Once upon a time, before there were conferences and books…

January 21, 2013 in Uncategorized with 3 Comments

… there was a magazine called House2House.

I remember the occasion well. It was in the fall of the year, 2000. Jim Mellon and David Underwood, both leaders of simple/organic/house church networks in Central Texas, contacted Tony and me.

“Can we get together with you. We’ve had this great idea and we’d like you to get involved.”

When we met up at a House of Pancakes in Waco, TX,  they floated the concept of a print magazine to encourage and resource people who were interested in house churches. We loved the idea because we had seen the impact of magazines on a move of the Holy Spirit in which we had been involved in the UK. So we agreed to help.

Over the course of the next 8 years or so, we produced several issues of the magazine, mailing them out to thousands of people around the world. The response was outstanding. We heard from many people about the impact the magazine had made in their lives and in that of their churches. We heard story after story of how it sparked conversation when other people saw it sitting on a coffee table. It communicated a powerful message that contributed to the growing movement. Now there are millions of Christians meeting together as the church in homes, coffee shops, businesses and wherever they can.

As the Internet gained traction, we eventually stopped producing it as a physical magazine, (at least in part because of the expense), but over the years, we have often discussed the benefits of producing another one.

Enter Kickstarter.

For those of you who are not familiar with Kickstarter, it is a “funding platform for creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others.”

Here’s how it works. People develop a product that they put up on Kickstarter with a financial goal that would enable them to bring it to fulfillment. They tell everybody they know about it and people can pledge to support the project. “Every project creator sets their project’s funding goal and deadline. If people like the project, they can pledge money to make it happen. If the project succeeds in reaching its funding goal, all backers’ credit cards are charged when time expires. If the project falls short, no one is charged. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing.”

Since its inception, Kickstarter has enabled more than 10,000 projects to fund.

Would you like to see the House2House magazine back again? We have started a House2House Kickstarter campaign,  hoping to raise $14,000–the amount we reckon it will take to produce another issue (that includes layout, design, editing, printing etc etc). Are you willing to consider helping us? If so, click here to learn about the project, and then tell all of your friends.

 

  • Jim Wright

    Seriously, Felicity, who needs a print magazine?

    Even if you go with that format, as a former magazine publisher (I’ve done several over the last 35 years), I suggest you go with internet distribution. Otherwise, the economics or print production and distribution simply will likely crush you.

    Also, as I’ve been continuing my research into the history of the organic church movement, I would caution you against some of the problems I think existed with the old magazine – where you featured articles from people who exaggerated what they were doing and not sharing out of proven experience and tested results. You also featured people who you knew had been living lives of real hypocrisy. I think it allowed the wrong folk to promote half baked ideas, doctrines and practices that caused great harm, despite the good that otherwise came from the magazine.

    I think God is closing out that chapter of the organic/simple/house church movement, although there is a lot of mess still existing. We really need to start showing discernment in who, and what, we promote. I’d hate to see the old problems – and problem creators – now find a new forum in a resurrected magazine that did not learn from the mistakes of the past.

    • felicitydale

      Hi Jim

      The Kickstarter campaign is more to see whether there is enough interest to produce the magazine again. If not, believe me, we’re not going to manufacture a way to do it. We’re only too aware of the expense, but there have always been many who have asked about it coming back. The advantage to using Kickstarter is that if the project doesn’t fund, then nobody’s money is taken.

      I’m not aware of the “exaggerated results” and “real hypocrisy”to which you refer, and that is a conversation I would prefer to have in a more private forum because I don’t want this blog to become a place where people are criticized. You may or may not have noticed that I try to never speak ill of anyone in anything I write (1 Corinthians 13, Matt 7:1-5, Titus 3:2 (NKJV) ). If you care to email me on this I will respond, but be aware, you’re probably talking about my friends. I refuse to defend myself, but I will stand up for my friends.

  • Trying

    I appreciate this comment thread from you both because its real.
    It sheds some light on a conflict I’m having with a dear brother and sister in Christ- In our case, I think we have different vantage points that we are seeing our conflict situation from and it’s important we hear eachother in order to see the whole situation for what it actually is.
    It seems both of you have complimentary gifts–collaboration/unity on this project could be grand. I’m praying for healing of old wounds, clarity and His insight.