No story is complete without sharing the bumps and bruises. Fairytale endings rarely make their way into real life. And when God took off our training wheels, The Well had its fair share of falling down and getting back up.
After that last Sunday in our building, The Well began in three separate homes. The already-established group of older members continued meeting together, while two other groups agreed to meet on different days and times, one of which met at my own home. Each group spent time eating, worshipping through song, and then would together dig into God’s Word.
At first, all three began studying the book of Acts, trying to stay on the same course. I wrote what I thought was a top-notch curriculum and, as the pastor, I tried to attend every gathering. But it quickly became apparent that my lofty plans were not working and my presence was not even necessary for spiritual growth to occur.
With wobbly legs, I backed off and stopped showing up at every home.
This change was not easy at first, especially with the older folks who liked having a designated leader to protect them from “heretical thought.” What would they do if they had a question no one knew how to answer?
Slowly, we realized that the Church was everyone’s responsibility, not just the pastor’s. And everything a “normal church” did—missions, study, growth, evangelism, giving, and so on—each person could do, because their change of venue did not negate the responsibilities and privileges of any other church.
The more we embrace these foundational truths, the more “organic” The Well has become, growing simply and naturally by the hands of individual members of God’s Church. Our attitudes continue to be changed from “I have to have a plan!” to “Let’s just see what God does.”
And let me tell you: God does not disappoint.
This is great!! It sounds like you’re all experiencing the fruits of Organic church life. I encourage you to continue, and for some guidance check out a guy name Frank Viola, his work on organic church life is great.
His website is
http://www.ptmin.org
By: Leonard on July 4, 2009
at 2:18 PM
Congrats on taking the “road not taken,” at least by most… I believe you will find, as Robt Frost says, that “that has made all the difference!”
We are on the other coast of the US… in Massachusetts no less (yes, there are a few followers of Jesus up here!) I used to pastor a non-denom church of 500+ but got so burnt out that I finally asked the elders for permission to leave and start a new church from scratch. Reluctantly they gave me permission and with about 25 people we began in a town about 10 miles away. Within 18 months we had a leadership meltdown and half the church left. We almost shut down, but I wasn’t receiving any release from God to quit. So we muddled onward. All the while I have been convinced that there must be another way to be the church in the USA. The church growth models and business models were so disillusioning.
This summer we hit on the idea of canning our Sunday morning service in favor of a house-based weekly fellowship. It has been spectacular. I have seen more people step up in leadership in the past two months than in the previous two years and The emphasis has shifted from “an excellent worship service” to a deepening intimacy with God and one another.
We are continuing to seek God and His clear direction, but as for me, I do believe I am ruined for “Sunday morning church as usual” forever. Praise our great God!
By: Mike on July 18, 2009
at 7:18 PM
[...] churches are not easy. Many of you know that is an understatement. In my post, “Wobbly Legs and Growing Pains,” posted on July 1st, I talked about some of the difficulty of starting a house church and how [...]
By: Top 10 Comments of 2009 « A House Church Blog on January 26, 2010
at 8:34 AM