324. Second Multiplication

There is a multiplication ceremony of Chiang Rai House Church (HC) next Sunday and Joy Kim will be appointed as the new Shepherd for the multiplying HC. This is our 2nd multiplication of HC since our first one which happened on 2017 July 16th.

Chiang Rai HC began as Lampang HC, which was the first HC of The Seed that began in 2013, January 13th. The missionary we were supporting relocated his field from Lampang (Thailand) to a difference city called Chiang Rai, so we had to change our name.

According to the HC guide, once a house church has close to 12 people, it needs to multiply. We’ve had an average of 15 people for many years, sometimes even more. A high number of people can give a lot of energy at first, but at one point it becomes difficult to share deeply. And the biggest problem is: People instinctively become reluctant to invite new people because they feel it is too crowded.

So, the main reason for multiplication is to regain a sense of urgency of God’s mission. One pastor said the default mode of any organization is “complacency”, not urgency. A church is a missional community first, not just a healing community. People do need care and support, but if the church loses its sense of urgency in the mission of God, it becomes complacent and becomes another social club, full of cliques.

Though multiplication brings temporary sadness, it puts house church back in the “urgent mode” and its members begin to look for VIPs to bring them back to the loving arms of their heavenly Father. After the multiplication, the meeting might feel a little awkward with fewer people, but it is good for the best of both house churches.

Since our church is made up of house churches, and we view each house church as a church, multiplication is the new church plant, appointing a new shepherd as the lay-pastor of that house church. That is why it is a big occasion for celebration and also for focused prayer and support for the new shepherd.