was present. The two asked forgiveness of each other, hugged, cried, and prayed for one another.

By then we had gone well over the "30 minutes" allotted sermon time, but nobody was eager to break up and go home. After TWO HOURS of open sharing and Spirit-led interaction, I turned the "service" back over to the pastor of the church. He stood, thanked me (didn't he mean the Holy Spirit?) for leading them in a most "interesting" evening. Everyone was then asked to rearrange the chairs back into rows. The offering was collected, and the pastor announced that next week they would resume their regular message series. What we had just experienced was simply an interesting Sunday night special program, but was clearly not the norm for the church to continue to meet in this fashion.

Why are we so programmed oriented when we gather as the church? There is so much that the Head of the Church, Jesus, wants to do in our midst: heal, encourage, build up, teach, yet to risk any embarrassing or awkward moments that might take place in such a Spirit-controlled environment, we end up throwing the baby out with the bath water. Obviously we are much safer controlling all that is said and done by carefully planning of what takes place when we gather, and WHO gets to be the ones to speak/share/lead.

On our previous Stateside Assignment (furlough) I was invited to fill the pulpit at another Baptist church who was then between pastors. Again, instead of preaching, I (and another visiting missionary) shared with them something similar to what was described above. Even though everyone was seated in pews, the same thing happened! The people were freed in the Lord to share Jesus with one another. What took place was a powerful moving of the Spirit as young and old alike were freed to share in the Lord.

This church enthusiastically continued this practice on Sunday evenings for many weeks thereafter. That is, until they finally called a new pastor. Sunday evenings then reverted back to the "normal format" of song service and preaching. The voice of the saints was again given back over to those leading everything from the pulpit. By then we had long returned to Ecuador, but I heard how much they missed gathering in the New Testament way. They tried to understand why, what had been so meaningful to them, had to be discontinued for the traditional song service/preaching format again.

Why are we so program oriented? Why are we afraid to gather today in what is clearly a much more Biblical way, than what takes place in most churches with a controlled program format?

Seeing legacy churches through simple church eyes

We've been back in the USA for 90 days now. During this time we have had the opportunity of visiting some wonderful Baptist churches here in Texas. Texas Baptists are some of God's most precious saints on the face of the earth! However, after years of being immersed in simple church values and practices, it has been quite a personal adjustment to re adapt to the way "traditional church" is done with its programs, practices and structures.

After now sitting through three months of worship services and Sunday School classes in half a dozen different churches, what follows are a few observations coming from someone who has long been out of practice of "going to church" as is commonly practiced here in America.

Sunday Morning Sermon. Instead of preaching 30-45 minutes and then everyone going home and promptly forgetting all/most of what has been so conscientiously prepared, why not share a reduced 15-20 minute message and spend the balance of time allowing interaction by the congregation? This personal interaction with the message would bear far more fruit than simply listening to a good man preach. Depending upon the size of the church and seating layout, this could be done in several different ways:

1) The pastor could end with a few key questions that get at the heart of what he was trying to share. As people begin to respond back to the pastor a dialog could ensue amongst all those present. The pastor could facilitate the discussion as several share their wisdom and understanding from their rich experience.

2) People could be encouraged to break up into small groups and share with one another what they sense God is saying to them through what has been shared through the Word.

3) Ask people to share how they intend on applying what they have learned from the Word. What specific actions is the Spirit of God impressing upon them in response to the message? Wouldn't 10-15 minutes praying for one another and applying the message with their individual situations have a more meaningful impact than simply one person doing all the talking?

It is strange that week after week so much effort has gone in to preparing good Biblical messages, only to be concluded with an invitation which usually has nothing to do with what has been preached. Sometimes 2-3 people will go forward during the invitation, but rarely does it have anything to do with the preceding 30-45 minutes. Why is the bulk of time given to one brother speaking week after week while the remaining 99% just sit and listen? Is church primarily about the message preached by the pastor? What happened to the exhortation by the writer of Hebrews, And let us consider one another, to incitement of love and of good works, not forsaking the assembling together of ourselves, as is the custom of some, but exhorting, and by so much more as you see the Day drawing near?


