Category Archives: house church

Ekklesia plugs into the Scriptures and the Spirit’s current.

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Steve Simms

Welcome to ekklesia where: * You “behold the Lamb of God” working in and through ordinary people, (John 1:29); * “Christ in you” (everyday people) is “the hope of glory,” (Colossians 1:27); * Jesus’ sheep hear His voice in and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible quotations, Bible quotes, Bible verses, biblical Christianity, Biblical principles, house church, Music City, Nashville, Nashville church, Nashville churches, Nashville tourism, Nashville tourist attractions, Salvation Army, Salvation Army Nashville, simple church | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

30/11 (About 30 minutes in a secular used bookstore = 11 books about participatory church)

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Steve Simms

In September 2014, my wife and I stopped by The Book Cellar  in Crossville, Tennessee on our way to Gatlinburg.  Were were there about 30 minutes and I left with a stack of books. To my surprise, 11 of the … Continue reading →

Posted in bookstore, cell groups, Crossville, Darrell W. Robinson, Eddie Gibbs, Garrison Keillor, Gatlnburg, George Barna, Harold R. Eberle, house church, Jim Smoke, Joel Balin, Jr., Laney L. Johnson, living stones, Martin Luther King, Michael Gleason, new wineskins, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, quotation, Quotations, quote, Richard Halverson, Robert & Julia Banks, simple church, Tennessee, worship, worship leader, worship styles | 6 Comments

Democracy, Ekklesia, & Church (It’s Greek to most of us.)

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Steve Simms

An ekklesia was the governing body of an ancient Greek city-state and the world’s first expression of democracy.   It was made up of all of the adult, male citizens in a particular city-state and met 40 times per year to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, ancient Greece, ancient Greek wisdom, assembly, church history, church meetings, early Christians, early church, first church, fresh expressions, Greek, Greek city state, Greek New Testament, Greek philosophy, Greek word, house church, I will build my church, Matthew, Matthew 16, messy church, movement, Nashville, Nashville church, New Testament, New Testament quote, one anothers, organic church, Roman Empire, Rome, Salvation Army, simple church | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Should Church Meetings Be Choreographed?

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Steve Simms

We think of surrendering to the Holy Spirit as an individual thing, but perhaps it is also something that we need to do when we meet together as a church. Perhaps we need to yield our program and our agenda … Continue reading →

Posted in church leader, church leadership, church program, church programs, church roles, house church, how to do church, how to get involved in church, open church, order of worship, organic church, scholarship, simple church, worship, worship gathering, worship innovation, worship service, worship styles | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Right Way To Have Church

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Steve Simms

Is there only one, correct way of doing church?  Sometimes it seems so. For five hundred years there has basically been only one, right way of doing church. Regardless of denomination or doctrine, church has almost universally contained a central, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 1 Corinthians:14, Bible, biblical, Biblical concept, church history, communion, denominations, doctrine, doctrines, Fresh Expressions movement, homiletics, homily, house church, Lord's supper, Martyn Atkins, Methodism, Methodist church, open church, organic church, participation in church, participatory church, preacher, preaching, preaching the Word, Protestant, pulpit, pulpit ministry, sacrament, sacraments, sermon-hearing, sermons, the right way to do church, UK, ways of doing church, worship, worship gathering, worship service | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Did modern innovations in churches create worship wars?

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Steve Simms

Church innovation has become widespread & refreshing! Guess what is my favorite church innovation. Over the past generation or two, the way of having church in our society has changed a lot as we have seen new ideas creatively introduced … Continue reading →

Posted in Bob Rognlien, changes in worship, church meetings, church program, church seating, church services, church speakers, competition, conflict, contemporary Christian music, contemporary church, contemporary society, controversy, debate, definition, experiential worship, house church, how to do church, hymn, hymns, innovation, lip syncing, open church, open sharing, organic church, participatory church, participatory culture, participatory sermons, pew, Power Point, powerpoint, quotation, Quotations, quote, raising hands, simple church, worship, worship dancing, worship drama, worship gathering, worship innovation, worship leader, YouTube | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Let Jesus Lead Us! (Quotes About The Need For Organic/Participatory Church)

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Steve Simms

“How can you have a dead service with a living Christ?” –Leonard Ravenhill “What did first-century believers do in their worship meetings? Paul gives a description in 1 Corinthians 14:26: ‘When you come together, each of you has a hymn, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, David Walters, experiencing God, experiential worship, experimental church, Garth Lean, house church, Korea, Liquid Church, living Christ, Mark Batterson, Michael Morrison, open church, open forum, open mic, open mike, open sharing, Oxford Group, participation, participation in church, participatory church, participatory culture, Pete Ward, quotation, Quotations, quote, Robin Parry, spiritual prompting, spiritual training, spirituality, Sun Chae Hwang, worship, worship gathering, worship service | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Broom Church or Single Straw Sermons

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Steve Simms

Which is more effective at releasing the Holy Spirit’s power and presence — broom church or single straw sermons? All our focus on one straw can’t sweep a floor clean; but many straws, led together as a broom, can transform … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, church format, church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, church structure, house church, multi-voiced church, open church, open forum, open mic, open mike, open sharing, order of worship, organic church, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, simple church, sweeping, worship, worship center, worship gathering, worship service | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

When you hear the word, but then don’t do it; you never know how tremendously powerful it is!

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Steve Simms

Perhaps a church meeting should be like a joyful song, with many notes sounding out together. I dream of churches letting all of God’s people openly share the notes that He has put on their hearts! Since 1517 Protestant church … Continue reading →

Posted in house church, how to do church, how to get involved in church, James 1:22, not doers only, open church, order of worship, organic church, participation in church, participatory church, quotation, Quotations, quote, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvation Army Nashville, what to do in Nashville, why go to church, worship center, worship gathering | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Should Happen In Church?

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Steve Simms

What happens when Christ-followers meet together? Christ-followers are supposed to regularly meet together (see Hebrews 10:14), but what are they supposed to do when they meet? Many centuries of tradition say that they are suppose to passively sit back and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, forsake not the assembly, hearing God, hearing Jesus, hearing the Holy Spirit, house church, Matthew 18:20, Romans 8:14, simple church, Uncategorized, where two or three in My name | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments