Simple
Church
A simple church is a relatively small group of
people who worship, pray, learn, and serve their community
together. What a simple church does when it meets is up to them but
there should be a balance between these elements. They can meet
weekly or bi-weekly. The purpose is to do life together with Jesus.
Why Simple Church?
Here’s Jesus’ definition of church: “For where
two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
(Matthew 18:20 NIV)
And here’s Paul’s
instructions for worship: “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.” (1 Corinthians 14:26 NIV)
What you don’t see in these words is any
mention of professional staffing, buildings, programs, worship
teams, worship planning meetings, etc. etc. There is nothing
inherently wrong with any of those things. They just aren’t
required. And it’s probably no coincidence, that when the church
was at its strongest and spiritually healthiest, it had none of
these things. When the Roman Emperor Constantine made Christianity
the preferred religion of the Roman Empire, the church adopted many
of the practices of the pagan religious practices – elaborate
buildings, elaborate worship services, robes for the pastor, etc.
etc. Again, there is nothing inherently wrong with these things,
but obviously they can distract us from our simple mission to be a
people living life with Christ, sharing his love, and serving the
world in his name.
The pre-Constantinian church literally changed
the world as they lived out their faith with love. They had none of
the things we typically think of when we use the word “church.”
Thus, they were not distracted by all the things that distract us,
however well-intentioned those things are. At the root, simple
church is just a concerted effort to eliminate the distractions so
that God may use us as powerfully as he used the early church, that
the world may once again be radically transformed by the love of
Jesus Christ.
How do you get involved in a simple
church?
Here are a couple options:
1. Join a newly forming simple church.
Our vision is to have simple churches in homes and public places
across the city from public housing projects to the 08’s. This is
something only God can do. If you want to be a part of a group, let
us know what days and times are best for you and we’ll try to get
you connected.
2. Start a new simple church
Gather your friends and neighbors and be the
church – a simple, New Testament kind of church. Find a way to
serve others together in your neighborhood and across the city,
discuss a passage of Scripture, eat together, share your burdens,
help one another, pray together, and pray for those who don’t know
Jesus. Take up a collection and use it to help others less
fortunate (as opposed to paying staff, utilities, operating
expenses, etc.). Join other simple churches in the network to take
on bigger projects. Decide how often you will meet, and what you
will do, and share responsibilities. And (this is crucial)
intentionally grow and then multiply. You can split, or one or two
can leave the group and start a new group. Regular people did this
naturally for the first three hundred plus years of our faith. You
can do it too. We can help.
Copyright (c) 2007-2008 Jesus Tribe
Designed By
Zach Jorgensen
