What is House Church
House Church always seems to get a bad reputation. It is often looked at as leaderless, rebellious, and ineffective. Thus, it is reduced to a Bible study without a "covering".
House Church is church, in a house. It's really that simple.
We are not leaderless, we have a board of elders who meet regularly, and pray for the church as a whole, discuss direction, seek council from one another, and are submitted one to another as Christ commands.
We are not rebellious. While we have chosen to worship God in our homes, we do not by any means support the notion that churches who meet in buildings are somehow wrong in how they meet. This is what God has called us to do, and we are being obedient to him.
We are not ineffective. We have a vision for our neighbors, our baristas, our bagger at the grocery store. We want to see every believer growing in the Lord and able to share his/her faith with people in their lives. Additionally, we detach numerical growth with the word effective.
House Church is a Bible study, it is a prayer gathering. Isn't that what church should be?
House Church is church, in a house. It's really that simple.
We are not leaderless, we have a board of elders who meet regularly, and pray for the church as a whole, discuss direction, seek council from one another, and are submitted one to another as Christ commands.
We are not rebellious. While we have chosen to worship God in our homes, we do not by any means support the notion that churches who meet in buildings are somehow wrong in how they meet. This is what God has called us to do, and we are being obedient to him.
We are not ineffective. We have a vision for our neighbors, our baristas, our bagger at the grocery store. We want to see every believer growing in the Lord and able to share his/her faith with people in their lives. Additionally, we detach numerical growth with the word effective.
House Church is a Bible study, it is a prayer gathering. Isn't that what church should be?
The Model
We do not believe that House Church is the model as apposed to the traditional church model. The model we, and traditional churches, should seek to fulfill is to love. Prophesy will fade, knowledge will fade, tongues will pass away, but love never will. (1 Cor. 13). This is the model we seek. God has uniquely gifted us to be in small intimate settings.
We do not suggest that we have figured out something new. There are many house church movements out there. We believe that this is what God was always calling us to, and we are just finally deciding to be obedient to him.
We do not suggest that we have figured out something new. There are many house church movements out there. We believe that this is what God was always calling us to, and we are just finally deciding to be obedient to him.
What To Expect
House Church will probably differ from what you are used to. When you arrive, you will be greeted by a loving family. You will probably be swooped into a comfy living room where a brother or sister will want to know all about you.
When we begin, we begin with what the Spirit leads in. Sometimes we open in prayer and stay there for a while. Other times, we may begin with some worship, intermixed with prayer. Perhaps someone has a word or an encouragement to open us. Either way, the intention is always to fix our eyes on Jesus, and build one another up along the way.
Two things will always happen at the end of a service. We will end with the Lord's Table. We take communion every time we meet to bring our service to an end, and transition to our final act of worship together: sharing in a feast together.
Acts 2:42 tells us they devoted themselves to a simple set of things: the apostle's teachings, prayer, breaking bread, and fellowship. If we could hope for any expectation on any given Sunday, let us hope that we expect and experience these four things.
When we begin, we begin with what the Spirit leads in. Sometimes we open in prayer and stay there for a while. Other times, we may begin with some worship, intermixed with prayer. Perhaps someone has a word or an encouragement to open us. Either way, the intention is always to fix our eyes on Jesus, and build one another up along the way.
Two things will always happen at the end of a service. We will end with the Lord's Table. We take communion every time we meet to bring our service to an end, and transition to our final act of worship together: sharing in a feast together.
Acts 2:42 tells us they devoted themselves to a simple set of things: the apostle's teachings, prayer, breaking bread, and fellowship. If we could hope for any expectation on any given Sunday, let us hope that we expect and experience these four things.