Customer Reviews

The House Church Book: Rediscover the Dynamic, Organic, Relational, Viral Community Jesus Started

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased this book because I had already been interested in reading the author's Houses that Change the World. So when Barna came out with "The House Church Book," I bought that one instead, since the description reads, "Houses that Change the World (originally published in the UK) is... Now revised as The House Church Book." After I finished reading The House Church Book, I came to the "Recommended Reading" page, only to find listed, "Houses That Change the World -- If you wish to study the subject of house churches further, Houses That Change the World is the 'big brother' of the book you have just read."

I am now reading through Houses That Change the World, and what it appears Barna has done with The House Church Book is to simply make an abridged version of Houses That Change the World, polish the editing, and update some of the facts, figures and "dated" comments. In essence, The House Church Book is just a "leaner" version of Houses That Change the World. I think it is misleading to call it a revision. The content of the new book is virtually identical to that of the former, it just contains less of it. One might argue that Barna edited out some of the "unnecessary bulk," and it would certainly be a less threatening book for someone who is just getting their feet wet with the idea of house churches (it's under 175 pages, versus over 300 for the previous book), but, personally, I prefer the former book, so far (despite the occasional grammatical and editorial issues).

I would recommend this book if you wanted to give it to someone else to introduce them to the topic of house churches, or if you want the most up-to-date facts and figures (though there are not enough of them, in my opinion, to make this a determining facor). Otherwise, I would go with Houses that Change the World for Mr. Simpson's full picture of house church (and to save a few dollars).

"...instead of getting people to the church it gets the church to the people," so says Wolfgang Simson. The `it' is a house church.

Born out of a multi-faceted view, that the there is too much "copyism" in the Christian faith today that leads to discouragement among church leaders, lay and clergy, when a `successful' ministry model does not take root; that the institutional needs of the larger congregation cause a siphoning off of a person's faith and joy in Christ; and that while there has been reformations of faith throughout history there has not been a suitable `structural' transformation, Simson argues that a simplification is needed and that simplification is the house church.

Written in an engaging and impassioned style, Simson argues from the point of history and modern cultural that for the Church to truly grow and be all that God has called it to be, it must grow "flatter" and "sideways."

Anticipating questions regard the issues of male and female leadership, Simson affirms the need for both and often uses the analogy of family to emphasize the point. The book also contains several practical outlines as to how house churches can and do function.

While respectful of the cell church and the traditional church, Simson passionately argues for the house church model that is less dependent on a single leader and less wieldy to adapt and multiply. But his vision is very challenging especially as it depicts a church that basically returns to a counter-culture perspective in which smaller is healthier and challenges the individualistic culture that has engulfed western society. (Tyndale)

A book worth reading and `chewing' on.

Being a recent seminary graduate I had my bias going in reading this book. I am glad I was wrong. The author really does a great job explaining what House Church is all about. It is more than just for missionaries on the other side of the world. Here in America is a growing need a hunger for God that today's modern church has forgotten about. This book surprised me and opened my eyes to the real growing needs of ministry. I did not agree with the author's views at first. I am glad I kept on reading and you will too.

First, I must say that I have been involved in the house church movement for about 10 years. That said, I wanted to like this book, and found that I could not. Like too many others who claim to know how the NT church operated, Simson is presenting his opinions as facts. He appears to believe that his own pre-conceived notions trump any other considerations. A good place to notice this is in his insistence that the NT church was not allowed to go beyond 20 members. If it got to that level, Simson insists that the church was required to break into 2 separate churches. This directly contradicts not only some other notable scholarship, such as Dr. Banks (Paul's Idea of Community) and that of Roger Gehring (House Church and Mission, probably the best book available on the NT house church). It also contradicts evidence found directly in the NT, such as the size of the gathering at the house of Mary in Acts 12, which is described as ikanoi, or Greek for a large amount, certainly not a good word usage for a house that was quite large and of wealth (Gehrig). The other problem with this understanding is the concept of the time of the household. It would have been inconceivable for a household, which incorporated not only the immediate family, but also expended family, those who were tied through commerce to the patriarch, as well as servants and even certain neighbors. A good example of this would have been the Philippian jailer, who's household came to the Lord through Paul's ministry. Surely there would have been more than 20 in this household according to definition, and by both custom and culture it would have been like a divorce to split this group up.

Another problem with Simson's treatment of the NT house church is his take on what is known as the 5-fold ministry. By taking 3 scriptures which mention the 5 gifts of apostle, teacher, pastor, prophet, and evangelist, he has woven a tale of how these operated within the house church setting. His main thrust seems to be looking at the ministry of Paul and assuming that all apostles were like him. He further takes these gifts and weaves these into a narrative that has little or no basis in NT scholarship ( see Banks book, Gehring, as well as Meeks, The First Urban Christian. What seems good is in fact Simson's fanciful take on how the church operated.

As a house church practitioner, I was equally dismissive of Simson's multiplication theory. Unfortunately, most house church proponents, including Frank Viola, remind of that it is incredibly rare to find a house church that has existed for more than 4 years. My own research and experience has found this to be all too true. While there are a number of good reasons for this, Simson does not address this issue, but instead gives us a sweeping narrative on how, within a few decades, the house church will reach the planet for Christ.

