House churches are something that I have had a good deal of interest in for quite some time and I am hoping today that perhaps with the writing of this I will hear from some of you with your opinions and experiences.
We know from the scriptures that the early church met in homes, examples of which we can see generally in some verses like Acts 20:20 and specifically in Romans 16:5, 1 Corinthians 16:19, and Colossians 4:15.
There was preaching done in the synagogues and other public areas as well but the general feeling that we come away with, is that the church was in the home.
My thoughts on house churches stem from my own experiences, more specifically frustrations that I have had, things I have read, things I have heard and some things which I have to assume.
The main feeling I come away with, is that people are leaving what we think of as churches for some of these reasons:
They feel that what they are hearing from the pulpit and classroom is false.
They feel that what they are hearing from the pulpit and classroom is incomplete.
They feel uncomfortable with their churches shift to things considered contemporary.
They feel their church is in error with where they stand on homosexuals.
They feel their church is in error with regard to who is filling the offices of the church.
They feel that we are in the times of the end and feel drawn to worship in this manner.
They feel that churches of today bear no or very little resemblance to the early church.
I am sure that there are other reasons but this should cover the lion’s share.
Yes, I purposely put, “They feel” on every one of these because it fits at least some of the time for every one of these.
Feelings, good and bad, often rule our decision making process and so it is some of the time with these. Let me expound on that a little more.
Someone has gone to a church for a number of years; they have been very involved, they have positions of leadership and are sought out for a multitude of reasons. Then sometimes suddenly, but often gradually, things start to change. They no longer feel as if they are appreciated or that their opinion carries the weight that it once did. They become more sensitive to this fact until finally, the final straw happens and they leave the church. That final straw might be something as benign as the carpet in the entry or as serious as a false teaching.
I know for many the reason you left is not one of simple emotions or feelings, but the need to flee something that bares little resemblance to Christ’s church. But for others that should have left earlier for just that reason, they stayed on because of feelings until something finally became that last straw.
What things have been your last straw, how about the following?
Biblical illiteracy
Bibles taken out of the pews
Hymnals replaced by big screens
Suits replaced by jeans
Women in offices of the church
Homosexuals in offices of the church
Contemporary worship
Incomplete or false teaching
Oversized churches
Quarreling
Declining numbers
Declining opportunities
Lack of Sunday School
No young people
No older people
Worship times
Communion
What other things exist out there? I would like to hear about your final straw.
As I said, I have had interest in house churches for quite a while because I too have experienced some of those things that I have listed.
I visited churches further away from home than would have been logical trying to find a different church home and if there would have been any house churches in my vicinity that I was aware of, I would have visited those as well.
I knew some churches of both types would not be a good fit because they had the same issues as I have listed or because we were to far apart doctrinally speaking but the longing to worship God is a strong one when you couple that with my desire to teach.
I envisioned that I might find a house church that was hungering for someone like me and to be honest, I still do. I would travel a pretty fair piece from home (further if someone paid the way) to preach in a church of any type.
Ultimately though, when I got really close to that, it was then that I feel God opened my eyes to the situation.
In order to make the commitment to a house church I realized it had to be a Biblical House Church.
Let me explain. If a group of people were doing more than just having a Bible Study and that their true and noble intent was in fact to have a house church, I could belong to the former but I could not belong to the latter (or teach in one) unless it was a Biblical House Church.
The offices of the church as given to us by the Apostles must be according to what the scripture says.
Individuals who don’t meet the criteria, no matter how passionate they are, cannot or rather should not hold the offices of the church for which they are not qualified.
I realized that a lack of these offices or a filling of them with non Biblical persons would create a church that was just as bad as the reason the people left their other churches. No matter their passion the end does not justify the means.
The reasons Paul and the others created the criteria were because God is not a god of disorder and to not put the guidelines in place would create churches of error with some as bad as cults and others with mistakes ranging from abuse of power to false teaching to incomplete carrying out of what they were to be about.
For those that are out there honest enough to realize that you have built something that wasn’t quite ready to be built I hope you carry that realization out to act on it in a way that will create what is biblical.
Create a plan whereby you have a strategy to accomplish a Biblical House Church never forgetting that you are there for each other, yes, but even in the most difficult of times, your church should not be just about its members, but about the unsaved and the sharing of the gospel!
I know there are successes out there and I’d like to hear from them, I’d still like to preach and belong in a place like that!
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