Old Baggage – Inclusive or Exclusive
May 27, 2010 Category: Chaplaincy, Digital Missions, Family Mission 4 Comments 
For more than a decade now I have had the opportunity to observe and be a participant in the house church movement in Canada. 
It has been quite a learning process and an adventure. There have been times when I have considered how much easier it would be to find a back seat in some church building each Sunday morning. However, God has not let go of me yet and continues to instill me with a passion and vision for His church. Therefore, I am beginning a series of posts that will deal specifically with some of my thoughts and opinions regarding house (organic) churches in Canada.
This first post deals specifically with one type of old baggage that I see is being brought back into the house churches. It seems to me there is a growing trend of offering training or equipping that only allows full time ministers to attend. This concern is nothing new within the context of traditional churches. For decades many training events would be held at such a time or in such a place that only those who were full time ministers or those whose work schedule would permit would be able to attend. However, this issue is being transfered into many of the training or equipping opportunities that are meant to be available to as many as possible of those involved in grassroots house church.
I believe this stems from a growing influx of individuals who see house (organic) church as just another means of planting churches. Organic churches are based on relationships not programs. As people our tendancy is to slide back to what we know. Some of the old baggage we carried in the traditional church is being unpacked a bit at a time. This, I believe, is one of the issues that blocks many of our house churches from being dynamic and reproducible.
There are a number of solutions to this issue that ought to be considered. The Internet is becoming a vehicle to connecting people together for equipping and networking. There are ways of scheduling in-person meetings that would allow more people to be involved (specifically those working secular jobs). Equipping events can be adapted to smaller venues to allow for more participation. There is an opportunity to learn from our past mistakes and move forward to the benefit of all God’s people.
Rob Ross is a coordinator for Oikos Ministries (a network of organic churches). He is a disciple of Jesus (Making Disciples) who lives in Calgary, AB with his family. Connect with Rob on Facebook or Twitter.
Rob is a disciple of Jesus. He serves as a facilitator for Oikos Ministries. He enjoys being a husband, father, friend, online missionary, writer, storyteller, and chaplain. He lives in Calgary, AB with his family. Facebook pages: Oikos Canada and Making Disciples
God bless you in your endeavors, Rob. Exodus provides a good example of those who bring the "baggage" of their past experience with them. For generations most of us were those who simply sat and received on Sundays. Whatever "service" went on in the church was usually to enable the leaders to do their thing. So any house church movement has quite a task ahead! I trust God will give you supernatural insight into your task.
Thanks for the encouraging words Ray.
Just came across your Blog as part of HigherCallings. I am currently part of a church here in the USA that sold it's building and radically cut back on events. I never thought, however, how we tend to offer a lot of our training only when professional clergy or people with flexible work schedules can make it. Thanks. (I have known a few house churches locally. It seems though they usually break up over the lack of structure eventually…Hopefully, you are finding ways to prevent that and have proper church discipline in rare cases when needed.)
Thanks for your comment Doug. Over the last number of years I have been taking note of some of the things that tend to exclude people rather than include them.
Also, I have known many house churches that break up through lack of structure and other reasons. There is a lot of prayer and thought going into how best to nuture, connect and multiply healthy organic churches.