Some time ago, we felt that the Lord said to us: “Smaller still and wider yet”.
What we think He was saying was that the house church sized group was very important but that there was more. “Smaller still” led us to the concept of the CO2 (the church of two) as the basic building block of house churches. There are critical functions that can happen with two followers of Jesus who connect daily that can’t happen with a house church sized group.
“Wider yet” led us to the city or regional network. One expression of this in Colorado is a quarterly All-Gathering. The video below gives a picture of what this gathering is like. This was a thoroughly delightful Saturday (Feb. 5, 2011) spent with followers of Jesus from all over Colorado. It was both highly participatory and well organized at the same time.
Our sense is that the Lord is saying to us, “You are learning how to do this with hundreds (of people) in preparation of the day when there will be thousands.” We also know that there are many other places around the US where this kind of regional network is emerging.
For more specifics about this particular All-Gathering, see: http://www.coloradohousechurch.com/
John