Just a Few Random Thoughts
The stir of the day is George Barna's Revolution. Though as of this posting the book hasn't been released yet, those who attended the National House Church Conference in Denver were offered advance copies. The book is going to stir it up good.
Barna addresses the established church in North America, but because he has been careful to maintain his objectivity (or at least maintain a good facade) the Mainline church has typically been able to "hear" him as well. That may all come to an end with this book. In Revolution Barna explores the mass exodus from the local church...but not the exodus of Christian slackers, but of sold-out-to-Jesus Christians. It used to be 94 percent or so of "evangelicals" were involved in a local church (Barna essentially defines an evangelical as someone who is practicing the faith). As of 2004 that number had dropped to 75 percent, and in the words of Barna spokesman Thom Black, "We're in a nose dive." Barna predicts that by 2020 or so only 30 percent of evangelicals will be involved in a local church.
Where are they (we - I have counted myself in this crowd for several years) all going? According to Barna, they're getting involved in house churches, marketplace ministries, parachurch organizations, family church, and other not-in-church activities.
The key to the revolution is us - you and me - the individual believer who takes personal responsibility for every aspect of their faith, i.e., for everything that the church exists for. Worship, discipleship, fellowship, evangelism, and serving one-another. Of course, we don't do it a vacuum. We associate with other revolutionaries who take their faith as seriously as we do.
Which, is the point of the HCNA and this website. Whether you're a part of a house church, thinking about it, or a part of some other revolutionary ministry, we hope you find something here helpful. If so, let us know what worked for you. If there's something missing that you'd like to see, let us know about that too!
Barna addresses the established church in North America, but because he has been careful to maintain his objectivity (or at least maintain a good facade) the Mainline church has typically been able to "hear" him as well. That may all come to an end with this book. In Revolution Barna explores the mass exodus from the local church...but not the exodus of Christian slackers, but of sold-out-to-Jesus Christians. It used to be 94 percent or so of "evangelicals" were involved in a local church (Barna essentially defines an evangelical as someone who is practicing the faith). As of 2004 that number had dropped to 75 percent, and in the words of Barna spokesman Thom Black, "We're in a nose dive." Barna predicts that by 2020 or so only 30 percent of evangelicals will be involved in a local church.
Where are they (we - I have counted myself in this crowd for several years) all going? According to Barna, they're getting involved in house churches, marketplace ministries, parachurch organizations, family church, and other not-in-church activities.
The key to the revolution is us - you and me - the individual believer who takes personal responsibility for every aspect of their faith, i.e., for everything that the church exists for. Worship, discipleship, fellowship, evangelism, and serving one-another. Of course, we don't do it a vacuum. We associate with other revolutionaries who take their faith as seriously as we do.
Which, is the point of the HCNA and this website. Whether you're a part of a house church, thinking about it, or a part of some other revolutionary ministry, we hope you find something here helpful. If so, let us know what worked for you. If there's something missing that you'd like to see, let us know about that too!
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