rethink & return

A two day workshop pursuing a biblical ecclesiology

  • Jesus said He would build His church. So He would give designs and plans for how to lead within His church.

    eDNA- “Ecclesiological DNA”, is present throughout Scripture. There are designs for the church that should cross all people, place, and time. These designs that supported the rapid multiplication of the gospel in Scripture, history, and around the globe, are seldom practiced, but still possible today.

  • Paul told Titus to “appoint Elders in every town as I directed you.” The Early Church did this so that each person in the church could be personally known and pastored. Yet, over time the church became increasingly centralized on clergy. It is time to rethink “pastoring” and return to distributing pastoral leadership like the Early Church did.

  • The Early Church gathered in their homes throughout the week as a spiritual family that included old and young, rich and poor, male and female, spiritually mature and new believers. Yet, most churches today only meet in homogenous groups of friends in the same lifestage. It is time to rethink community and return to the decentralized and diverse expression of community witnessed in the House Churches of the Early Church.

  • Space is not sacred, but sacred things happen in a space. Many churches operate with a ‘temple’ theology of their space, making church buildings the most costly yet underused buildings in existence. It is time to rethink space and begin using it 24/7 to impact the city and practice better financial stewardship.

    God’s people gather collectively to worship him in the Old Testament, New Testament, and in Heaven. Corporate gatherings are not bad, but too often modern church gatherings are overly costly and feel performance driven. It is time to rethink gatherings by returning to simple, biblical, and relevant gatherings that preach the Bible and exalt Jesus.

  • Many Western churches have become overly systematic and centralized in a way that has turned many off to anything that feels overly organizational. On the other hand, without any systems and structures, groups struggle to scale and sustain over the long haul.

    Learn the simple systems and structures we have used to sustain and scale over 13 years from 40 people to many thousands meeting in over 100 House Churches in multiple states and nations.

May 9-10, 2023 | 602 Pruitt Rd. The Woodlands, Tx 77380

Something is obviously wrong…

Are we leading the Church the way Jesus intended?

We read about the church in the Scriptures, and a deep desire to experience the church in this way. But, we feel a distance and dissonance from what they experienced. As pastors and leaders we know that we are called to something more, but aren’t operating in the fullness of that calling.

  1. Pastors are leaving the ministry faster than ever.

  2. People are growing more unaffiliated with the church.

  3. The overwhelming majority of churches in America are not making disciples, not reaching the lost, and not planting other churches.

  4. The most resourced church in the history of the world has declined in generations of Christ followers.

It’s time to get back to God's original designs for pastoring his church.

Let's begin by rethinking and returning.

Join us for a two-day workshop learning a biblically articulated and applied ecclesiology happening in churches at a growing rate. Together we are walking out leading in Jesus’ plans for His church, and encouraging each other along the way.

  • Great details handouts, very practical transition timeline... address both church plants and churches wanting to transition from a tradition model. Everything was biblically based and supported.

    Lance Tweedie | Celebration Church | Brantford, Ontario

  • Definitions and clarity of the theology and ecclesiology and how that translates to effective systems that fulfill the biblical expression of church.

    David Saldivar | For All Nations | Katy, Tx

  • It was great meeting others who are sensing God's calling to do something similar in their churches and cities.

    Jennifer Barnard | River Valley Church | Conway, Arkansas

  • The nuts and bolts were interesting but you guys use a simple, common sense approach.

    Ron Crawford | The House Church Tomball, Tx

  • It was practical and time wasn't wasted. The booklet was very helpful. The combo of ecclesiological explanations and language, along with the practical systems and structures were great.

    Drew Mills | Sale Street Baptist Church

  • The community of others looking to shift to the HCN system is also helpful in feeling momentum. Wouldn’t get this in just online training.

    Andrew Blaylock | Life Church HTX

FAQs

  • Conference registration is $100 per person. Registration includes snacks, drinks, lunch on the second day, a Church Project book, conference manual, and conference merch.

  • We encourage churches and networks to bring as many key leaders as they can. This creates more unity and buy-in for the collective group rather than one person attending and reporting back. Ample time will be provided during each session for teams to debrief how the principles and lessons apply in their local context.

  • Every session of the workshop will has dedicated time for Q&A.

  • Yes. The workshop will include a diverse gathering of pastors and leaders from a myriad of denominations, geographical locations, and church sizes.

  • Both. The ecclesioliogy is discussed together followed by breakouts for various church sizes. Additionally, a recommended transition timeline for existing churches is provided as well as coaching for church plants.