Origins

Ek. Out From
Kaleo. To Call
Ekklesia. A Gathering Of Believers Called Out From The World

A breath, a breeze, a wind. We were being stirred as He prepared us for new possibilities. Followed by a voice. When God says move it is time to move. What if it means dismantling everything you have invested in for years? That is what the shift demanded of us as a church. He was leading us to  approach things differently. He was calling us to a new vision, to abandon a tried and tested traditional formula, and to be led into gathering in living rooms. The core of the vision is that at the centre of each Living Room is Jesus resurrected, and its beating heart is people in relationship with Him and each other.

Germination

When two of the leadership team within our church, Steve and Sarah, were nudged to do things differently in 2017, we tentatively stepped on board with the vision. We had been shifting our approach to church in the preceding years, moving towards a more interactive, participatory model. By that stage we were in agreement that intimacy and accountability through authentic bonded relationships was the answer to outworking effectively Jesus’ command to love one another, as He loves us. That didn’t take away from how drastic it felt to cut our church in half to form two Living Rooms, in Te Puna and Judea. Treading carefully, we took at first a path of alternate weeks with conventional church. We had to grow beyond the strange feeling of worshipping together in the hosts’ lounge, and getting to sometimes the floor to make space for all, we were face to face, and there was no longer a back row to hide in.

Freedom to Grow

Each of us became active participators, and, at times, the discussion facilitators, as we delved into the Word. And we grew. Through a paradigm shift from pastor or priesthood-led to empowerment of all, we have grown as individuals. We all have a voice, all have a gift to share, all have something to offer as we walk out our faith, whether it be through prayer, encouragement, a prophetic word, teaching, or other gifts. Does that make for conflict in theology and differing doctrines within our gatherings? Of course. But we see that as healthy, and tussling over scripture is something that has become part of our Living Rooms landscape and it contributes to us growing in the Faith.

Planting

Not only was the growth within, but also in our numbers. Forty five people squashed into the Te Puna living room was a sign that it was time to seed the next Living Room. So two became three, and a second Te Puna living room was formed, opening up space in the original gathering. Organic growth was always part of the vision,  that new Living Rooms would seed from an existing one and growing into new communities. As of 2025, we have seven Living Rooms in Judea, Brookfield, Bethlehem, Welcome Bay, Tauranga Central and Rotorua.