I had a chance to read An Army of Ordinary People: Stories of Real-Life Men and Women Simply Being the Church
The truth is that stories connect and this book could easily become a manual for how to begin and develop a network of house churches in your area (I’m guessing this was part of the author’s intent). She did a great job pulling the reader in and offering great advice from someone who has “been there.” However, there were several portions of the book where the hermeneutics employed to gain and understanding from a particular passage were a bit off the mark. To my knowledge this didn’t lead so much into theological error as much as it was a misguided interpretation of the passage. This most often occurred with a loose definition of church. Many of what the author calls churches I would be comfortable calling community groups or bible study. In fact according to her definition I have been a part of several house churches in my life time. Never the less its a minor difference, but one worth noting.
If you are interested in purchasing a copy of An Army of Ordinary People, the retail price is $14.99 (Paperback). It is also available at places like Amazon.com for $10.19. I gave it four stars.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their Tyndale Blog Network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
The Hill House 
Thank you for reviewing “An Army of Ordinary People.” You are right about it deliberately being written as a manual on church planting. A number of years ago, a couple of other leaders of networks of churches in central Texas approached us about creating a magazine for the then embryonic house/simple/organic church movement. We agreed, and started House2House, which is now primarily a website (www.house2house.com). We found ourselves getting many questions about house church. So at that stage I produced a practical manual on simple churches, with an emphasis on reaching out to those who don’t yet know the Lord. This has since been used in many other countries. “An Army of Ordinary People” is based on that manual, deliberately using stories as a way to communicate principle.
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Felicity,
I really like the way you used the stories to communicate in the book. The book was very readable, very practical and very well written. I have yet to see a non-fiction book communicate principles as clearly as you have in “An Army of Ordinary People.” I am sure that your writing style will catch on with other authors seeking to advance a movement. Its a great way to communicate.
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