Abstract
Abstract
Developing, Planting, and Multiplying an Adventist House Church
Developing, Planting, and Multiplying an Adventist House Church
Using Principles of Missiology in the Florida Conference of Seventh-
Using Principles of Missiology in the Florida Conference of Seventh-
day Adventists
day Adventists
Adams, W Milton
Adams, W Milton
Doctor of Ministry
Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary
Andrews University, 2009
Russell Burrill, Advisor
Kurt Johnson, Advisor
Donald C. James, Advisor
Problem Church attendance is steadily declining throughout North America. Nevertheless, people are still
seeking God, but it is occurring outside the church walls. The same trend is occurring in Florida where church
attendance is below the national average. In response to this trend this project was to establish an
Adventists house church within the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists to assess a house church
model’s front-line missionary viability. Method Following pre-launch work, one house church was launched in
the North West Orlando area with two families (four adults and �ve small children). The project was
evaluated for health, using Natural Church Development, and for e�ectiveness of frontline missionary
viability.
Results Following ten months of work the following were observed: (1) average attendance was twenty-nine
people (seventeen adults and twelve children); (2) thirty percent of adult attendance were unchurched
people; (3) sixty-�ve percent of unchurched people returned a second time; (4) eight Adventist adults were
trained to launch their own house church in a new location; (5) six baptisms were celebrated; (6) tithe and
o�erings totaled, $47,469.79 ($31,512.31 and $15,957.48 respectively); (7) two new house church locations
were launched; (8) total attendance, since inception, averages for each of the three locations was twenty
people, totaling a weekly Simple Church attendance of sixty people; (9) the Florida Conference received 100
percent of tithe; (10) no �nancial support (i.e., pastor’s salary) was received from the Florida Conference; and
(11) approximately 90 percent of local o�erings were used to help unchurched people and occasional
emergency needs among house church participants.
Conclusions House churches, speci�cally Simple Church, operate out of a decentralized, grassroots
paradigm that is faithful to the Seventh-day Adventist mission. This paradigm intentionally recaptures the
New Testament and early Adventist roots by eliminating the professional clergy/lay person distinction. This
elimination, in and of itself, naturally empowers lay-people to become Adventist front-line missionaries. Lay
people realize that if they do not become missionaries, there are no professional clergy or Bible workers to
whom they can shift their missionary responsibility. This awareness both calls and invites lay people to step
up to the plate and once again take ownership of the unique message God has invited Seventh-day
Adventists to share with the world–beginning with their unchurched neighbors.
Future Development The nature of this project carries with it ongoing development, change, and
modi�cations. This project was o�cially completed March 31, 2009. Descriptions and explanations contained
within this document are subject to change as the development of the Simple Church Network, which was
the outcome of this project, continues to expand. Please contact the author by visiting
http://www.SimpleChurchAtHome.com for update information on items found within this project
dissertation.