A Blog for the Church

And to conclude (for now) our House Church 101 series, I want to cover some of the best benefits of participating in a house church that you’re not likely to find in a normal church.  It’s not that these things cannot exist in a normal church structure, it’s just that the format of normal churches work against these things making them very difficult to cultivate well.

Keep in mind that the four things I’m about to go over (discipleship, accountability, giving, and evangelism) look differently in house churches than in normal churches.  It may very well be that some of us have experienced these things in ways different from what I will outline here.  That’s okay.

Discipleship

In most churches, discipleship consists of some sort of class complete with reading materials, Scripture memorization, spiritual disciplines, and church involvement.  Not that any of those things are bad, but for most churches, these are individualized activities.  The class is merely your place to learn about them, but the actual doing of them takes place on one’s own time, apart from the community.

In a house church, we have a unique opportunity to raise the bar on discipleship and we do that in two ways.

First, the house church setting is the perfect setting to ask questions.  Unlike a class or normal church structure, house churches cultivate environments where individuals are not only able, but encouraged to ask questions and wrestle with issues as we bring them to the table.  This, of course, is not only beneficial for the person asking the question, but others as well. This is because we are likely to, at some point in our lives, ask these same types of questions.  Further, when this is done in a community setting, it makes discipleship a community activity, too.

Second, the discipleship process takes on a new level as house church members engage in ministry.  By that, I don’t mean put together a program or join up with a non-profit in town (though both may be called for at times), I mean folks who sense what God is doing in someone’s life on an organic level and joining him in that work and pulling others in when necessary.  We call these opportunities “Thumbprint Projects” because each one will be unique and require a unique set of gifts which we believe God has given to individuals in our group for this specific reason.

Participate: What does your discipleship process currently look like?  What’s the next step for taking it to the next level?

Engage: Do you do discipleship alone or with others?  Write down three ways to make it a more communal process and identify how you can implement those changes.

Own: When is the last time you heard about a need apart from a formal structure like a non-profit?  Somewhere, there is a Thumbprint Project waiting for you.  Be on the look out.

Accountability

Have you ever been sitting in church and heard the speaker say something that was either off-base Biblically or that wasn’t entirely true?  Or, have you ever been in a small group setting where you said something that you later realized was off-base and nobody said anything?

For the most part, normal church restricts accountability to private affairs.  But this was not the way things were meant to be.

In a house church, the environment is set for corporate accountability.  It is expected that as we engage with one another and the Word of God, that we challenge one another to grow towards Christ.  Sometimes this will mean clarifying doctrine and sometimes it will mean allowing ourselves to get into other people’s business (and allowing them to get into ours).

For us, church isn’t a place where we can come, sing songs, hear the Word, and otherwise keep our business to ourselves.  At a house church, there is no such thing as “none of your business.”  We are the Body of Christ and a family – your business is my business.  We don’t let each other off the hook, we ask tough questions, and we also love tenaciously.  Of course, we do this remembering that we are not perfect and are all in need of grace.  Humility, gentleness, and discernment are key.

And, while this often creates for some discomfort, we know that it is never comfortable when God is pruning us and turning us into the people he wants us to be.

Participate: Are you someone who prefers to keep your business to yourself?  Identify one way you can begin to let others in your business.

Engage: At your next small group meeting or house church, say something off-base and see if anybody reacts.  If not, ask the group about it at your next meeting and explore how you can be more accountable to one another.

Own: Do you have a brother or sister in Christ who has trusted you to hold them accountable and you have shied away from the responsibility?  What tough questions can you ask them? (Remember humility, gentleness and discernment!)

Giving

Ah, yes, the age-old giving question.  You might think that as a house-church our overhead costs are minimal (which they are) and that, as a result, giving is not as important as it might be in a normal church setting.

You might think that…many do.  But they are wrong.

The assumption that Christians give because the church needs it is faulty.  I know many churches communicate it that way, but they are wrong, too.  The truth is that Christians are called to give as part of their discipleship.  It is for the individual’s (or family’s) benefit that they should give, not the church’s.  The church is supposed to be the place where the Body of Christ is challenged to be and live more like Jesus Christ. If the church is either encouraging members to give for the church’s benefit, or not asking members to give at all, the church is not doing its job.

Of course, in a house church (and any good church, for that matter), giving is much more holistic.  It is not just money we are after, but time, possessions, and spiritual gifts.  In other words, unless we are giving of our whole selves, we are not giving the way God wants us to.

At our house churches this means meeting needs as we learn about them.  Sometimes the need is money, but sometimes it isn’t.  Sometimes it is embracing the inconvenience of watching someone else’s kids, sharing possessions, or exploring other creative ways to help.  The fact is that when we pray for God to help us give Biblically, He shows up in ways we never imagined.

Participate: Give something away.  Something you don’t want to.  Now.

Engage: Do you become upset when your church talks about giving?  Identify the reasons why and see whether it is something within you causing it.  How is God trying to grow you?

Own: There’s a need around you.  You can help, even if you don’t have money to give.  Find out what it is and begin helping.

Evangelism

As a house church, there is no one person who is considered the professional, the guy or gal always up front doing the talking and responsible for growing the church.  Instead, we are all responsible to build God’s Kingdom.  We are always spreading a message, remember?  The question is, “Which message are we are spreading?”  Is it Jesus’ or someone else’s?

Whereas a normal church relegates evangelism to programmed events (like a block party), at a house church, we rely on organic opportunities to communicate the Gospel – like inviting someone to our house for dinner.  And you know what we’ve found?  It is much more difficult to invite someone for dinner…but also much more transformative.  Programs compromise transformative power for ease.

Even though everything we do communicates a message and is thus evangelism, we still encourage members to look for ways to be deliberate.  It is one thing to go about our lives with integrity and love and another to go out of our way and take on inconvenient tasks and people for the sake of sharing about the Gospel.

Participate: Examine your day yesterday.  Did you communicate the gospel at all times, in your doing and your speaking?  What needs to change?

Engage: Identify three ways to be more deliberate in your evangelism.  Even if you don’t want to.

Own: This week, do one willfully inconvenient thing to help someone, then share the gospel with them.