The Mission House

I am going to be Dalat International School’s  first teacher that teaches only online. I will be only ¾ time next year as I am now. I am additionally doing some consulting work with Sevenstar Academy that will (I hope) provide me with a stream of sustainable long term income.  We recently moved into a house so I can launch an “experiment in ministry”. I have wanted to do this even before I set foot on the island of Penang. That “experiment” is called “The Mission House.” I want to be able to, with God’s help, raise up a generation of simple organic house/campus church planters from HS students and the expat community.

I have for the past six years been studying and watching a new movement of God that is doing saturation church planting using house churches. YWAM is heavily involved in this type of ministry in many countries. The idea is for there to be a church in every neighborhood within walking distance.

The fastest growing bodies of churches that we would consider evangelical are in countries like China, Vietnam, and Thailand. In fact the Chinese Evangelical church is now the largest body of Evangelical Christians in the world. How did they do it? They did it by saturation church planting using house churches! It is so simple.

Over the summer I finally received confirmation from God that he has called me to take an “apostolic” role in development of high school students to become church planters on college campuses. It has taken me a while to get it straight in my head (slow learner). There is a strong movement on college/university campuses to plant campus or third place churches and 24/7 prayer rooms. I was taken aback this past fall by illness, loss of hearing and stress induced panic, but God is restoring my health! I believe it is because of my obedience to His call. I feel rejuvenated and restored. I am losing weight, exercising (not nearly enough) and reducing stressors in my life. My hearing aids have restored my confidence that God can still use an old coot like me. I feel like “Moses” compared to the students I will be working with but all God has asked me to be is an “Elder.”

How can high school students accept the challenge to plant campus churches when all they have experienced is the traditional institutionalized church? In addition they have never been presented the opportunity. They will need to be discipled and mentored to do this great task. They need to grasp the vision and understand the impact that organic church multiplication can have. They need to be retrained and in some cases “detoxified” from the effects of modern churches and feel the heart beat of the New Testament pattern of church planting established by our Lord and utilized by the Apostles.

It is my heart’s desire to see teams of student church planters invade the shores of the North America to plant simple campus churches in dorm rooms, Star Bucks, cafes, pubs! I dream of a network of hundreds if not thousands of simple relational house churches in North America. To me this is part of passing the baton onto the next generation only we cannot wait until they are college graduates. We need to send young men and women out like Paul sent out Timothy. Most of the disciples were older teens when Jesus chose them to be his disciples.

Please pray for me as I begin this new adventure here in Penang. My goal is to see “The Mission House” be the start of a network of house churches all over the world that will be led by students and expats who leave this island and return their home country or go to another country. I have set aside my doctoral studies for the time being because I feel so compelled to do this. There is nothing as important to me as this work. Nothing!

If you would like to receive e-mails/newsletters from The Mission House please send me an e-mail at the following address. Even if you have been on my previous e-mail lists you will need to subscribe again.

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I would also like to encourage you to visit our website at: www.themissionhouse.com.  You can also subscribe to our newsletter there. If you would like to be an actual part of this experiment let me know. I am praying for 12 students and for twelve adults to become part of this endeavor. “Family units” will be made up of the students and the adults who participate in this experiment of grand proportions. Jesus started with twelve. I shall not ask for more than twelve willing and eager students and twelve willing and eager adults. I know that is 24 people but then again I need more help.

Shalom,

Doug

This report is from Brooks and Roger Thoman who operate a ministry called Appleseed Ministries. They live in California when they aren’t globe trotting for Christ.  Their vision and the vision of The Mission House are in harmony. This is Appleseed Ministries Vision Statement:

We equip third-world church planters to multiply disciples and simple churches among the lost and broken.
We prepare these same leaders to empower the poor using strategic development projects.

I want to share with you an e-mail I received from the Thomans are their recent trip to Kenya. This was from this past Sunday. I want you particuarly to note the children praying for the missionary.

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Here I (Brooks Thoman)  sit in the middle of Africa…and in many ways it’s not that different than being in the middle of the U.S.  It’s Sunday morning and one by one some of the Believers from all over Kitale town come drifting into the church that meets at Dawson and Elizabeth’s house.  Roger (Thoman) is playing a keyboard propped up on a chair, Dawson is strumming his guitar, Jenny is rocking back and forth singing her heart out, Kenny ’s head is bobbing up and down as only a Black man can, as he keeps rhythm to the music, and David’s hands are beating on his legs as his feet pump up and down to the music.  The children with bright grins are excited as they see their friends come into the yard, then, they quickly scurry into the bedroom to find toys and games to play with.

As each one comes in, when they see my white face, some of them quite easily slip from Swahili into English, shake my hand and then kiss me on each cheek.  The women either sit down to worship or go into the kitchen area to help start preparing what will later be our lunch.  Each of the women is carefully dressed in a long skirt and suit top, and, of course, the very carefully plaited or wigged hair.  The men have suits, ties, or at a minimum long-sleeved shirts and dress pants and black shoes.  Thankfully, they are tolerant of Roger’s short-sleeved shirt, jeans and sneakers and my short (below knee) length skirt and wild, frizzy hair!

Definitely gets my vote for “Best Dressed”:

After awhile we are gathered as the circle is closed in and there are now about 35 to 40 of us adults, noticeably more men than women, sitting on chairs, or the floor, or standing in the dining area or living room, with some of the children hanging out with us, some for the whole time.  The music continues-sometimes in Swahili, sometimes in English-back and forth, depending on who happens to gently lead into the next song.  Then one of the men announces he has a word of encouragement from the Book of Colossians to share with us and so the morning goes.  And it’s good.  As it says in 1 Corinthians 14:26, we are all being built up as we sing, and are taught, and are strengthened by special revelations that God gives to each.  Small children encircle a few of the big, tall men–some of them missionaries into the Sudan, Uganda and other regions in Africa.  Then they begin to pray for them.  Then the sick are prayed for; we all share in the Lord’s supper; and then from the little they have, these people give their tithes to send one of their own to start a new church plant in a region on the coast of Kenya.

And, finally it’s lunch-time!  By now it’s 2:30 and the gals bring in the huge pots of ugali, broth with beef, and cabbage they’ve been cooking over the coals in the backyard most of the morning.  I think now there are about 25 kids as well as all of the adults and a few neighbors as well.  It has been a good day in Kenya.  I hope it has been a good day wherever you are as well.

The Mission House and Appleseed Ministries are looking at ways we can partner here in Malaysia. I am hoping to instill in the lives of students at Dalat the strategic and spiritual significance of simple relational churches.

Blessings, Doug

So what does this mean for the Church? I like to hear what you think?

politico.com – It is reported that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee warned supporters Tuesday that the $828 billion stimulus package is “anti-religious.” In an e-mail that was also posted on his blog ahead of the Senate’s passage, Huckabee wrote: “The dust is settling on the ‘bipartisan’ stimulus bill and one thing is clear: It is anti-religious.”  For more information read Huckabee: Stimulus is ‘anti-religious.’

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