Multiplication

Multiplication? You mean 3X4=12? (Do kids learn the multiplication tables anymore?) No, I refer to multiplication in the Kingdom of God. In the past twelve years of working with house based churches in New England, I haven't seen  a single healthy multiplication, in which a viable home church grew to the point where it gave birth to another home church and both thrived afterwards. Yet it seems that this must have happened in the New Testament era. Historically we know that from the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 70AD that the Christians worshipped in homes for at least two hundred years, and that a group which numbered 120 persons in the upper room (Acts 1:15) grew to many thousands in the days following, and eventually spread throughout the Roman Empire. Yet we have no Biblical information on the process. We see plurality of eldership mentioned at least eighteen times in the NT including Acts 14:23, and Titus 1:5. (In contrast the word "pastor" is used only once in Ephesians 4:11, and is probably an itinerant ministry like the others in that verse.) We also see three clear examples of consensus in Acts 1,6,& even 15. (Note the approval of the whole church in verse 22) We also see the authority of the church in Matthew 18:15ff where no mention is made of pastors, elders or leaders. Thus a case can be made for elder guided consensus in church direction including multiplication.
     God has blessed us in our group to come a point of growth where we need to pray, contemplate and counsel together about whether to do as so many have done before- to take the easy route of becoming a building oriented church, or to experiment with multiplying into two, with the hope that this is not the last multiplication but the first. Jesus told us to make disciples and disciples will be required to multiply successfully. Only whole hearted followers of Christ who have truly put Him first, who are willing to love and forgive one another and depend on Jesus can make this happen.