Track Session 2: Decentralized, Diverse Discipleship Communities Get access to all of our 2025 National Disciple Making Forum Content: https://disciplemakerspodcast.supercast.com/ While most churches’ group structures operate as homogeneous friend groups, the Early Church gathered in diverse, cross-generational communities operating as a spiritual family. Discover the need to return to this fullest expression of the church in House Churches. Revisiting Ecclesiology: House Churches and the DNA of True Biblical Communities In this insightful episode, Jason Shepherd, founder of Church Project, shares his journey of starting a church 15 years ago with a vision of creating authentic biblical communities. Without a designated church name, the project focuses on rediscovering Christ's original intent for the church. Shepherd discusses the key elements of ecclesiological DNA (EDNA), emphasizing distributed pastoral leadership, decentralized structures, and diverse discipleship communities. He explores the historical and biblical foundation of house churches, citing scripture to argue for their continued relevance. Shepherd also provides practical insights into the formation, growth, and management of house churches, and how they engage with benevolent activities and student ministries. This episode challenges conventional church models, advocating for smaller, mission-focused, relationally-rich communities. Key Takeaways 00:00 Introduction and Speaker Background01:52 Understanding Ecclesiology03:15 The Concept of House Church05:24 House Church in Practice07:23 House Church Multiplication12:08 Small Groups vs. House Churches23:58 Qualities of a New Testament House Church28:43 Q&A Session32:41 Evaluating the Health of Your House Church34:32 The Importance of Hospitality35:47 Developing House Church Pastors37:14 Scheduling and Meeting Logistics39:56 Balancing Growth and Intimacy48:12 Handling Kids in House Church56:12 Financial Practices and Benevolence58:49 Connecting Newcomers to House Churches01:00:27 Final Q&A and Closing Remarks   Get Discipleship.org's premium Podcast Feed: https://disciplemakerspodcast.supercast.com/  Check out the following eBooks from Discipleship.org: -- What Is Church? And How Important Is It? https://discipleship.org/shop/what-is-church-and-how-important-is-it/ -- Family Discipleship Blueprint: A Year-by-Year Guide to Family Discipleshiphttps://discipleship.org/shop/family-discipleship-blueprint-a-year-by-year-guide-to-family-discipleship/ -- Becoming a Disciple Makerhttps://discipleship.org/shop/becoming-a-disciple-maker/ -- National Study: The State of Disciple Making Churches: A 10 Minute Visual Guidehttps://discipleship.org/shop/national-study-the-state-of-disciple-making-churches-a-10-minute-visual-guide/ -- Reaching & Discipling Women: A Guide to Women’s Ministry in Your Churchhttps://discipleship.org/shop/reaching-discipling-women-a-guide-to-womens-ministry-in-your-church/ Check out the following Books from Discipleship.org: -- The Discipleship Gospelhttps://himpublications.com/product/the-discipleship-gospel/?utm_source=discipleship-org&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=books-page -- Disciple-Making Culturehttps://himpublications.com/product/disciple-making-culture/ -- Recreated to Be like God: Making Disciples in the Image of Jesushttps://a.co/d/6DDvUrC -- King Jesus and the Beauty of Obedience-Based Discipleshiphttps://a.co/d/7d85z6T -- The Disciple Maker's Handbook: Seven Elements of a Discipleship Lifestylehttps://a.co/d/4ZHIbQz Take the FREE Disciple Maker Assessment:https://church-multiplication.com/disciplemaker/ Come to the The National Disciple Making Forum: https://discipleship.org/national-disciple-making-forum/ Stay informed - Get our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hPViAr Listen - Disciple Maker's Podcast: https://discipleship.org/resources/podcast/