House Church
What is a "House Church?"
A House Church is a real, effectual, local, small congregation of Christians worshiping and practicing its faith. It can be in a middle class home in a US suburb, the basement of a church building, in a garage in an undisclosed country where it is illegal to have a church, or in the back of a business in a developing country.
It is a house of worship, one that is as old as the Church itself. It is the archetype of the first intimate Christian gatherings and means that Christ used to form His Bride, the Church. It is the simple organization that fulfils His call and purpose for worship, discipleship, care, and fellowship. It is not a building; rather, it is a movement of people in Christ. A house church or a meta church or a home fellowship-whatever name you give it-is God's unfolding plan upon lives collectively as they come together to worship, fellowship, learn, serve, and inspire one another.
Do you or your people struggle with your role and placement in church? Do your people feel disconnected or lost in church? Do they feel like they are unimportant or not noticed or appreciated? Do they feel they are not getting fed spiritually or challenged to grow? Do they feel they have few opportunities to exercise their gifts and call? Do you...
Developing a House Church - Part II
We are called to preach the Gospel not lose it in some institution. We are called to proclaim the Word, to read the Bible in our services not hide it and thus hide our Lord! A Home Church Reflects our Responsibility of Servanthood to Christ
Why and how do we do our home church? The point of any church is that we must heed God's call, His plan, purpose, and principles all associated as His children and representatives. Why? We belong...
Hebrews chapter 3 gives us a template on doing a successful home church: For any church to be successful, big or small, in a cathedral or in a home, we have to have a correct vision and alignment, to know why and what we are doing and where we are going.
Francis Schaeffer stated many times-most notably in his book The Church at the End of the Twentieth Century-"that it is interesting, however, that the church was in the home." meaning that "a real true church" is not about buildings or even programs. It is a gathering with a purpose to know and grow in Christ, to spur on one another in the faith, to practice the "one anothers" in Scripture-that we are equipped and encouraged to grow and live out our faith in our personal lives and collectively in the world. In fact, if you study church history, there were no buildings for the first three hundred plus years. All churches were in homes and even underground to avoid persecution. There they thrived and grew.
When the church became an institution, then the real trouble came-not from persecution but rather from pride, power plays, and lost focuses. Then traditions set in and Christ was so clouded by our ritual and the over fixation of customs and religious practices that there was no effectual reason or function for the church except for power and control over people's lives. These are the real enemies of the Church. The church became lost in its own institution when it was once alive in the homes!
