Per a conversation with Jona Hicks yesterday regarding what a house church gets from being part of the Vineyard Central network (ie. expectations):
*** This is my off the top of my head list, please add your thoughts in the comments ***
A house church in the Vineyard Central network gets:
- Connected to other like-minded house churches
- Access the Everyone@vineyardcentral.com email list for community announcements, updates, and prayer concerns
- Leadership support, training, and equipping in the form of:
– Monthly Leadership Community meetings
– One-on-one leader to leader mentoring
– Access to the Leaders@vineyardcentral.com email list for sharing leadership concerns, issues, and stories
– Resources – books, CDs, DVDs, PDFs, web links
- Use of St. Elizabeth’s church building for gatherings, events, etc…
- Connected to a diverse, global, and ever-growing network of people who are exploring and living the Gospel in a changing social context (ie. folks outside our immediate network – Emergent leaders, House Church gurus, Missional Theologians, Pastors, Priests, Seminary Professors, and more).
- Accountability to the larger Body of Christ
- Resources for living Kingdom lives, such as books, CDs, DVDs, web links, PDFs, and relationships with other like-minded folk
- Access to leaders and expertise outside the house church – spiritual direction, mentoring, and retreats
- Opportunities for corporate spiritual disciplines beyond the house church – worship gatherings, recreation (ultimate frisbee), earth-care (community gardening), daily office prayer
Those are things that I gain by being part of the network. There are probably others and probably a way to say them all better. Your thoughts?
