D. Reinventing Ministry

"When NASA was planning a trip to the moon, it had to reinvent the whole idea of a spacecraft. The moon's gravity was a quarter that of earth and therefore everything weighed a lot less. Weight however was of great importance as it took three pounds of fuel to get one pound of spaceship on to the moon's surface. The skin of the craft was made of aluminum similar to kitchen foil and the pilot stood rather than sat on a seat to save weight. The spacecraft to take a human down to the moon surface and off again was a completely new invention and entirely different from those in the earth's atmosphere.

Different Vehicle for the Faith

The Household of Faith method of evangelism proposes a completely different vehicle for the Faith, though in another sense it is not new at all. The Early Church had nothing but homes to use for the first three centuries of its existence. They were however very successful in evangelizing their communities through ordinary houses. It was not at all like our church today. In those days, Christians gathered quietly in a respected Christian's home. They lived and worshiped and did their Christian ministry from Households rather than from our type of worship centers. For them, Christianity meant, not a weekly encounter with other Christians for two hours on Sunday mornings, but a close knit community who really cared for each other and shared their love of Jesus together. They prayed, worshiped, shared and supported one another because they loved the Messiah, Jesus. This created great problems for the secular authorities who tried to stop them.

Today as in the Early Church

Today's Church is in some senses in a similar situation to the Early Church. It lives in a secular society which often considers people and things as just tools for creating wealth. In our Twenty First Century church, much of our resources go into buildings and maintenance of the institution. Instead of centers for outreach, our church buildings have often become in themselves the focus of most of our time, financial resources and energy. Even so, there are little groups of Christian people in every place who want more than anything to be faithful to their calling as Christians. For them the Household of Faith and its relational evangelism can be a support and encouragement and a means of growing the local church.

Full Potential of Ministry

This program is designed to help such Households of Faith come into being and discover the full potential of their ministry. My thanks go to many over the last three or more years who have contributed in its development. My prayer for you as you embark on this exciting new venture is that God will bless your local church and your householders and draw many to our Saviour."

The Rev. Capt. Ron Meacock, Evangelism Consultant

"You are fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household." Ephesians 2.19

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