House Church Ideas

[Sleaker]

So recently my house church stopped meeting on Sundays, we decided to make that time so we can go out into the different churches that are already established in our area and minister to the people we meet in them.

This recent shift in our focus has to do with where we see the people in the church and our ability to help them have a more fulfilling relationship with God. From many people we have talked to it seems like Christians are still binding themselves up to law, don't do this, don't do that, go to church every Sunday etc. and haven't had a chance to experience what it means to be free from all of that along with all the self-condemnation that comes along with it. And so we have decided that we wanted to split up into different churches and minister to this need.

Anyone have any thoughts or comments about this?

[BenAdam]

Not a bad idea. Maybe you could look at helping shut-ins, the disabled, etc that love God but can't make it to church and are isolated?

[BBgrey]

Hmm...I think you might be setting yourselves up to be the enemies of those churches' leadership. You may be perceived as people trying to bring division -- and maybe you would bring division.

Anyway, isn't it better to seek and serve the lost?

bb

[Sleaker]

Anyway, isn't it better to seek and serve the lost?
bb

The question you are asking makes it seem like people who aren't 'churched' are more important than people who are churched. But I've found that people who are churched don't know God just as much as people who aren't.

The other question it looks like you are asking is:
Is it more loving to help build a Christian up or go out to people who don't know Christ?

I don't go there in my walk, all I can do is look at what the Lord has shown me, and that is: A large amount of people in churches today don't have a relationship with God, or they need serious help because of lack of pastoring the individual. If I were to try and consider the question you posed it wouldn't do me any good. I know with my gifts that I can help those who have been in the church, but may be struggling.

[BBgrey]

Please be careful of your pride, Sleaker.

Yes, the church is quite imperfect, but the majority of people who regularly attend church really are seeking God (also imperfectly, of course). People in churches do learn to understand scripture, do develop virtue, do engage in mission, do learn to pray and listen to the Spirit, do grow in faith, hope, and love. God is working in churches everywhere.

If you want to minister to people in the church, then you should invest yourself fully into a church community. Be incarnational -- actually become one of them and work as a committed and supportive member to bring reforming restoration rather than dissension.

The impression (sorry if I am mistaken here) I got from your initial post was that you want to go into churches and encourage them to belong to a separate community of "true" believers (perhaps in addition to their church) who are critical of, rather than supportive of, their current church. That is not really incarnational. You're setting yourself up to be a trojan horse, causing confusion and dissension within the body.

Going in with the assumption that they need you to free them from legalism and apathy is not very humble. Actually, when you pass that kind of judgement on all those churches, proclaiming your own way as the only true Christian way, you end up looking like how all the other denominations started out.

I am also concerned about some of your statements (such as "fulfilling relationship" and "pastoring the individual") that reflect more of individualism than Christianity. I fear that you might overlook the value of the whole-- the body of Christ as manifested in local churches -- for the individual. Remember that the impact you have on one part will impact the whole body. And remember that Christ loves the church.

Please be cautious. I know you do not want to do more harm than good.

bb

[Sleaker]

Please be careful of your pride, Sleaker.

Yes, the church is quite imperfect, but the majority of people who regularly attend church really are seeking God (also imperfectly, of course). People in churches do learn to understand scripture, do develop virtue, do engage in mission, do learn to pray and listen to the Spirit, do grow in faith, hope, and love. God is working in churches everywhere.

If you want to minister to people in the church, then you should invest yourself fully into a church community. Be incarnational -- actually become one of them and work as a committed and supportive member to bring reforming restoration rather than dissension.

The impression (sorry if I am mistaken here) I got from your initial post was that you want to go into churches and encourage them to belong to a separate community of "true" believers (perhaps in addition to their church) who are critical of, rather than supportive of, their current church. That is not really incarnational. You're setting yourself up to be a trojan horse, causing confusion and dissension within the body.

Going in with the assumption that they need you to free them from legalism and apathy is not very humble. Actually, when you pass that kind of judgement on all those churches, proclaiming your own way as the only true Christian way, you end up looking like how all the other denominations started out.

I am also concerned about some of your statements (such as "fulfilling relationship" and "pastoring the individual") that reflect more of individualism than Christianity. I fear that you might overlook the value of the whole-- the body of Christ as manifested in local churches -- for the individual. Remember that the impact you have on one part will impact the whole body. And remember that Christ loves the church.

Please be cautious. I know you do not want to do more harm than good.

bb


You are absolutely correct that we need to be careful, the idea is that we are splitting up and choosing churches that we can fit into, and become a part of the community within, so that we can help people do exactly what you stated in your first paragraph.

Thanks for the thoughts!

[BBgrey]

Cool. I'll be praying for you and your house group. I'm sure it will be a long and challenging process for all of you, but there is a great need for it. What a wonderful thing to be part of the restoration of God's kingdom!

Sorry for jumping to the wrong conclusions <smiles sheepishly>.

Just out of curiosity, are you planning to continue meeting with your house group?

bb

[ghs1994]

I am a part of a local church with about 275 members including kids.

I long to be a part of a smaller assembly closer to my home.

I think that the hope your cell church has to "reach" other churches will be met with problems. I think if it were me, I'd be studying the book of Acts to see how the church functioned in the beginning, how they ministered to the needs of others (believers and unbelievers).

It does sound very very much like pride on your end. As though your cell church has some clue none of the rest of us have about God.

I would encourage you that if you're intentions are to fellowship with other believers within a local congregation, you should fully commit yourself to them and not as a means to run back to the fort for information of how to win local believers to a cell church.

I hope you don't take this wrong, it is not meant to be hostile. But I am aware that there are those folks out there in these small cell groups that have formed out of anger and pride rather than love of Jesus.