House Church Movements

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House Church Movements

• A Review Part 1

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What Is Under Review?

• Christians meeting in a home is not under review.
  The practice of Christians meeting in a home is
  as old as the NT and often expedient today.
• Christians desiring to be more spiritually minded
  in their service to God, more active in their
  participation, and closer in fellowship with one
  another is not under review. The NT teaches that
  we all must be spiritually-minded (Rom. 121-2,
  etc.), active in our participation (Heb. 1228
  1315 etc.), and close in fellowship (1 John
  13 etc.).

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What Is Under Review?

• What is under review is the practice of some
  Christians today who make meeting in a home
  essential to true and proper Christianity.
  These Christians attempt to get away from
  institutional church by meeting in homes. They
  believe that this is the way to really worship
  God today.
• What is under review is the mind-set of some
  Christians who believe that small, informal, and
  casual meetings in a home produce more
  spirituality and fellowship, than meetings in a
  church building.

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House Church Formations

• First arose among the denominations in the 1980s
  in opposition to organized, institutional
  religion and traditional churches
• There was a desire for change in organizational
  structure more than doctrinal changes
• The religious pendulum swung away from the
  mega-church structure (thousands of members) to
  the house church structure (12 members or less)

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House Church Formations

• In January 2011, Barna Research, found that about
  11.5 million American adults, say they attend a
  house church or simple church, which is not
  associated in any way with a local,
  congregational type of church, at least weekly or
  monthly. That number is up from 8.8 million
  adults in 2006.

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House Church Advocates

• Advocates among the denominations include
• House Church Central (www.hccentral.com)
• San Francisco Bay Area House Church
  (www.freewebs.com/sfbayhousechurch)
• House Church Network (www.housechurch.org)

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House Church Advocates

• Advocates among the brethren include
• Alvin Jennings (How Christianity Grows in the
  City, 1985)
• F. LaGard Smith (Radical Restoration, 2001)
• Other advocates include members of
  non-institutional churches, such as the near-by
  Church at Bowling Green house churches in
  Houston, Tampa, Nashville, etc.

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House Church AdvocatesBooks by denominational
authors
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House Church AdvocatesBooks by brethren
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House Church Assumptions

• Assumption House church means a local church
  that meets in a house. Fact The phrase can mean
  the church itself, or the church meeting place
  ( the church that is in their house -
  Rom. 165 1 Cor. 1619 Col. 415 Philemon
  2).
• Assumption Meeting in a house was normative in
  the NT. Fact Local churches in the NT met in
  different locations, including public meeting
  places (Acts 512 207 etc.).

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House Church Assumptions

• Assumption Small, informal, and casual groups
  are more spiritual and closer in fellowship.
  Fact Spirituality is not determined by outward
  size, structure, or dress of the group, but
  rather by the inward, mental attitude and heart
  of the individual Christian in relationship to
  Gods word (Rom. 121 1 Cor. 213
  Col. 19).

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House Church Assumptions

• www.hccentral.com
• Why the House Church?
• Here are just a few of the reasons
• Historical. The house church is the biblical
  church. All of the churches in the New Testament
  era were small assemblies that met in homes.

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House Church Assumptions

• Any space where an assembly was permitted was a
  possible site for Christian gatherings
  (Early Christians Speak, Everett Ferguson, p.
  76)
• If pressed on the issue (which, so far, Ive
  managed to side step), I dont know that Im
  prepared to say unequivocally that the house
  church was a divinely-intended arrangement. Not
  in the sense, at least, that it plainly violates
  Gods will if we meet, instead, in purpose-built
  houses of worship. (Radical Restoration, F.
  LaGard Smith, p. 166)

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House Church Characteristics

• Remove church of Christ (or other identifying
  names) from the sign (Rom. 1616)
• Small (Acts 241-42 44 514 61 note the
  large assembly of saints in Jerusalem flourished)
• Informal, casual, sit in a circle (? Jas. 21-4
  ?)
• Emphasis on social or relational practices, not
  doctrinal preaching and teaching (Acts 242
  207 1 Cor. 1426)

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House Church Characteristics

• Favor mutual ministry over a located preacher
  (Acts 1811 2031 Eph. 411 1 Tim. 13)
• No standing treasury (1 Cor. 161-2)
• Offering a fellowship meal (common meal) in
  connection with the Lords supper or sometime
  during the assembly (Lk. 2220 Acts 242,46
  1 Cor. 1120-34 note that the assembly of
  saints at Corinth was not in a home)

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House Church Characteristics

• 1 Corinthians 1120--34
• 20 When therefore ye assemble yourselves
  together, it is not possible to eat the Lord's
  supper 21 for in your eating each one taketh
  before other his own supper and one is hungry,
  and another is drunken. 22 What, have ye not
  houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the
  church of God, and put them to shame that have
  not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you?
  In this I praise you not. 23 For I received of
  the Lord that which also I delivered unto you,
  that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was
  betrayed took bread 24 and when he had given
  thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body,
  which is for you this do in remembrance of me.
  25 In like manner also the cup, after supper,
  saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood
  this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance
  of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and
  drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till
  he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat the
  bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy
  manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood
  of the Lord. 28 But let a man prove himself, and
  so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the
  cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth
  and drinketh judgment unto himself, if he discern
  not the body. 30 For this cause many among you
  are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep. 31 But
  if we discerned ourselves, we should not be
  judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are
  chastened of the Lord, that we may not be
  condemned with the world. 33 Wherefore, my
  brethren, when ye come together to eat, wait one
  for another. 34 If any man is hungry, let him eat
  at home that your coming together be not unto
  judgment. And the rest will I set in order
  whensoever I come.

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House Church Characteristics

• Assembly (come together)
• Eat the Lords supper
• Bread and cup
• In remembrance, proclaim the Lords death

• Houses at home
• His own supper
• Supper meal items
• Hungry, eat at home

Two Separate Things
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House Church Characteristics

• 1 Corinthians 1120--34
• 20 When therefore ye assemble yourselves
  together, it is not possible to eat the Lord's
  supper 21 for in your eating each one taketh
  before other his own supper and one is hungry,
  and another is drunken. 22 What, have ye not
  houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the
  church of God, and put them to shame that have
  not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you?
  In this I praise you not. 23 For I received of
  the Lord that which also I delivered unto you,
  that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was
  betrayed took bread 24 and when he had given
  thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body,
  which is for you this do in remembrance of me.
  25 In like manner also the cup, after supper,
  saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood
  this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance
  of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and
  drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till
  he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat the
  bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy
  manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood
  of the Lord. 28 But let a man prove himself, and
  so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the
  cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth
  and drinketh judgment unto himself, if he discern
  not the body. 30 For this cause many among you
  are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep. 31 But
  if we discerned ourselves, we should not be
  judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are
  chastened of the Lord, that we may not be
  condemned with the world. 33 Wherefore, my
  brethren, when ye come together to eat, wait one
  for another. 34 If any man is hungry, let him eat
  at home that your coming together be not unto
  judgment. And the rest will I set in order
  whensoever I come.

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House Church Characteristics

• One set of elders in a city over many house
  churches (Acts 1423 Acts 2028 Phil. 11
  Tit. 15 1 Pet. 52)
• Informal, spontaneous worship and mutual
  participation (including the expanded role of
  women), not structure (1 Cor. 1426, 27, 29, 30,
  34, 40)
• Hand clapping, lifting up and swaying hands,
  drama and role-playing, etc. (Col. 317)