Simple Church:

The Latest Application of “Emerging”


Coming to a home....restaurant....or pub near you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_church

…“Sociologically speaking, Simple Church could be seen as a subset of Emerging Church… a phenomenon rising from the conversation between Christianity and the culture and worldview of postmodernism Many in the emerging church movement would consider simple church to be represented in expressions such as house church and unique gatherings like Church in a Pub”…

Simple church is a controversial Evangelical Christian movement that seeks to redefine the nature and practice of church. The movement believes that church should be "a Christ-centered community established primarily on relationship both to God and to the other members of the group." In doing so it discards many aspects of conventional expressions of church, which is considered beneficial by some, and problematic by others. This gives those in the movement the opportunity to focus on what it considers to be the core practices of Christian spirituality.

Simple

A simple church may meet anywhere; with or without trained leaders, formal liturgy, programmes or structures. To facilitate relationship, discipleship (spiritual formation), multiplication, mobility, and member ownership, a simple church is usually a small group of no more than 20-25 persons. Church "programs" are virtually nonexistent and small group participation is essential. The process of moving from worship to small group, small group to mission work, and mission work to worship is a primary focus. Authors Tony and Felicity Dale, founders of House2House Ministries, have promoted the term "simple church" in their book "Simply Church" (ISBN 0-9718040-1-X).

 The term simple church is often used interchangeably with other terms like organic church, essential church, primitive church, bodylife, relational church, and micro-churchSome groups use other names for their groups, although they would consider themselves part of or related to the simple church phenomenon. A good example of this is Emerging Church Network's "authentic faith communities" or "emerging indigenous faith communities". Perhaps the most common synonym is house church, which has much more popular usage and predates the term simple church significantly.

Like the variations in 17th Century Swiss/German Mennonite immigrants to America, there are several branches based primarily, like the Mennonites, on who is speaking. Each speaker has developed his own following which, as successful, has grown and, as not, has died out. Each variation claims a greater truth and accuracy with the Biblical standard, in some cases resorting to name calling of other variational groups. The name simple church is defined by some as an opposite of institutional church. This definition looks at institutional church, makes changes, and names its variation based on the changes. The name simple church is defined by some as being based on the activities that they focus on, such as worship, group, mission, and back to worship, as in a cycle. The name simple church is defined by others as being based on where they meet. To illustrate, the scriptural admonition not to "forsake the assemble of yourselves…." can be translated differently leading to different results. For example, Biblical examples of an "assembly" could also be understood to be "hosting", as there were households that hosted visitors who gathered as followers of Jesus. This variation would require "hosting" as a social practice. The scripture would be better understood as not to "forsake the hosting of yourselves…." Hosting was illustrated by hosts who invited visitors to their house at which fellowship, meals, discussions, and "hanging out" occurred. No leadership mechanism, rites or rituals other than fellowship, meals, discussions, and hanging out are described. Hosting has the social effect of leveling the variations in social standing, spiritual development, and social standing. What a person was to be host varies from everyone being a host on a rotating basis (Amish for example meet every other week and rotate to a different member's home) on a rotating basis through the entire community (membership) list, to one or only a few people being hosts based on their social, economic, spiritual, or intellectual standing in their community. This pre-and post-modern variation of host variation holds that hosting develops maturity, decreases exploitation by power usurping leaders, and maximizes the development of "disciples" rather than "attendees". This variation is host dominated, visitor submissive. Defining "assembly" as a large group in a public place all facing a public speaker was the Apostle Paul's favorite style of social interaction. Those seeking to emulate Paul apply "assembly" in a way similar to "performances", so that the admonition encourages a few people to lead and a large people to follow the leader in the performance. The modern church's performance show oriented variation holds this view, as do simple churches who have leaders who want to follow this variation. This variation is leader dominated/follower submissive. The development of variations was facilitated by the various spokesmen promoting their preferred variation rather than an intellectual progression of thought from a group of intellectuals. As a result, there is no intellectually oriented definition but a social-structure oriented definition with variations based on leadership/followership models.

Origins and influences

Sociologically speaking, simple church could be seen as a subset of Emerging church (although many in the simple church movement would not see themselves as part of emerging church), a phenomenon rising from the conversation between Christianity and the culture and worldview of postmodernism. Many in the emerging church movement would consider simple church to be represented in expressions such as house church and unique gatherings like Church in a pub.  

The Ohio "Spin"
 http://www.simplechurchathome.com/PDF&PowerPoint/VisitorNovember2009.pdf