A couple people have asked me what books have really guided me on the journey that Lara and I have been on for the past year. It is impossible to name them all because I have read more this year than any year in the past. God has used many different authors to reveal truth to Lara and I. Countless times I have read something and thought to myself that I wished I had written it or I read something and what it said resonated in my heart.
Organic church by Neil Cole; This is a new classic. It is all about how the church is supposed to be small, less structured and led more by the Spirit and the Bible than by rules and systems. He rightly points out that we have made it far too difficult for churches to reproduce and he seeks to show us ways to correct that. Neil is not afraid, not afraid of churches where people are able to lead out of their brokenness, churches where people work through difficult theology together. He holds deeply to the idea that experience is the best teacher. Neil is by far the best writer on this topic from a North American perspective if you are ever considering doing a house church here in the United States this is a must read book.
Church Planting Movements by David Garrison; This is a book that looks at numerous church planting movements (cpm) around the world and seeks to learn lessons from them. A cpm is where a large group of people begin to embrace Jesus in a rather short amount of time. This book more than any other gives some hard and fast rules while at the same time showing just have fast and powerfully the gospel can spread in places that we would not expect it too. He also gives a list of warnings, things that the evidence has shown have prevented church planting movements from taking place in various places. This book is a most read, it shows the power of simplicity and causes us to think about the things we are doing and if they may be holding back a movement.
The House Church Book by Wolfgang Simson; Wolfgang has done some lectures that absolutely inspire me. His book is no different. He is quick and to the point. He is passionate about small reproducible gatherings of Christians. In his opinion Christians who are stuck in their mindset are the biggest hindrances to cpms taking place. It was through him that I developed a passion to pray that people would see visions of Jesus as a means of them coming to him. Wolfgang believes that in small committed relationships we grow fastest and healthiest. This book is great for learning some ideas about how your house church should look.
There are many other books that I am sure that I should mention but am a little to lazy right now to review. These three though are the key ones in my opinion and while I do not agree with them completely they are provocative and thought provoking and worth a read.
Great post Jared. These are good reads for the direction you are moving. Let me also suggest ReChurch by Stephen Mansfield (published by Barna). I think it may be relevant to some of the demographic you will be addressing. It is not so much about the home church movement as it is about helping people who have been hurt by the mainstream church.
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