I think house churches are great (at least some are great). I appreciate many of the folks I know who embrace them and I link to a few house church blogs on my sidebar. At the same time, I have written quite often that I would like to see a more positive approach to the current discussion surrounding the church. The name calling along with the “spiritual” pretense that there is only one way to be a “New Testament” church is hackneyed and counterproductive. Books capitalizing on anger, hurts, and bitterness have made publishing houses and individual authors lots of money, but as brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to move toward a more positive vision for church.
Tim Chester is a house church guy, and shares some of my concerns. In one of his older posts, he shares reasons why he has not read a lot of books on house church,
Tim Chester
When I was first interested in household church I did read a range of material and I found most of it narrow, petty, reductionistic and reactionary. Either it defined itself in terms of what it was against. Or it was obsessed with debates over the minutiae of what may or may not have happened in New Testament churches. It all seemed a world away from the missiological engagement in which I was interested. (I can’t say whether any of this is true of Pagan Christianity having not read the book!) Most of the groups involved seemed insular – more concerned with creating the perfect church than reaching the lost. Obviously I want to be biblical, but I believe there were a variety of church practices and models in the New Testament so that we can be flexible. We can adapt to our context (1 Corinthians 9).
I think Chester is right on! The church must be flexible in how we participate in our communal worship, but where we must focus on our energy is on the mission of reaching the lost with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Let each church follow its own collective conscience on ‘how’, ‘when’, and ‘where’ to worship and instead spend more time encouraging our communities to live out the ‘who’, ‘what’, and ‘why’ of the Gospel.
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Yes! Excellent! This is exactly why my dissertation is on the purpose of the church gathering, and not the location. (In other words, the “why”, not the “where”.)
I greatly enjoyed Chester book, Total Church, for that same reason.
Thanks for the quote and the post.
-Alan
I have not read his book, but may have to add it to my long list of Amazon Wish-list books
Agreed! Taking a slightly different tack than Alan, this is why I keep asking who we are instead of what structure we should have. Who and why are, I think, much more important questions.
ps: I’ve added Chester’s book to my wish list as well.
WOW……….this is so good! (Im going back and reading back postings of yours as I got behind)
It took me a while….from going to a staunch building church to a total opposite experience of a home based church who taught me buildings are BAD……to finally understanding the Lord doesn’t care where we meet…..becuase WE ARE THE CHURCH…not our location :O) I loved this one JOE! You just bless my heart!!