I wish i could go on, however, I prefer to express the positive contributions of a book. Unfortunately, I could not find any. Simson simply lets us down with his fanciful rendering of what the original church was like, and how we need to get back to that fanciful state. As a house church member, I can only shake my head, and wait for a better treatise on this wonderful subject. In fact, there are many out there that are far more accurate and helpful.

Another book finished on one of my numerous plane rides this past month was The House Church Book by Walfgang Simson. It originally attracted me as I saw it somewhere billed as a "how-to" followup to Houses That Change the World. And a "how-to" manual it did honestly feel like -- one that was both enjoyable and easy to read.

The book itself opens with "15 Theses Toward a Re-Incarnational Church" which then set the stage for the rest of the book. These theses were good reminders (things like, "Christianity is a way of life, not a series of religious meetings", and "Stop bringing people to church and start bringing the church to the people") and lead well into the rest. I felt like Simson did a good job of fleshing all of these out through the remainder of the book.

As one who actively participates in a house church network (and is in the process of moving across the sea to do it full time), I found this to be quite a helpful read. There was lots of food for thought. It also speaks to the value of the book that my wife was able to pick it up and find it easy to read and enjoyable as she normally is bored to tears with the books I read. I give this 5 out of 5 stars and would encourage any one participating in (or just interested in what the fuss is about) house churches to check it out. And I plan on interacting more with specific segments over the coming weeks.

I've read most of the house church authors and this is the best. It dispassionately lays out all the reasons why modern american Christianity could benefit from the house church without too much animosity for institutional church or lofty intellectual arguments like Frank Viola's books tend to contain. It's also more readable and consise than some of the "organic church" books out there, which tend to be in love with their nifty buzzword more than the cross of calvary.

An excellent first book on the Simple/Organic/House Church. I highly recommend this book as a 'must have' for any house church library. 'The House Church Book' is a quick, easily understandable synopsis of this rapidly growing Christian reformation. Wolfgang's 15 Theses at the beginning of the book are worth the purchase price alone. As a practicing House Church member I can personally vouch for its content. His description of 'The Apostolic Migration of Christianity' was mind blowing in its accuracy to my own personal experience.

While truly significant as a stand alone book on this topic, it is just a part of the excellent authorship available from people on the front lines of this Christian Revolution. I also recommend you read Frank Viola, Neil Cole, Jon Zens, and Tony & Felicity Dale. Below is a string of links to books by these authors.

May God speed you and bless you on your search for His Truth and what it means to "BE" the body of Christ.

Other Suggested Reading

Revolution

Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices

Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens

The Rabbit and the Elephant: Why Small Is the New Big for Today's Church

Reimagining Church: Pursuing the Dream of Organic Christianity

A Church Building Every 1/2 Mile: What Makes American Christianity Tick?

House churches are small groups of believers who meet in homes, coffee shops and more - and these groups are becoming more common. This book discusses their nature, how a house church can be formed, and steps for reaching into the community. Common pitfalls as well as success stories make for very practical survey recommended for any spirituality library and any general lending collection where community churches are strong.

This is, regardless of your view on institutional churches, an essential tool of taking the Gospel to the lost. Simson makes the point that so often people seek to bring others to the church, not forget to take the church to the house. While the author makes valid points, his sketch of history of the Western Church, and his silence on the East might leave some tuning him out. He makes his point from Scripture with a small number of passages, glossing over what should have been his foundation. Further, his 'five-fold' ministry, while not un-scriptural, is not supported by the Scripture (I think here of his separation of pastor and teacher into two positions). These are his weakest points.

He writes in a conversational style which moves the book along with an easy flow. He takes the position, perhaps subconsciously, of an evangelical prophet who sees great wrong in the institutional church, and attempts to show a strategy around the barriers that the four walls of a traditional Sunday morning meeting house has given Christianity. In doing so, he makes valid points that it is often times a difficult stretch to get people of other faiths to come to a church house, but more often than not, people are more willing to gather around a dinner table. He charts a visionary journey and pattern of how a house church should develop, exploring the differences between his system and the congregational/denominational church, the differences between the house church and the cell church system that has become widely popular. These are his most powerful points, in that he has a drive to see Christ brought to the masses.

I believe that this book is suitable for those in the mission field, perhaps even areas of persecution against Christians. Further, even in the West, which has become inoculated against real Christianity, people can gain a lot from this book, but they must read it for what it is - a good suggestion from a person who is eager to do Christian work. There are inherent dangers in breaking down the structure of the modern church, but there too are great benefits in a change of operation.

Wolfgang Simson's new book The House Church Book is well worth reading. Simson focuses on the basics of house church ecclesiology and missiology. Those who are not experienced at house church and house church planting should read this book. Doing so will help them avoid many potential pitfalls, frustrations and rabbit trails as they enter into the learning curve of a new way of doing church and being part of the expanding Kingdom. Simson develops a number of excellent concepts. He also clearly summarizes the difference between house churches and cell churches and why house churches are more helpful in the expansion of the Kingdom.

People who would benefit from this book:

* New practitioners of house church

* House church planters

* People interested in house church

* People longing for a deeper community

* Those who want to see the Kingdom expand

* Those who want to understand the basics of house church

* Those who want to understand the difference between house church and traditional church