"In the last twenty-five years, the contemporary house church movement has generated a great deal of interest among New Testament scholars and church practitioners. Research into early house churches has focused primarily on the architecture of these homes and on the corresponding social and theological implications." "House Church and Mission offers scholars the first comprehensive summary of evidence concerning home churches in the New Testament, while supplying pastors and lay leaders with a well-crafted discussion of the nature of "church" that explores the practical implications of house churches on outreach." "Christians worshipped in private homes for the first three hundred years of the early church. In House Church and Mission, Roger Gehring explores the missional significance of these house churches from the time of Jesus through Paul."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

David Garrison, PhD University of Chicago, defines Church Planting Movements as rapidly multiplying indigenous churches planting churches that sweep across a people group or population segment. Garrison's Church Planting Movements: How God Is Redeeming a Lost World signaled a breakthrough in missionary church planting. After the publication of Garrison's book in 2004 it became impossible to talk about missions without referencing Church Planting Movements. Church Planting Movements examines more than two-dozen movements of multiplying churches on five continents. After presenting these case studies, Garrison identifies ten universal elements present in each movement. He then broadens the circle of examination to identify a further ten common characteristics, factors identified in most, but not all, of the movements. He concludes his examination with a list of "Seven Deadly Sins," i.e. harmful practices that stifle or impede Church Planting Movements. Important for evangelical readers, the author returns to his findings to see how they stand up to the light of Scripture. What he discovers is that Church Planting Movements are much more consistent with the New Testament lay-led house-church movements that swept rapidly through the Mediterranean world in the face of hostile opposition than today's more sedentary professional institutionalized Christianity. Learn more about Church Planting Movements from the book's website: www.ChurchPlantingMovements.com.

Women have been central to the work of Christian ministry from the time of Jesus to the twenty-first century. Yet the story of Christianity is too often told as a story of men. This accessibly written book tells the story of women throughout church history, demonstrating their integral participation in the church's mission. It highlights the legacies of a wide variety of women, showing how they have overcome obstacles to their ministries and have transformed cultural constraints to spread the gospel and build the church.

There’s a new way of doing church and it’s taking North America by storm! Here, a recognized authority on the house church movement and a popular speaker and pastor share their expertise in starting and maintaining a healthy house church. Together they look at current and future trends in the house church movement and provide best practice models for planting and leading house churches. Also, they explore how house churches are not always the same as simple cell-groups or small groups, especially in the areas of leadership and money. Readers will discover all the information they need to begin a house church in their community.

Using original interviews with over thirty missional house churches, J. D. Payne examines the influence of the house church movement on local communities throughout the United States.