Teachings
Posts linking to teachings from the simple church alliance or other encouraging sources.
A Simple Church Gathering Format
If there is one thing I am not a fan of, it is trying to come up with a formula for “church.” Simple Church at its core is about following Jesus and allowing him to lead us as individuals and as a local church. There is great opportunity to experience Christ this way in the context of simple church. When you are simple in form and not tied to meeting times and agendas, you can experience a lot of freedom in what you do when you get together for “church.” That being said, I think that it could be a mistake for leaders to not have a loosely held plan to help those in your simple church community focus on Christ and do the things that we see...
Read MoreKeep It Simple Podcast Relaunch!
For over two years now, Tom Lecompte and I have co-hosted the simple church podcast “Keep it Simple.” Tom, from New Covenant Fellowship (a house church network in Louisville, KY) and I originally started the podcast because we thought it would be a good opportunity to connect and discuss simple/house/organic church issues we were wrestling with. Two years into it, we are still going and now we want to “relaunch” the podcast with a specific focus on helping others understand and carry out simple church principles with the hope of seeing new simple churches started. If we only had 6 or 7 podcasts to help you get started with simple...
Read MoreA Good Video Explaining Simple Church
There are a lot videos floating around that aid in explaining simple church and house church ideas. We’ve gathered several here on this website. This particular video pulls from a few of my favorites. I also like the presenters thought about how simple churches can multiply… be in two simple churches at the same time! I’m interested in your thoughts on this idea. In some ways I think that the first “community” someone would be involved in could be something like a “Life Transformation Group” or a smaller disciple-making relationship of two or three. Nonetheless, I think he does a good job of explaining visually the hope of...
Read MoreMessage of the Month – A Simple Church On Every Street
Starting this month, I will highlight a message that I feel is important for believers to consider, especially those of us seeking to walk with Jesus outside the traditional, organizational structures. It’s always been a challenge for me to break-away from the school year calendar. August continues to feel like the start of a new year for me. Perhaps that is one of the reasons I am thinking a lot these days about refocusing on the vision God has for me, my family, and for the Simple Church Alliance. For my first “message of the month,” I would like to share a message I gave a while back to a traditional church congregation highlighting the vision...
Read MoreA Video Message From Gavin – The Simple Church Vision
Below Gavin Duerson shares the vision of the Simple Church Alliance and challenges simple church leaders to consider how specifically God is asking them to live out the Great Commission. We would love to hear from you about how you are led to answer the questions Gavin asks in the video! Please email us at simplechurchalliance@gmail.com
Read MoreThe Telephone Game and the Reliability of the Gospels
Are we crazy for believing the stories in the Bible? Are we to be pitied more than all men (as the Bible itself suggests we are if the stories are not true)? Is it more reasonable to believe that, like in the telephone game, the story we have down on paper is nothing like what really happened in the beginning? In a recent conversation with a friend about the reliability of the Bible, the telephone game argument came up. I really appreciated the honesty of my friend in sharing his doubts. The truth is that he simply was articulating a doubt that I think haunts many believers. In the telephone game a person whispers a message to a friend, it’s passed around...
Read MoreExplain Simple Church In 2 Minutes On A Napkin
In our “Introduction” section we have included a few of our favorite videos that explain what simple church is, how it functions, and why we feel it’s important to encourage in the region. I recently added the video below to the list. Perhaps it can help you to better understand what simple church is all about and serve as a tool for you when sharing the idea with friends and family?
Read MoreThe Flipped Church – Insights From the Khan Academy
The Flipped Church – (insights from the Khan Academy) I have recently become intrigued with Khan Academy. For those who may not be familiar, the Khan Academy began when Salman Khan started long distance tutoring his niece in math by creating short YouTube videos on various math subjects. Fast forward several years and the Khan Academy has grown to include numerous subjects and is being used across the globe by everyone from adults wanting to brush up on their skills to children within the context of their public school classes. If you listen to Khan talk about education or perhaps read his book The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined, then you will hear about...
Read MoreWhy Start Simple Churches? (Video Part 3)
This is part three of Erik’s video series on simple church. Here he addresses the question, “Why start Simple Churches?” I appreciate the simplicity in which Erik explains “church” as a natural result of disciples making disciples–which God desire to do through every follower of his. It is simple and natural to see groups of disciples coming together to follow Jesus in community with each other.
Read MoreKeep It Simple Podcast Now Available!
Tom Lecompte and I have started a new free podcast. It is live now on iTunes at the links below. Our hope is that we can encourage those searching for life with Christ outside traditional church structures through this audio format. We are starting with some of the basic questions and sharing our stories about the journey God has us on. If you are an audio person, perhaps it will be a blessing to you as you work out what it means to follow Jesus and be apart of His family in our day. Please email us any feedback or questions you would like addressed. We will look to update the podcast ever couple of weeks. Tom Lecompte is a leader in the New Covenant House...
Read MoreKeep It Simple Podcast!
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