Houses That Change the World: The Return of the House Churches [Paperback]

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.

Wolfgang Simson gives readers a vision of how house churches can be planted, and how these home meetings are a good tool for evangelism. The book describes practical ways in which believers can build one another up in the Lord. His explanation of house churches in church history was very interesting. The book was an exciting read for me.

I got the impression that Wolfgang Simson's view of church government was a bit more like a cell church system put into house church packaging. For example, he presented the idea that a 'pastor' is responsible for many house churches--with the house churches having elders. Many house church advocates see the elevation the role of the one-man pastorate as not scriptural. Wolfgang's view of an apostle as someone who gives others a vision, etc. seems a bit atypical when compared to the views of many house church people in the US. Some see Acts 13 as a model for apostles--with apostles being sent out on evangelistic missions to plant churches. The views presented of five-fold ministries seem similar to institutional cell church views of these roles in the Charismatic movement. The book 'felt' a little like something coming from the Third Wave of Charismatic movement to me.

Another concern of mine is the brief re-hashing of the teaching that 'Nicolaitan' refers to clergy, which shows up in a quote from Watchman Nee. This idea is often repeated in house church circles in the US, but, imo, doesn't fit well with the text in Revelation.

I think Wolfgang's book can serve as a paradigm-shifting book which is especially suited for Charismatics who emphasize the role of five-fold ministry.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It's a good read for those who are interested in such things. I think this book is especially good for Christians who are planning on doing traditional church planting or missions, or a church leader or 'lay person' who wonders why they are unfufilled in a traditional church setting.