Becoming the church where we live, work, and play.
The MicroChurch Model - (Click for FAQ)
A microchurch is the gathering of Christ’s church in smaller, everyday environments like a living room, coffee shop, or kitchen table.
We gather around the things the church has always gathered around: prayer, scripture, hospitality, and mission.
Our name comes from the earliest description of the church found at the end of chapter 2 of the book of Acts: “With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Traditional church models can leave little margin to actually make disciples of our neighbors, friends and co-workers who are far from God. Instead of gathering people to a church building, we train, send, and support people in making disciples where they live and work, while at the same time creating margin by removing many of the obligations producing weekly Sunday services. To accomplish this, we offer the following:
How to Disciple: For most people, this is where to start. More than training, it’s a sequential pathway to effectively make disciples where we live work and play:
1st Mondays: Monthly leader gatherings for equipping and training
3rd Saturdays: Corporate worship gathering (During the warmer months, we gather at the M18 Ranch)
One-On-One Coaching: Monthly coaching for the leaders of each microchurch
Resources: To think and live like missionaries, leaders need to self-feed. Therefore, we’ve curated a list of resources.
3-5 Person, Women’s and Men’s Groups: Utilizing Practicing the Way (by John Mark Comer), these groups meet 2-4 times a month, in person and online, for the purpose of supporting one another in spiritual practices such as sabbath, prayer, fasting, solitude, scripture, community, simplicity, generosity, and hospitality.These groups encourage a greater level of transparency and authenticity within a smaller, safe group of people.
The above rhythms and elements serve to foster a sense of identity—reminding us that we aren’t alone, but a part of a movement. Want to learn more? First, let’s meet for coffee and hear one another’s story.
FAQs
+ How is a microchurch different than a small group or a Bible Study?
It really depends upon the activities and characteristics of the group. Our definition of “microchurch” is taken from Acts 2:42-47. This early description of the church paints a vivid picture of a community being “devoted to the apostles teachings (for us this means scripture), fellowship (committed to one another), the breaking of bread (the observance of communion), and prayer.” Miracles were commonplace and there was unity that expressed itself in radical hospitality and generosity. Their culture was described as a people who gathered around tables, eating with “gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.” Finally, they desired to multiply—keeping open seats at their tables for visitors (vs. 47). Many small groups intentionally focus on one or two of these characteristics, most often, Bible study and fellowship. These are very good things, but to be a fully functioning microchurch, all of the above are essential!
+ What are some of the advantages of a hybrid microchurch compared to a traditional church?
We believe that both models have their advantages and disadvantages. In a traditional church, it can be a challenge moving people to become active rather than passive participants. In our model, it’s just difficult to be passive. Also, in a microchurch, we believe it’s easier for more lay people to do the work of ministry; whereas in the traditional model, shepherding, teaching, leading worship, and providing pastoral care are often left to the professional clergy. Finally, a traditional church attempts to bring people who are far from God to its building. A microchurch takes the church to where the people are.
+ Is a microchurch a good fit for a family with children and teens?
Upon arrival at a traditional church, a family often sees the teenagers go off in one direction, the children in another, while the adults go in yet another. While we see validity in this, we also believe it can serve as an unhealthy fragmentation of the family. In a microchurch, children and especially teenagers are encouraged to join in worship and discussions of how to follow Jesus. With some creativity, they can fully participate and contribute to discussion, prayer and worship. In many cases, this helps children mature much faster than they would have in a program. It should also be noted that, just as we gather corporately once a month, we plan on having gatherings, fun activities, and extra opportunities for our children and youth to meet regularly.
+ It’s common for churches to ask their members to tithe or contribute a portion of their finances. How does this work in your model?
We do believe in the Biblical practice of tithing—giving a portion of our finances to build the Kingdom. However, because our model doesn’t require nearly the investment in buildings and staffing as compared to traditional churches, we are able to invest a greater percentage of our tithes back into the community by empowering each microchurch to invest in their neighboring efforts, support local nonprofits/ministries and foreign missionaries.