The offering. Instead of passing the plate while soft instrumental music plays in the background, or someone sings a "special", why not have someone testify how money given is actually impacting lives and making a difference in the Kingdom? For example, have the VBS Director come forward and share how the budgeted $1000 was spent and the impact this effort had on the lives of 200 kids. Share a few stories. Let people hear first hand how their giving is actually helping to make a difference in people's lives. Invite a missionary to share for a few minutes during the offering time what God is doing in their country and how the church's giving to missions is actually impacting Peru or wherever.

Sunday School. Instead of the goal being to get through the week's lesson, why not allow the Spirit of God to take us where He wants to lead us? Sunday School is the closest thing in legacy churches (in my opinion) to New Testament ekklesias--or has the potential of being so. Here we have the chance to really minister to one another through the Word in a smaller group setting. Yet, class after class, I have sensed that what matters is getting through the lesson, not on building up--encouraging--one another in the Lord. Sunday School seems more an intellectual, educational pursuit where we learn something from the Bible passage studied. There is nothing wrong with studying the Bible, but it could be so much more if we would allow the Living God to not only stimulate our intellects, but minister those studied truths into one another's lives.

Singing and praise. Maybe it's just me, but week after week, 75-80% of what is projected onto the overhead screen are songs I am hearing for the first time. I personally find it frustrating that all the songs are chosen ahead of time by the worship leaders and they are the ones calling all the shots from behind their amplified instruments and microphones. My voice is dimmed and unable to compete with the electronic powers that dominate what passes as "worship" to the Lord. I am getting close to thinking that maybe the non-instrumental Church of Christ churches are far closer to the true spirit of worship with their a cappella singing than what passes for today's contemporary worship practices. As I said, maybe it's just me, but this is truly a struggle not being able to interact more with what is sung and hear from others what they are thinking/feeling as they sing to the Lord. Also, what happened to hymns? They've disappeared from the churches! I am not against singing unto the Lord a "new song", but it does bother me that the great hymns of the faith which have sustained God's people for decades (centuries) are being substituted by songs with with far inferior content and lyrics. A possible solution? Un-program the worship times. Give worship back to the people. Yes it would be messy at first and some would not like it--it would be awkward--but after a few weeks of adjustment, worship would gradually return to being worship instead of what, seems to me, a programmed performance where we follow along with whatever is fed to us from up front.

Prayer. Probably the most striking thing I have noticed after years of being away from legacy churches is the almost non-existent place of prayer in the gatherings of believers. Prayer is used more as a way to begin and close meetings, but I have seen little real praying when believers gather. Singing praise and worship songs is certainly a way of addressing our Lord, but there are so many other aspects of our communion with God that are going unaddressed in our gatherings: prayers of repentance/confession, prayers of united intercession and supplication, prayers for laborers (Lk. 10:2), prayers for wisdom/guidance/discernment, spiritual warfare, prayers for healing and for the sick, prayers for those who do not know the Lord, etc. Prayer takes time. I see little time in our gatherings being spent in prayer. Maybe the problem is we have to cram everything in between 11am-12noon. There simply isn't time for prayer when we gather if we are going to sing for 20-minutes and listen to a 30-minute message. But then, is it any wonder we have such little spiritual power in our midst? Maybe we should reschedule church on Sundays from, say, 5-8pm to give us adequate time to deal with truly being the Body of Christ and all that implies.

So, what are some of your thoughts? How can we be the church, be God's people; instead of going to church and doing church?

Why go to church?

In the 80 days we have been back in the USA we have been asked to speak only twice about our life and ministry in Ecuador. Both times to Sunday School classes made up of seniors ages 65 and above. Both times were a delight, but as we have sat through service after service in a half dozen or so churches, the one passage that keeps coming to mind--and one I would love to share with the churches if given the opportunity--is Hebrews 10:24-25.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV)

Alan Knox recently posted an excellent response to this verse entitled But I have perfect attendance addressing the very question that continues to nag at me week after week as we visit churches here in the States. Alan writes...

