Houses That Change the World: The Return of the House Churches

Wolfgang Simson is to be commended for his excellent work on house churches in his book HOUSES THAT CHANGE THE WORLD. The book deals with nearly every facet of house churches. His chapters include: -The Reinvention of the Church -House Churches in History -The Nature of House Churches -The Fivefold Ministry -House Church or Cell Church? -Developing a Persecution-Proof Structure -No Progress Without Change -All Change is Practical And much more! The book is a complete resource for those looking for information on house churches without the radical feel or condemnation usually aimed at traditional churches from house church leaders. Simson writes with grace, clear exegesis of Scripture, and a heart to touch the nations with the gospel.

I don't often recommend books so highly, but I read this through once and then immediately turned back to the beginning and read it again. And again. I kept waiting to find the fly in the ointment (a few typos was the best I could manage), but this is simply one of the best books written on the subject of the house church. Thankfully, the author repeatedly states, "I'm not here to provide a model for the house church. That's not the point of this book. I simply want to present the theology and value of the house church as a model for true community." My own admitted bias is strongly against "church as usual," so Simpson's book is of particular significance for me. He goes through some lengths to not judge the church structure, per se, but is firm in his evaluation of where such a structure has led us (and indeed the world) since the 3rd Century. Ministers and church leaders who are dyed-in-the-wool conservative in their respective dogmas and doctrines will condemn this work outright as a threat to the very church. They will be profoundly wrong in doing so. Simpson presents what many believe is the salvation and survival of the church. Perhaps this book resonates so strongly with me because I had just finished reading John Eldridge's "Waking the Dead." His chapter on his small group made me weep. That's what I'm looking for. That sense of vulnerability in a safe place, honest encouragement and support, and a place where my own gifts can be recognized, nurtured and called out. Simpson merely reaffirmed that desire in greater dimension and detail. If you are satisfied with church as usual and simply going through the motions of what looks like Christianity, if you value form over substance, if you value the image of community more than community itself, stay away from this book. Just go to church on Sunday and clutch your coffee and doughnut, do the grip-and-grin and convince yourself everything's just fine. But if you long for something more, something real, something lasting, read this book. Then go do what it says you can do.

Was very impressed with this book that both takes us back in time to the early church and forward to where the Holy Spirit seems to be leading the church in the 21st century. For many, this book will be a breath of fresh air that will strike a chord in many hearts. It's a cry to move back toward a Christian faith that centers on Christ and His followers and not programs and charismatic leaders. Well-written, insightful and provocative.

This is the most enlightening look at how we are to view church that I've read. For those of you who are sincere Christians but who have questioned the mode in which we typically worship on Sunday mornings these days, this book may help you understand why. Many of the questions and misgivings that I thought that only I was having in recent years about the way that we operate in the local church were mirrored in Wolfgang's book, offering hope that we can get back to a simpler, more meaningful mode of Christian living. As many churches have grown in size, the tendency of church leadership in recent years has been to implement organizational rules and structures made popular in the military or corporate arena, thus establishing better "control" over its members, but unfortunately stifling the work of the Spirit and the personal relationships that are intended to exist between believers in the local church. Wolfgang correctly identifies the root causes of these tendencies to make the church of today operate like a profit-driven business, and suggests not a quick fix that leaves the source of these problems in place, but rather a complete change in the way that we view the weekly gathering of Christians known as church.

I have several shelves of books on the subject of church and I would rate Wolfgang's book as the best. He combines solid biblical foundations, worldwide research, and practical application to paint a picture of the kind of church that many in the U.S. are hungering for.I've given out dozens of copies to people who are feeling that there should be something more to church without knowing what it is. I've also used the book to train leaders for house church planting (we've actually planted four so far in Denver).