Now that I've thrown something out there, it's time for me to take a minute and define it.

There are three major categories of church gatherings, in terms of size:

Cell - a cell is a small gathering of people, from a handful up to about 20.

Congregation - a congregation is a medium-sized gathering, from about 20 up to a couple of hundred.

Celebration - a celebration is a large-sized gathering, from several hundred to many thousands of people, covering a geographical area.

Megachurches are notable in terms of their size, and we tend to focus on them. But the fact is that the vast majority of churches are in the size range of a congregation. The average church size, worldwide, is about 100. A small percentage of churches grow beyond 200. For the most part, traditional churches fall into the size range of a congregation. But even churches that grow beyond that are primarily large congregations, not celebrations.

Church history, including examples in the New Testament, indicate that the typical meetings in the early church consisted of cell-sized gatherings (in people's homes) and celebration-sized gatherings (usually in public places, such as the outer court of the temple in Jerusalem).

Many house churches today do not participate in a celebration-sized gathering. Some house churches are born out of bitterness, and simply remain in isolation. Some churches remain in houses simply because their theology or culture makes it impossible for them to grow.

But there is a growing number of house churches, those birthed out of mission, that seek to fulfill the great commission - to "train everyone you meet in this way of life." We are called to share life with others, train them how to follow Christ, and help them to train others how to follow Christ. It is not about being inward-focused, it's about simplifying what we do so we can allow God to do marvelous things.

Many of the people I know who are involved in house churches are also eager to birth celebrations - gatherings of house churches across a wide area, for worship and encouragement. I do not know yet when that will happen or exactly what it will look like, but I can see God working through multiple people, and it will happen.

Still, the celebration is not the focus. It's not the main thing, and it's not even on the same level as the cell-sized gathering. The church is not people coming together in large crowds to worship God. The church is people gathering together, sharing life, and discipling others. The church is best realized in cell-sized gatherings.

What happens in a house church? What does it look like?

In reality, every house church is different because every house church is composed of different mixes of people. Kind of like a family - it all depends on who is thrown into the mix. But house churches generally involve:

Eating - something special happens when you eat together. Many house churches regularly include meals, and most others include some level of refreshments on a weekly basis. Give people the chance to interact informally. The simple fact is that the "Lord's Supper" was a meal, and was, in the early church, regularly celebrated as one.

Training - unlike how traditional churches teach in a presentational or educational style, house churches generally concentrate on training, in a relational approach. That is, I can't train you unless I get to know you. Jesus said to "teach them to obey everything I have commanded to you." (Matthew 28:20) But true teaching is less a presentation, and more a demonstration.

Sharing - the early church shared both material and spiritual blessings. "No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had." (Acts 4:32) "When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation." (1 Corinthians 14:26) At a traditional church, it is simply not possible for either of these to occur. Yes, we can give our offerings to the church, but such offerings are typically used to maintain the church building and pay the church staff, not to be distributed among those who have needs. And churches can ask people to be involved in the worship team, read a scripture, etc., but Paul specifically states "everyone."

Prayer - believers should be regularly gathering together, praying for each other and their community. Having a five minute prayer in context of an hour-long worship service is hardly what this is about. Traditional churches often have special "prayer meetings," which have rather poor attendance. Prayer should be at the center of our gatherings, not a separate program.

Finally, the goals are different between a traditional church and a house church. In a traditional church, the goal is to "add." Add more members to the group. This will allow for more programs, more outreach, bigger buildings, and more impressive presentations. In a healthy house church, the goal is to "multiply." As our group grows, God will raise up a new leader and the group will split into two.

Traditional churches often strive to have multiple services, multiple locations (satellite venues are growing in popularity today), and even talk about "church plants." But a "split" is hardly ever the specific goal.

It is not my goal to trash traditional churches - God has used and continues to use them for His purposes. But it is difficult to discuss the benefits of a house church without comparing them to, and viewing the deficiencies of, a traditional church. The goal is not necessarily to find a better way, but to get out of the way. To get out of God's way, by removing our man-made structures and programs and let His spirit lead the way. We must remain focused on the call of Christ, not on the traditions that have been passed down to us.

In a sense, this is what we have chosen. But the truth is, this is what God has placed on our hearts. This is what He has called us to do.

Labels: church, house church