Specifically, what are believers required to do according to this verse?

The command in this passage (actually, an imperatival use of the subjunctive) is "let us consider". The purpose of "considering one another" is to stir up love and good works. Thus, the author of Hebrews expects believers who have the freedom to enter the presence of God (Heb 10:19) and who have Jesus as their high priest (Heb 10:21) to demonstrate that by thinking of ways to exhort others toward love and good works in their lives. This is the command, not "assembling".

So, what part does "assembling" play in this passage. It plays a secondary role. The author of Hebrews recognizes that we cannot exhort one another towards love and good works if we never meet with one another. Similarly, we cannot stir up one another towards love and good works if we do not encourage one another. The two participles ("not forsaking" and "encouraging") play an important, but secondary, role in the requirement of considering one another in order to provoke love and good works in each other's lives.

So what? We're still supposed to assemble together, right? Yes, in fact, according to Scripture, believers will want to meet together with other believers. Assembling together is not required in Scripture, but it is expected. However, attendance alone does not meet any scriptural requirements. It is possible to meet together with other believers and never fulfill the purpose of thinking about how to spur one another on towards love and good works, and then exhorting them towards that goal. A "perfect attendance" award means nothing to a believer.

If we meet together in a way that precludes us from encouraging one another toward love and good works, then we are not meeting in a way that Scripture prescribes or describes. Similarly, if we require attendance, but do not allow believers opportunities to exhort one another toward maturity, then we are not helping people to follow the teachings of Scripture.

Instead of someone saying, "I don't think I've seen you around here in the last few weeks", what if they said, "I noticed that you haven't encouraged anyone around here in the last few weeks".

Yes, I know. It is much easier to count noses. It makes us feel better to have a "full house". But, attendance means nothing if people are not exhorting one another toward maturity in Christ...

So let's continue meeting together - whether in large or small scheduled weekly meetings or in large or small spontaneous meetings. But, let's come together for the right reason: not to count noses and record attendance, but to consider one another in order to stir up one another towards love and good works.

Our family

Yesterday we had one of those rare moments when all our immediate family was together in one place at the same time. We decided we'd better get the cameras out and record the moment!

Pictured are my mom and dad (Jim and Pat Muse) along with my family, my brother Greg and two sisters, Gwen and Gail with their respective families.


Guy, Linda, Josh and Anna...



Tom and Gwen...



Greg, Cathy, Jennifer, Katie, and Hannah.


Edwin, Gail, Luke and Joseph...

Partnership Engagement Methodologies

“Church planting movements among all peoples, the gospel to every person, every believer a full participant in the Great Commission.”

A. Entry-level Engagements:

An entry point for churches desiring to partner with missionaries on the field through a single engagement, which may or may not lead to a longer term commitment or partnership.

• Introduces Stateside believers and churches to missions
• Great for entry-level evangelism and opening doors in new communities or target areas.
• Specific objectives/ministry needs
• Often leads to partnerships
  

1. Mission Trips: A one time trip designed for a specific purpose such as evangelism, discipleship, leadership training, research, etc…

2. Entry-level Evangelism Strategies: Stateside partners working alongside missionaries, national churches, local believers and persons of peace to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, to seek out and identify persons of peace and to begin new evangelistic Bible studies that will lead to new multiplying churches in a given target zone. Example: Gospel Advancement Project (GAP), Uruguay and Argentina GAP is a gospel saturation ministry designed specifically for an urban setting. Its goal is to place the Gospel of John (and/or other evangelistic materials) in every household in that target zone, and to provide a clear presentation of the gospel to these areas. This will be accomplished through the use of partners from the United States as they work in conjunction with missionaries, Baptist churches, and persons of peace in each of the target areas.

