Why Do People Home Church?

You can find all kinds of different reasons why people start home churches. For
some, it is because they believe the home church is the pattern that is followed in
the Scriptures. For some it is because they can no longer support the non-profit,
constitutional, institutionalized, organizational structure that is not supported by
the Scriptures. In the New Testament, believers gathered in homes and in small
groups. They were intimately connected and shared their life and faith with one
another on a one-to-one basis. For some, they find that the huge, faceless,
uncaring, notching conglomerate, country club type of church can not offer the
type of real relationships and intimate fellowship with other believers that the Holy
Spirit has shown in the Scriptures that should exist. One person once asked,
"How can you fellowship with the back of someone's head while you're listening
to someone up front impersonally conduct an orchestrated service?" Many, many
Christians are thirsting for more than the superficial, non-involvement that is forced
upon you by the cold, controlled environment of what the modern day
"church" calls a "service." Just exactly what kind of service is being performed
anyway? Is it a one sided service? When was the last time you tried to share
something? Were you told to shut-up? If you do anything that doesn't fit in with
the agenda of the day are you told, "Everything must be done decently and in
order or you are sinning."? Or have you been out and out attacked in the name of
"truth and unity"? And it was all because you simply wanted to connect,
fellowship, share and grow with fellow believers, only to be stifled, pushed aside
and treated like a number, not a child of God, a priest and king, and an heir of
eternal life.

Now, imagine how happy those people were, who discovered that "church" was
not some kind of Sunday morning ritual, fellowship was more than gathering
together to passively listen to someone tell you what to believe, that being fitted
together and joined to one another wasn't meeting in an elaborate, expensive, high
maintenance building with a giant glow in the dark cross on the top. Imagine the
ecstasy, when they discovered a deeper fellowship and life that drew them much
closer together as God's people, where they were treated with dignity and
respect, where true Christian healing and love could be shared, where they had
the simple freedom to share together as Christian family members without fear of
being castigated, ridiculed and muted.

That doesn't mean the home church is always perfect. Even home church
Christians have their flesh to contend with. In fact, sometimes the it can be more
intimidating, because the person who does not want accountability has no where
to hide. While on the other hand, they also find that there is no need to hide,
because within the home church there is a much greater capability of sharing the
great love, mercy, grace and forgiveness of Christ and to help one another grow
in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Instead of being scared of others, ashamed
to confess their sins and anything else that might be hindering them from
confession, repentance and forgiveness and thus healing in Christ, there is a
greater ability for one Christian soul to touch the soul of another. It is all about
love. It is about the love of Christ that binds us together, heals us, connects us to
Him and to one another. The walls and barriers and anonymity are taken away
and the true freedom we find in Christ is encouraged.

Is there any Scriptural support for home churches?

Colossians 4:15 - Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the
church that is in his house. NKJV

Romans 16:3-5 - Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also
all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house.
NKJV

1 Corinthians 16:19-20 - The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla
greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. NKJV

Philemon 1-2 - To Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer, to the beloved
Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house. NKJV

Acts 2:46-47 - Breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with
gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.
And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. NKJV

Acts 4:31 - And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled
together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke
the word of God with boldness. NKJV

Is there any Scriptural support for the modern institutionalized, materialistic,
fleshly, non-profit organization that most people call "church"?

What is the purpose of Christ's church?

1 Corinthians 14:26-33 - How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together,
each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an
interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If anyone speaks in a tongue,
let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if
there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself
and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if
anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. For you can all
prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the
spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of
confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. NKJV

1 Peter 2:4-10 - Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but
chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a
spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to
God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold,
I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will
by no means be put to shame." Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but
to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected has become
the chief cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense." They
stumble, being disobedient to the Word, to which they also were appointed. But
you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special
people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of
God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. NKJV

1 Corinthians 12:4-31 - There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There
are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of
activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the
Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the Word of
wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same
Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same
Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another
discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the
interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things,
distributing to each one individually as He wills.

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one
body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body ? whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free ? and
have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one
member but many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not of
the body," is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, "Because I
am not an eye, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? If the whole
body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where
would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in
the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the
body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye
cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor again the head to the feet, "I
have no need of you." No, much rather, those members of the body which seem
to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to
be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable
parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God
composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that
there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same
care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or
if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now YOU are the
body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the
church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then
gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are
all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of
healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the
best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. NKJV

Ephesians 4:7-13 - But to each one of us grace was given according to the
measure of Christ?s gift. Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led
captivity captive, And gave gifts to men." (Now this, "He ascended" ? what does
it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who
descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might
fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the
work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity
of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. NKJV

Revelation 1:5-6 - To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own
blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory
and dominion forever and ever. Amen. NKJV

http://Bibleweb.Info/

= =

Barna studies - growing popularity of house churches in U.S.

Christian researcher George Barna believes house churches will continue to grow
in popularity throughout the U.S. Recently, the Barna Group conducted two
surveys looking at the growing house church movement and discovered that it
attracts many young believers and those dissatisfied with their traditional church
experiences.

In a recent pair of studies, Christian researcher George Barna and his research
firm, the Barna Group, looked at key factors of the house church movement in the
United States in an effort to discover what has fueled the rising popularity of
house churches in America.

Barna says the studies indicate that house churches appeal to older adults who
want a deeper experience with God and other believers. Also, he says house
churches tend to attract young adults who have little interest in traditional forms of
church.

Among the Barna Group's findings was the fact that the average size of a house
church is 20 people, and there is an average of seven children under age 18
involved in each church. Also, the surveys found that three out of every four house
church participants have been active in their current gathering for less than a year.

What the research indicates, Barna notes, is that many Americans are
experimenting with house churches. "There is a very significant and consistent
move of people into house churches," he says, "but it's not a cut- and-dried kind
of move."

For example, Barna points out, "Most of the people who are regularly attending a
house church still, on at least an infrequent basis, are attending a conventional
church."

According to the church culture and trends analyst, there are primarily two types
of people who are attracted to house churches. They are the older participants
who seek a deeper experience with God and with other believers, he says, and
the young adults who have little interest in traditional forms of church.

Still, Barna notes, many variables exist when it comes to house churches. "What
we find is, because it is a group of people who lead themselves, generally
speaking they do not have a formal pastor," he says.

"There are some of these groups, we found, who really believe that it's not good
to have that one person that has the title, the authority, the responsibility," the
researcher adds, "because then everybody becomes dependent on that person,
and there's power struggles and authority issues that crop up."

The Barna Group survey also revealed that 80 percent of house churches in
America meet weekly, while 11 percent meet once a month. Also, four out
of ten house churches say the format they follow varies from week to week.

Allie Martin
OneNewsNow.com
January 31, 2007

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http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/01/christian_researcher_barna_stu.php

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