We in the house church movement in many ways are taking the same path as those in previous movements. We have accurately pointed out the major faults and flaws in the institutional church: pastor, pews, programs, buildings, indifference, denominationalism, hierarchy-- the list seems a mile long.

When I was about 4, I used to get pretty excited about the amusement park boat ride. Maybe you rode it too – the little boat in 1 foot of water on a track that glides along but there’s never any risk since it’s tethered to a pole and anchored by a chain. I must have had a vivid imagination because I was sure I could feel the spray of the waves in my face and the thrill of the chase as I pretended to be Blackbeard the pirate on the hunt for treasure! Years later I realized it was simply a kid’s ride and not an adventure at all.

“There are approximately 38,000 Christian denominations in the world.”

(Christianity Today – General Statistics and Facts of Christianity Today, 2001).

Does this statistic bother you?

We so easily miss truth by way of our assumptions, our faulty perceptions, our beloved traditions. “We’ve always done it this way” is no excuse for error in our behavioral patterns. “We’ve never done it that way” is no justification for wrong-minded “rut” living.