3. Strategic Support Teams (SST):
Teams or individuals that fill specific needs and/or roles within an established strategic engagement. Example: SST’s for REAP South (Mike Weaver)


B. Multi-Focused Partnerships:

3 to 5 year commitments to investigate, develop, and support Strategic Engagements that might develop into Strategic Partnerships or Strategy Coordinator Churches. The partnerships are with:

• State Conventions
• Associations
• Churches or Groups of Churches
• Student Organizations (i.e. BSM’s, BSU’s, etc…)
  

Example: Montevideo and Buenos Aires “Rio del la Plata Project” 5 year commitment with Virginia Southern Baptist Convention. Mississippi Baptist Convention Board with Peru “Priority Target Zones” (PTZ’s) are areas, people groups, micro people groups, population segments or geographic areas of Urban Centers with little or no evangelical witness in which the IMB missionary or team, through the leadership of the Holy Spirit, have determined would be best reached through Strategic Partnerships.


C. Strategic Partnerships:

A church or body of believers who through the leadership of the Holy Spirit Partners with an IMB missionary or team to assist in carrying out and implementing the strategies which have been developed by an IMB missionary or team around prayer, evangelism, discipleship and leadership training for the purpose of reaching that people group, population segment or Urban Center, resulting in multiplying churches.

Purpose of a Strategic Partnership: A Strategic Partnership allows Southern Baptist Churches the opportunity to partner with IMB missionaries and to assist them in implementing their mission strategy for a “Priority Target Zone” while living out the Great Commission.

Goals of Strategic Partnerships:

• Partnering with an IMB missionary or team to take the Gospel to a people group, population segment or Urban Center.
• Create an environment for prayer, evangelism, discipleship and leadership training that will lead to a Church Planting Movement.
• Allow Stateside churches the opportunity to be strategically involved with our missionary personnel in all aspects of the missionary tasks, thereby increasing the awareness of lostness, the need for evangelism, and the need for prayer and for support.
• Transforming and energizing the lives of members of local Southern Baptist Churches through an active role in taking the Gospel to the lost of South America. An Acts 1:8 approach.
• Strategic Partnerships potentially may lead to SC Church Engagements.
  

Current Examples of Strategic Partnerships:

• Pichincha Province Adoption Project, Quito, Ecuador
• Student Mobilization, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Peru
• Bogotá, Colombia
  
• Guayas Cantones for Christ Project, Guayaquil-Ecuador

“High Priority Zones” (HPZ’s) are areas, people groups, micro people groups, population segments or geographic areas of Urban Centers with little or no evangelical witness that are considered strategic, yet our mission personnel do not have the resources to reach within the next 2 to 4 years.


D. Strategy Coordinator Church:

A church or body of believers who through the leadership of the Holy Spirit have taken full responsibility for a people group, population segment or Urban Center by the development and implementation of strategies and plans that are biblically sound, consistent with Church Planting Movement methodologies and which are built around prayer, evangelism, discipleship and leadership training resulting in churches being planted.

Ken Winter, Vice-President of Mobilization, International Mission Board defines the SC Church this way: “It’s a church that is owning the task of taking the gospel to an unengaged people group. It is making a commitment that says, ‘We, under God’s leadership, are going to do whatever it takes to see this people coming to Christ, being discipled and churches being planted that will lead to other churches being planted’ and, ultimately, to a church planting movement.”

Purpose of the Strategy Coordinator Church: The SC Church allows Southern Baptist Churches the opportunity to own the task of reaching the lost within an adopted High Priority Zone and in so doing, living out the Great Commission.

Goals of SC Church:

• To take the gospel to a people group, population segment or Urban Center who do not currently have missionary personnel assigned to them.
• Create an environment for prayer, evangelism, discipleship and leadership training that will lead to a Church Planting Movement.
• Allow Stateside churches the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the missionary tasks, thereby increasing the awareness of lostness, the need for evangelism, and the need for prayer and for support.
• Transforming and energizing the lives of members of local Southern Baptist Churches through an active role in taking the Gospel to the lost of South America. An Acts 1:8 approach.
  

