“Most Christians are attending church less often and most local churches are engaging the Great Commission too seldom. That’s not by accident.”
Our History
From The OM’s Executive Director, Tom Mercer
I was actually in Busan, South Korea presenting at a pastors’ conference when I repeated something I had said many times.
“There are no non-oikos passages in the Bible.”
After that session, I was having a round-table conversation over lunch with a group of pastors. One of the pastors took me to task on that claim. (While I believed it to be true, I’d never been asked point-blank to back it up!) I simply asked him, “What passage did you preach from last weekend?” He said the story of Ruth. So we began to talk about how her testimony would sound, how God transformed her life when she married into a Jewish oikos, establishing a new series of oikocentric relationships that changed the world.
Then I asked the next guy, “What did you preach about last weekend?” I went around the table, maybe five or six guys in, building a bridge from the oikos principle to each of the passages or themes they brought up. Finally, the guy who raised the initial objection said, “That’s okay, you can stop. I think I get it!”
The Oikos Movement is not a new idea, but launching it as a stand-alone non-profit organization is a brand new venture. We’ve already assembled a team of Christian leaders who share the same vision, that Jesus followers would finally align their lives with the Great Commission. We’re already providing them effective and affordable training tools and resources that have brought both focus and fuel to their personal lives and a new dynamic to the local churches they attend. We are praying that, over the next ten years, the oikos principle will become a game-changing ingredient that will energize literally tens of thousands of local churches around the world to pick up the ball and reclaim the Great Commission as their mission.
What People Are Saying About The Oikos Movement
“The oikos approach to congregational mission didn’t just change the vocabulary of our churches. It reawakened their mission heart and revitalized their mission practice. When introduced to this concept, the most prevalent response of church members was, ‘We can do this.’ And they did!”
— Bert Downs, Former President, Western Seminary, Portland, OR
“I’ve used the oikos principle and I’ve experienced its effectiveness, from starting a young adult ministry, to planting a new church and watching it become a multi-site church, with this sole biblical philosophy. It’s not a gimmick or a game. It simply produces results because it is founded in Scripture and is THE most effective way to reach the lost. Oikos training is the single biggest reason we have seen exponential growth in our church plant.”
— Jeremy McGarity, Lead Pastor, Skyline Church, San Diego CA
“This is biblical, practical, clear, and tremendously helpful. Effective ministry is actually simple and doable for every devoted believer.“
— Erik Thoennes, Professor and Chair of Theology, Biola University
“The oikos principle provides invigorating new insights for anyone who wants to see the message of Christ effectively spread through their community.”
— Charles Arn, Professor, Wesley Seminary; President, Church Growth International
"The oikos principle has brought clarity, focus, and simplicity to our ministry model. It has created common language for our church and galvanized Christ's primary method of changing our world."
—Jeff Wheeler, Lead Pastor, Central Baptist Church, Sioux Falls SD
“This has the potential to encourage countless believers to effectively reach more people with the Gospel.”
— Bob Barnes, Lead Pastor, Gateway Church, Washougal, WA
“I love seeing my calling through the lens of oikos. God’s plan to reach the world is the church. The church’s plan to accomplish that mission is the oikos principle.”
— Chris Brown, Senior Pastor and Teaching Pastor, North Coast Church, Vista, CA
"Most of us don't even realize that our spiritual lenses have lost clarity. The oikos trainings are exactly what you need to effectively lead your church staff and family to greater focus and lasting impact.”
—John Dix, Lead Pastor Grace Church, Glendora CA
“Six Easters ago we had about 500 people show up. This last Easter we had over three times that, and I can't tell you how many conversations were the result of people saying, ‘I brought him (or her) off my 8 to 15 list.’ Our worldview is changing and we feel it.”
—Bill Staffieri, Senior Pastor, Beachpoint Church, Fountain Valley CA
“The oikos principle not only helped the churches I pastored to remain outward focused, but now I personally observe how it transforms congregations all over the nation and in various parts of the world.”
—Dr. Tim Brown, Executive Director, Growing Healthy Churches
“Real Life Church is built entirely on the oikos principle. This ministry has been a great help to keep us on track for how to build oikos thinking into every aspect of our operations and ministry. Oikos is not a fad or program. It is God's plan to reach the whole world and it is working here in our world.”
—Todd Crofford, Lead Pastor, Real Life Wesleyan Church, Mechanicsville MD
Contact us.
hello@oikosmovement.com
(760) 646-6267
The Oikos Movement, 6562 Caliente Rd. Suite 101-3014, Oak Hills, CA 92344