Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword
-God Uses Little Things to Make a Great Impact (p. 14)
-Cell Churches & House Churches Are Readily Reproducible (p. 16)
-Grounded in Experience, Holding Forth God’s Word (p. 17)
-Held by God’s Hand (p. 18)

Introduction

Section I: Simple Church Foundations

Chapter 1: Life in the Desert
-Plant or perish (p. 28)
-Growing to survive (p. 30)
-Making room for leadership (p. 33)
-Sharing brings life (p. 35)
-Springs in the desert (p. 37)

Chapter 2: What is a Simple Church?
-What is the church? (p. 40)
-Back to the basics (p. 42)
-The assembly (p. 44)
-My understanding of church (p. 45)

Chapter 3: The First Simple Churches
-Christ empowered the first Simple Churches (p. 48)
-Simple church planting in Acts (p. 51)
-Paul and simple church planting (p. 55)
-Raising up new leaders (p. 62)

Section II: Simple Church Principles

Chapter 4: Do You Have What It Takes
-Is there a specific church planting gift? (p. 69)
-Do you need a particular personality type? (p. 70)
-What characteristics are important in church planters? (p. 72)
-Is it necessary to take a church planting assessment? (p. 74)
-The husband and wife team (p. 77)

Chapter 5: Root System 101
-Prioritize prayer (p. 79)
-Concentrate on core values (p. 81)
-Establish leadership (p. 83)
-Raise funds (p. 84)
-Determine the method (p. 86)
-Find a coach (p. 88)

Chapter 6: Aiming Accurately
-Learning the customs and culture (p. 91)
-Reaching the people (p. 93)
-Improving your aim (p. 98)
-The person of peace (p. 101)
-The bridgehead (p. 102)

Section III: Strategies for Starting Simple Churches

Chapter 7: Simple Cell Church Planting
-What is the cell model? (p. 108)
-Snapshot of cell church planting (p. 109)
-Return to simplicity (p. 110)
-Variations of cell church planting (p. 112)
-Plant! (p. 113)

Chapter 8: How to Plant a Cell Church
-First step: recruit a team of prayer warriors (p. 116)
-Second step: develop values and vision (p. 117)
-Third step: invite people to the pilot cell group (p. 119)
-Fourth step: multiply pilot group (p. 126)
-Fifth step: start celebration worship (p. 127)
-Sixth step: build the infrastructure (p. 134)
-Seventh step: plant new cell churches (p. 135)

Chapter 9: Planting House Churches
-Not only in persecuted countries (p. 138)
-Characteristics of house churches (p. 139)
-Simple structure (p. 139)
-No clergy or “professionals” are necessary (p. 140)
-No special buildings (p. 142)
-Fully the church (p. 142)
-Simple order of meeting (p. 142)
-Different Sizes (p. 143)
-Starting house churches (p. 144)
-Networking the house churches (p. 145)
-Cell churches and house church networks are cousins (p. 147)
-My bias: cell church or connected house church (p. 148)

Chapter 10: Simple Reproduction
-Simplicity (p. 151)
-Reproduction (p. 153)
-God’s on your side (p. 154)

Appendix 1: Resources by Joel Comiskey
Appendix 2: Additional Options
Appendix 3: Order for the First Cell
-The four Ws (p. 169)
-My own life group (p. 171)
-Sample cell meeting (p. 172)
Appendix 4: Cell Church Principles
Appendix 5: Bill Beckham and Celebration
Appendix 6: Xenos Christian Fellowship
Index
Endnotes