Current Examples of Strategy Coordinator Church Partnerships:

• Churches Multiplying Churches (CMC), Brazil
• (REAP North and REAP South), among the indigenous in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile and Argentina.
• Guayas Cantones for Christ Project, Guayaquil-Ecuador
• All Barrios for Buenos Aires (ABBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  

E. Strategic Prayer Partnerships:

A church or body of believers who through the leadership of the Holy Spirit, partners with an IMB missionary, to take responsibility for a people group or population segment with restricted or prohibited access to the Gospel through strategic prayer, asking the Heavenly Father to break down the barriers that prevent the Gospel Message from being proclaimed.

“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the GAP on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:30(NIV)

Purpose of Strategic Prayer Partnerships: A Strategic Prayer Partnership allows Southern Baptist Churches the opportunity to partner with IMB missionaries to develop and implement a strategic prayer plan to reach, through prayer, areas that have restricted or prohibited access to the Gospel Message.

Goals of Strategic Prayer Partnerships:

• A Strategic Prayer Partnership allows SBC Partners to become involved in reaching those areas with little or no access to the Gospel.
• A Strategic Prayer Partnership means that the partner church agrees to investigate and research how they might intercede more effectively daily for the adopted restricted access areas.
• A Strategic Prayer Partnership means that the partner church agrees to a 2 to 4 year commitment to pray regularly for God to break down barriers that are preventing the gospel from going into these areas and ask Him to build bridges that will allow access to these areas.
• A Strategic Prayer Partnership means that the partner church will host periodic Church-wide prayer emphasis for the restricted access areas that: a) God will open the doors of access for engagement, b) God will reveal “Persons of Peace”, c) God will make His message of Hope know among these peoples.
• A Strategic Prayer Partnership means that the partner church, if possible, will work with field personnel to engage these restricted access areas.
  

Thinking out of the box with strategic use of volunteers...Will you pray about partnering with us in reaching ECUADOR and South America for Christ?

Check out more "Partnership Resources" and contact information for how you and your church can get on board to be personally involved in missions with us in South America:

www.TakingIt2TheEdge.org

The "prevenience" model of church

The following comes from an email received from John White, a house church coach in Denver, CO.

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I first learned the word "prevenience" from Eugene Peterson in his book "The Contemplative Pastor" (p. 65f). I was struck by what he had to say because it was immediately obvious to me that he was right. However, it was exactly the opposite of what I had been taught.

I knew how to be proactive. I knew how to "run the church" and get things done. I knew how to "make it happen". I had a lot of unlearning to do (I'm a recovering control addict).

Here's what Peterson has to say (with a few of John's comments in italics):

"In running the church (or the house church), I seize the initiative. I take charge. I take responsibility for motivation and recruitment, for showing the way, for getting things started. If I don't, things drift. I am aware of the tendency to apathy, the human susceptibility to indolence, and I use my leadership to counter it. (Isn't that what we have been taught that leadership is? If it isn't this, what is it?)

By contrast, the cure of souls (he means here the true work of a pastor or leader of a church as an organism) is a cultivated awareness that God has already seized the initiative. The traditional doctrine defining this truth is prevenience: God everywhere and always seizing the initiative. He gets thing going. He had and continues to have the first word. Prevenience is the conviction that God has been working diligently, redemptively, and strategically before I appeared on the scene, before I was aware there was something here for me to do.

...there is a disciplined, determined conviction that everything (and I mean, precisely everything) we do is a response to God's first work, his initiating act. We learn to be attentive to the divine action already in process so that the previously unheard word of God is heard, the previously unattended act of God is noticed?

What has God been doing here?
What traces of grace can I discern in this life?
What history of love can I read in this group?
What has God set in motion that I can get in on?"

I call these "the prevenience questions". Learning to ask/answer these questions is the starting place for the church each time she meets. This is the "prevenience model" of church.

With apologies to Steven Covey, we Christians were never called to be "proactive". We are called to be "reactive" to God. (Or, perhaps "responsive" to God is better.)

Ministry is...

Giving when you feel like keeping.
Praying for others when you need prayer.
Feeding others when your soul is hungry.
Hurting with others when your own hurt can't be spoken.
Keeping your word when it is not convenient.
Being faithful when your soul wants to run away.

~Author Unknown

Originally seen here.