Starting Organic Churches
()
About this ebook
Learning how you can gather together a group of Christians with the view in mind of starting an organic expression of the church. What we mean by "an organic expression" in a community of believers in Jesus Christ who are meeting informally in homes (and other places) with institutional rules and regulations. It also means that in such groups there is no hiearchial or institutional style of leadership. All of the believers function equally under the direction and headship of Jesus Christ!
Milt Rodriguez
Milt and his wife Mary have been writing, speaking, and planting organic New Testament style house churches for over thirty years. Glean from their experience and learn how you can start a new group with their help!
Related to Starting Organic Churches
Related ebooks
Finding Organic Church: A Comprehensive Guide to Starting and Sustaining Authentic Christian Communities Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Believe in the Holy Spirit: Biblical Teaching for the Church Today Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChrist Alone: Five Challenges Every Group Will Face Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReimagining Church: Pursuing the Dream of Organic Christianity Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The House Church Book: Rediscover the Dynamic, Organic, Relational, Viral Community Jesus Started Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5ChurchLeaders Pastoral Pocket Guides: Faith & Baptism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings58 to 0: How Christ Leads Through the One Anothers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife Between the Bookends: Is the Lord's Passion Our Passion Too? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCulture Shift: Communicating God's Truth to Our Changing World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jesus Is Family: His Life Together Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Community Life of God: Seeing the Godhead As the Model for All Relationships Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStarting a House Church Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Be Called Leaders Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5ReGrace: What the Shocking Beliefs of the Great Christians Can Teach Us Today Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lama Sabachthani: Is God Really Omniscient? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHouse of Lies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pastor Has No Clothes: Moving from Clergy-Centered Church to Christ Centered Ekklesia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSoul Whisperer: Why the Church Must Change the Way It Views Evangelism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Breakfast on the Beach: The Development of Simon Peter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Reconstructing the Rubble: Rebuilding Your Faith Even When You're Unsure How It Fell Apart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeing Missional, Becoming Missional: A Biblical-Theological Study of the Missional Conversion of the Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Frank Viola's The Untold Story of the New Testament Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChildren Are Gifts: A Parent’S Guide to Raising Gifted, Confident, Happy Children Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChurch 3.0: Upgrades for the Future of the Church Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5God Loves Your Work: Discover Why He Sends You to Do What You Do Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEndangered Gospel: How Fixing the World is Killing the Church Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Glocalization: How Followers of Jesus Engage a Flat World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Passion Play: Living the Story of Christ's Last Days Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJesus in 3D Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Equipping Church: Somewhere Between Fundamentalism and Fluff Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Christianity For You
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'll Start Again Monday: Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits with Lasting Spiritual Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries with Kids: How Healthy Choices Grow Healthy Children Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Law of Connection: Lesson 10 from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Stories We Tell: Every Piece of Your Story Matters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Less Fret, More Faith: An 11-Week Action Plan to Overcome Anxiety Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Your Brain's Not Broken: Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose. Rediscover Your Joy. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Starting Organic Churches
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Starting Organic Churches - Milt Rodriguez
Milt Rodriguez
Introduction
This book was written for the express purpose of helping you to start an organic group of believers. Here is a brief definition of what we feel is an organic church:
Briefly defined, an organic church is a group of believers in Jesus Christ who are learning to live by the indwelling Lord together. They have left behind the man-made religious system normally referred to as Christianity, along with all of the baggage
associated with that system. They have embraced Christ alone as their only Life, Center, and Head of the church. They are learning to function as the Body of Christ in order to express His fullness. They are learning to live together as His house and His family in face-to-face community.
The church of Jesus Christ is not just a happenstance meeting of a few believers who bump into one another at Starbucks one day! It is very intentionally purposed and ordained by God. It is a building that is being fitted or built together. That shows the intentional nature of the church! God very deliberately brings people together to build and fit His house. They are then being knitted together like a great tapestry to express the fullness of our glorious Christ!
For a more detailed description of this being knit together, see this book:
The Coat of Many Colors
If you need a fuller definition and description of organic church life then I recommend these websites:
http://www.OrganicChurch.org
http://www.HouseChurchResource.org
http://www.TheRebuilders.org
http://www.MiltRodriguez.com
My co-workers and I have been working in this field (outside the institutions) for decades. We have seen that this trend
is actually not a trend at all but a deep hunger and desire inside of God's people for the expression of His Life in and through His people. We have observed a lot. We have made many attempts at arriving at a solution that is not only more biblical but also nearer to the heart of Jesus Christ for His Body. Many of those attempts have failed. But, throughout the years I believe that we have learned some things. It has mostly been a case of trial and error but we have also been learning from those mistakes. We have also learned from the mistakes of others making similar attempts throughout history.
What I am saying is that we are definitely not experts in this field! Neither do we have the only way of doing things. However, my co-workers and I believe that we do have a contribution to make and by God's grace we are going to make it! There are many others who are making contributions in similar (but yet different) ways. Many of them are our friends and we are all attempting to learn from one another. No one individual (or group of individuals) have all the pieces to the puzzle. But, I firmly believe, together we can find the full mind of Christ.
So please understand that I offer this writing to you as one who has been around the block
so to speak. We have started many organic groups. We have also planted many organic churches. There is a big difference between starting and planting which I will explain to you in the upcoming pages of this book. What I am saying is that this information has come through much experience in the field and not just as an armchair observer! It has come through years of blood, sweat, and tears. And now I offer this information to you.
But that's not all I am offering! This book comes with a special offering of a much more personal nature.
I will give you this very special offering at the end of this book.
––––––––
But please don't skip ahead. You will get to it soon enough! (It