Great Lakes Five Fold
Empowering the Ekklesia of the Great Lakes Region through connection and co-labor.
What we’re about…
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We are a Hub - a spiritual ecosystem that connects multiple churches, house churches, gatherings and regions together in the name of Jesus Christ. It is not defined by a physical location, but a sum of many parts moving together. While the term “Hub” often refers to the center of a wheel, a spiritual Hub is only the center in that it exists to connect for the purpose of equipping and sending. As a Hub, we have a strong five-fold presence, relational connectivity and a sense of connection with both the local and global body of Christ.
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We exist to build the Church (Ekklesia) Jesus talked about in Matthew 16:18. We believe we can help accomplish this by shifting the paradigm from organization to organism. That is, that no matter what type or form of organization we call home, the decision to follow Jesus comes with the responsibility of being personally empowered and transformed. This empowerment and transformation should create meaningful fruit in the organizations we call home, our families, workplaces, neighborhoods and the regions we live in. Whether you lead or participate in a house church, traditional church, Bible study or some other new form of community group, we want to help equip and connect you with a network of people who have one mission and one focus - for Jesus to have His way.
What would it look like to truly live an empowered life that believes it is a temple for the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), that church is wherever two or more are gathered (Matt 18:20), and that Jesus is the only one worthy of following completely (John 15)?
We believe this can be accomplished in two ways. First, through examining, teaching and living Scripture through Jesus’s New Testament lens. Second, through engaging with the living Bible study…living in close proximity with people we can be truly authentic with while developing an awareness and deepening relationship with the Spirit of God. We hope this Hub will become a place to learn and grow for the purpose of being empowered into your own sphere of influence and that the connections built across the Great Lakes will propel people and communities into a deepening maturity that results in great love and care being poured into the world.
Our hope is that the entire body receiving each other with humility and living in relationship with five fold connections will accomplish its purpose…”to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Eph 4:12-13)
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The body of Christ thrives when it’s deeply connected. While we value all forms of ministry big and small, we have found that many are hungry to add or shift to smaller gatherings but may feel ill-equipped as to “how”.
House church gatherings can be so much more than a simple extension of a Sunday service. If done well, they provide a safe and intimate incubator for spiritual growth that draw us deep into life in Christ.
Whether you’re a house church leader who feels like you’re doing it alone and want broader connection, a traditional church leader longing to foster greater intimacy and authenticity to your existing ecosystem, or you’re interested in starting a house church but want support and training, we can help.Every one of these gatherings should have elements of connecting, encountering, teaching and forwarding and should result in spiritually, emotionally and mentally healthy individuals who are empowered to navigate both the physical and spiritual within their sphere of influence.
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If you are a House Church, traditional church, or Hub leader in the Great Lakes Region and want to connect with a growing community of like-missioned leaders, or if you are interested in hosting our team or starting a House Church in your city, send us an email at greatlakesfivefold@gmail.com or click the Contact tab on this website!