Frequently Asked Questions

What is Simple Church?

Simple Church is a global community of house churches that exist to reach Truth-seekers with the Everlasting Gospel.
 
What are Truth-seekers? They are secular or unchurched people who are far from Jesus. They are simply done with “church”—yet hungry for God. They are Truth-seeking.
 
Research has discovered that 60% of your friends and neighbors will not walk into any conventional church.
 
The urgent question is, “How can we take Truth to the 60% who live next door to you?”
 
To add to the seriousness of this massive cultural shift, research has also discovered that in the last 10 years, over 104 million “doers” have left their local churches.
 
What is a “doer”? “Doers” are people who want to reach their community. “Doers” accept church offices and positions such as elder, deacon, personal ministries director, church treasurer, children’s teacher, etc. “Doers” preach and give Bible studies. And “doers” pour their time and energy into their local church—with the hope of creating a place they can invite their friends and neighbors to.
 
The church members may be hard-working, loving, and sincere. But they are up against a drastic change in our culture.
The question remains, What about the 60%!?
 
Simple Church has found a very effective way to reach them.
 
How do we know it is effective? Over the past 12 years, 51% of the attendance in Simple Churches on Sabbaths have been secular and/or unchurched people. Last year, that percentage increased to 57%.
 
Simple Churches provide the best opportunity for the greatest number of people to actually hear and accept God’s end-time invitation.
 
As modern missionaries, we take God’s Word, God’s Spirit, and God’s mission seriously. We may not leave our country, but we leave our churched comfort zones and change our methods to reach people with God’s end-time message.
 
Time is short. Please prayerfully consider starting a Simple Church.

Can I start a Simple Church and still attend my regular church?

Simple Church shifts your priorities to relationships with secular or unchurched people. And these relationships take time—lots of time!

Foundational to missionary work is that missionaries “go,” leaving their comfort zones for the specific purpose of reaching unreached people.

It used to be that a missionary would “go” overseas, learn a new language, eat new food, wear different clothes, and immerse themselves in a new culture. Everything around them constantly reminded them, “I am a missionary.” It was physically impossible for the missionary to keep one foot involved in their regular/conventional church and put the other foot in the mission field. They had to choose between the two. This was a blessing in disguise.

For Simple Church missionaries, it can be tempting to try to stay involved with one’s existing church and “add” simple church missionary work. However, this complicates life and ignores the priority of becoming a front-line missionary, and the priority of making more time to spend with unreached people.

This is why Simple Church is intentional about simplifying the “religious rat race” so that missionaries have more time (not less) to spend with secular and unchurched people.

This is still a mission trip—you just don’t have to leave your neighborhood!

Are there "wrong" reasons for wanting to plant a church?

Yes !!

What is the common denominator in the following sentences?

  • I don’t like our pastor.
  • I don’t like the music in our church.
  • I’m having some theological questions and want to try out my own methods.
  • I don’t like traveling so far to church.
  • I don’t want to be accountable.
  • I want to keep my tithe and offerings; I need them for my own expenses.
  • I just want to worship God.

While some of these reasons don’t sound particularly bad, overall they represent a self-centered religious consumerism.

Good reasons to plant a Simple Church? To reach the unreached people with the Everlasting Gospel. Simple Church is front-line missionary work, not an “escape” from your current church situation.

What is a CORE4 planting team?

Each Simple Church begins with 4 adults which often consist of 2 missionary minded families.  But the CORE4 team can be a mix of single and married adults.

(2) Co-leaders provide spiritual leadership and general oversight, for both adults and children.

(1) Host Coordinator arranges logistics: house location, food/meals, and creates an all around warm and friendly atmosphere.

(1) Details Coordinator serves as assistant treasurer, clerk, and takes care of secretarial items. This person also works with the Simple Church treasurer that serves your country.

Learn more and start the new online video training

What if I'm having trouble finding a CORE4 Missionary Team?

You can still move forward. In Matthew 10, Jesus send out His missionaries in teams of two (a “CORE2” missionary team). There are some situations where it is impossible to find a CORE4 team. In these cases a CORE2 or a CORE3 are able to start a new simple church. Two is the minimum.

Keep in mind there are advantages and disadvantages to starting with a CORE2 or CORE3 team. The big advantage is you can still move forward and will grow your CORE4 team out of the harvest. This is what overseas missionaries have done for years. With God’s help, all things are possible.

The primary disadvantage is the loneliness CORE2 and CORE3 teams can often experience in their missionary work. It is advised that CORE2-3 teams spend extra time in prayer.

Is Cell Church and small groups different than a house church?

Yes. Cell Church and small groups still follows the basic Constantine format: weekend celebration worship services which usually take place in a public setting plus a pastor/staff who plans and coordinates the worship service. The cell groups meet during the week as do most small groups.

Additionally, the purpose of the cell group or small group is to serve the goals and growth of the larger church.

How big did a New Testament house church get?

On average, 10-35 people. But Simple Churhces begin with 2-4 people, what we call the CORE4 team.

Is Simple Church a new idea?

House churches were the norm in the New Testament, as believers shared the Gospel of Christ in a secular culture similar to what is now seen in North America. We have come full circle. Today we again live in a secular western culture. House church may be new to us, but it is a very old “new” idea.

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