Published from Women2Women (www.house2house.tv)
This article, by Frank Viola, is the transcript of a spoken message the author delivered to a newly planted church in Santiago, Chile on December 31, 2001. Note: The Chilean culture tends to have a very low view of women. Read the rest of this entry »
Go to http://www.wsaresourcesite.org/Files/CPMs/CLS-CPM%20mss.doc for a good article on church planting.
A Book Review
Dan Trotter
I will get very quickly to the point and urge you to obtain this book. It’s very good, for reasons which shall appear. It is edited (and mostly written) by Steve Atkerson of New Testament Reformation Fellowship. This well-crafted volume has evolved since the time many moons ago when it first appeared as Toward A House Church Theology, and then was later released as Ekklesia: To the Roots of Biblical House Church Life. This latest version is the best yet. It still has plenty of theology in it, but it is also replete with lots of very practical advice for those who are interested in escaping modern church traditions and practicing the traditions of Jesus’ apostles. Read the rest of this entry »
From the Australian Prayer Network www.ausprayernet.org.au
CHINA: OLYMPIC GLARE EXPOSES RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ISSUES
When the International Olympic Committee in July 2001 awarded China the right to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, Chinese citizens were ecstatic. But what potentially could have been China’s proudest moment has turned into something of a public relations minefield as world media probe China’s human rights gains and abuses. Among key issues raised is religious freedom, with China watchers reporting ongoing restrictions on freedom of worship, particularly for unregistered church groups, arrests, detention in labour camps and confiscation of Christian literature. Read the rest of this entry »
I will be in Queensland from 18th June for about a calendar month. I will be attending the Microchurch Summit on the Sunshine Coast the first weekend, and after that I will be available, with Bruce & Rose Kerr (OIKOS Country Queensland), to visit home churches and people interested in home church, the rest of the time. We will not be limited to Sunshine Coast, but please let us know as soon as possible if you want us to visit.
1st - 5th September at Life Expedition, 488 Swanston Street, Melbourne. Web site up and running very soon for brochure and online booking.
The next edition of OIKOS Australia newsletter will be posted out within the next fortnight. We have Nathan Hobby’s latest article in the ‘Body Life’ series and Wolfgang Simson writes for OIKOS - AND LOTS MORE. We are about to upload a library for subscribers onto our web site.
If you aren’t already a subscriber - $30 per year - then why not pop over to the web site now and take advantage of the resources available?
From John White, Denver, Colorado -
I wanted to let you know that we are in the final stages of development of the website for LK10: A Community of Practice for Church Planters. We’ve learned a great deal in the last couple of months of work on the beta version of this site. We have a few more modifications to make so that navigation within the site will be as simple and clear as possible. Once we have finished those improvements, we will send out an invitation to all former DAWN Associates.
The purpose of LK10 continues to be that of creating an environment where simple church planters from around the world can connect with each other. Here are two terms that will help you understand what we are after.
Community of Practice. LK10 is built around seven foundational practices of simple church planters. In this community, everyone is both a teacher and a learner. (There are no experts here… everyone is an expert… everyone has a voice!) “We humans learn best when in relationship with others who share a common practice… This community becomes a rich marketplace where knowledge and experience are shared. It also becomes an incubator where new knowledge, skills, and competencies develop.” These quotes are from the attached paper by Margaret Wheatley.
Niche Social Network. LK10 uses a website as the starting place for the development of a worldwide community of church planters. “The power of niche social sites isn’t just in connecting people, it’s in providing tools that allow people to do something better than they could before.”
http://bokardo.com/archives/the-power-of-niche-social-network-sites/
More to come.
John White
Community Coach
LK10: A Community of Practice for Church Planters
One evening this week almost 40 people gathered in a Melbourne suburban home for coffee – and a chat with Sally and Floyd McClung. One participant said, “It was a powerful gathering!” – and I think I understood what was meant! It wasn’t primarily a reference to Sally or Floyd’s teaching – although their story was inspiring and they encouraged and blessed all gathered. But in that room were people who are planting house churches, factory churches, and skate-park churches. Some are planting a church among Afghans in Melbourne, others working in the growth corridors of the city, some working in country towns. There were youth there who are reaching children – and others building faith communities among young adults. Some came from planting churches in Buddhist and Muslim cultures. It was an unbelievable mix of people on fire for God and his kingdom. Read the rest of this entry »
A healthy house church can’t help but reach out to others…the book ‘Questioning Evangelism’by Randy Newman can help even with the shyest to naturally reach out to others…God speed in reaching out…Keith “