quote:Saddleback Church (Rick Warren, pastor) hired Curtis Sergeant, the Asia Coordinator for Church Planting with the International Mission Board to plant house churches in Southern California and in the New Orleans area following the hurricane. These house churches have no affiliation with Saddleback whatsoever, other than Curt’s salary is paid by Warren’s church. As of last September, they had started 1,500 house churches. Not bad for his first year.
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"No affiliation except paying the salary of their church planter."
Hey, that's pretty much of an affiliation in my view. Maybe a good one, maybe not... but I am interested. If you come around here, I would be interested in who is paying you to come and why you are not an unsalaried volunteer, etc.
Me, I always ask a lot of questions, don't I? Why not, I'm curious!
I wrote and inquired about the source of these awesome numbers of new house churches since I couldn't find anything related in the search engines. The writer replied that he had heard it at a conference last year.
Anyone here happen to be familiar with any of these 1,500 new house churches? What is the number up to now?
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D, Ricky understands well that HCs generally don’t exercise tithing so in order for his fellow Christian on a mission to live on bread, someone has to pick up the tab. Who’s more appropriate to do so than the sender? And at the same time teaching HCs to tithe by setting a good example? I wouldn't question the numbers given by the authority. They must have special task forces to do the statistics very much like they did on church growth as a result of the all conquering book. One good way to find out the current numbers is to enroll and hear it in one of the upcoming conferences. I'm considering to attend the local ones as I have been out of touch for so long. I missed them and the optimissim that always comes with. As the deer...
George Patterson met with a "successful" church planter, who was with a major denomination. He was supported full time by the denom.
The CPer was convinced that house church was "the way" and his denom was experimenting with it somewhat, so he contacted George to be shown more fully the way.
George equipped him to do planting in homes instead of facilities... and he began planting more churches than ever, among the very "unchurched" ... before long he had quit receiving a salary and gotten a "real job" in the marketplace, so that he could meet more people in whose homes he could plant churches.
When I see Jesus telling "sent ones" to accept hospitality, and Paul paying his own way, I don't really see a salary, but rather people who accept "bed and board" from others when they are away from home, working when they can, and accepting support not in the form of cash but in the form of support. "A laborer is worthy of his hire" then becomes making sure someone's basic needs are met while they are in town -- not people who are idle and living off the proceeds of other's work. Men who spend all their time talking and having coffee do not have the respect of the "men of peace" they are supposed to be reaching! A man needs a work identity as well as a kingdom identity. I think?
Anyone else have thoughts on that?
-------------------- You & Me and Jesus. We are enough!
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