Distinctives Part 1 Home Church

NCF Distinctives: : 

NCF Distinctives: Congregational Life Built Around Home Groups

“So where do YOU go to church…?” : 

“So where do YOU go to church…?” I have never liked this question… Implies that church is something we go to Implies that church is something we do Church is something that we ARE, because of our inclusion in God’s family at salvation – attending meetings is not what makes us a church EVERY Christian on Earth is part of “the church” Scripture commands us not to forsake “assembling together” We do have to assemble together somewhere, somehow How we choose to do this really matters!

Homes & Saturdays: Why Two Meetings? : 

Homes & Saturdays: Why Two Meetings? Is it simply to provide us with an additional lifestyle choice? Ex. Scouts on Tuesday, Care Group on Wednesday, YMCA on Thursday… No: at Northwest Christian Fellowship, both types of “assembly” are highly intentional Why?

Underlying Principle: Community : 

Underlying Principle: Community God Himself lives in community (Gen. 1:26) We are designed in His image “Meetings” don’t make a community – meaningfully, relationally connected lives do So what is the best way to encourage these deep life connections? Group meetings oriented around common interests? Group meetings oriented around “stage in life”? How about using a community framework that already exists?

The Household: OT Examples : 

The Household: OT Examples The Jews worshipped as families in their homes first, and then also at the temple/synagogue: Sabbaths Feasts (ex. Passover communal meal) Circumcision Teaching & Prayer The Greeks & Romans viewed the “household” as the foundational unit of social order and government The early Christians already had a framework for their new community to grow in (ex. 1 Cor. 10:27) Conclusion: the family home had been the main context for community for centuries prior to the Christian church’s arrival

The Household: NT Examples : 

The Household: NT Examples The most common descriptor of the church in the NT is as a “body” or “family” – even before there was a “church”! Mark 3: 31-35 - “Here are my mother and my brothers…” Mark 10: 29-30 - the promise of “family” to all who follow Him Cf. Paul’s letters to Corinth and Rome Jesus often ministered and taught in private homes Jesus appeared after His resurrection during dinner in a couple of homes where groups of disciples were naturally gathered Ex. Luke 24:30-43 Home-based fellowship was one of the first described corporate acts of Christian worship after Pentecost Acts 2: 46-47

Examples of NT “House Church” : 

Examples of NT “House Church” Acts 2:44-47 Temple & Homes Acts 16 Philippi: The church in Lydia’s house (v.40) Acts 18:7 Titius Justus’ house Rom.16:3-5 Priscilla and Aquilla’s house Col.4:15 Nymphas’ house Philemon (v.2) Homes typically had a courtyard, and a large upper room/roof, ideal for hosting guests 10-20 people could be accommodated in the larger homes An ideal, and very natural place for disciples to gather

Rare Description of a NT “House Church” at Work : 

Rare Description of a NT “House Church” at Work Acts 20:6-12 Large home Crowded gathering Teaching! Food! Miracles! (A bit like china)

The Home As A Missionary Base : 

The Home As A Missionary Base The early church grew through the salvation of “households”, not through ad campaigns Acts 16:15, 31-34 Two families, from very different socio-economic backgrounds, ONE CHURCH! Lydia’s house became a missionary center! So did Philip’s (Caeseria Philippi), Titius Justus’ (Corinth), and Jason’s (Thessalonica)

Did This Model “Work”?Examples from Church History : 

Did This Model “Work”?Examples from Church History At Paul’s trial, the Christians were accused of “turning the world upside down” Pliny (c. AD111), when asked by Trajan for some “intelligence” on the home-based activities of this suspicious new movement: “They usually meet on a fixed day, before dawn. They recite responsively a hymn to Christ, (as to a God), and bind themselves by oath – not for any criminal purpose, but against theft, adultery, fraud and failure to return loans. After this, they usually went away, to meet again later for an ordinary, harmless meal……For many persons of every age, every rank, and also of both sexes are and will be endangered [by this superstition]. For the contagion of this superstition has spread not only to the cities but also to the villages and farms. ….”

So What Happened?! : 

So What Happened?! After c. 300 yrs, the Western church became more focused on institutional, political and theological control Worldview shifted away from the Jewish “God is involved in everything” view to the Greek “secular vs. spiritual” view Shift from homes to special “meeting places” for church The simple communal meal (daiepnon – love feast) became formalized into an elaborate ritual/sacrament, operated only by special classes of Christian

So What Happened?! : 

Western churches became teaching centers, based on a Greco-Roman “theater” model Church became something people went to Church became something people did on the weekend Note: This was not a global phenomenon (ex. Africa, China, India) The sense of community and family began to erode… Homes as the natural context for church life became rarer So What Happened?!

Can we fix this? : 

Can we fix this? Community is the context for Kingdom growth, but in the West we have largely lost that sense of true spiritual and social interdependence Best friends that have never visited each other’s homes Independent ownership of potentially shared property (ex. Lawnmowers) Ignorance and fear/suspicion of our neighbors (xenophobia) Geographically isolated individuals, transient employment Harvard study (less than 12% of Americans have a “friend”)

What Is Our Response? : 

Our congregation is trying to reclaim and redeem that sense of home-based community NCF will be characterized by homes that are places for care, communal worship, fellowship and ministry What Is Our Response?

Slide 15: 

There is nothing magical about meeting in homes! Moving our meetings from a large building into a house doesn’t in itself address the need for relational community – it’s just another “place” How we share our lives within this context is what creates community and advances the kingdom Important Disclaimer!!!

How Do We Do This? : 

How Do We Do This? Care Groups Geographically spread-out Small & relationally based (not structural or artificially imposed) Safe & Informal (but more than a support group) Fellowship & Care (meals, conversations and meeting needs are important) Devotion to teaching, prayer & ministry (putting into action what we have seen & heard together) This is our “bread and butter” for building community – the place where we want ALL to connect to the life our congregation Saturday Meetings The meal matters – it reinforces who we are as a family Easier to present the “big ideas” of what the Lord is saying to us Easier to provide teaching for our youngest family members Easier to provide corporate worship This is our “big front door” – a place where we celebrate the Lord’s life within our family, and welcome and engage our visitors What makes this format a distinctive is our full engagement in BOTH contexts of our life together…

WILL You Participate? : 

WILL You Participate? The “Community Participation Pyramid” is not what the Kingdom is supposed to look like What “reasons” do we come up with for NOT participating in this Biblical mandate? Are they reasons, or are they excuses…?

Further Reading… : 

Further Reading… “The Church Comes Home” Robert & Julia Banks “The Church Beyond The Congregation” James Thwaites “Rethinking The Wineskin” by Frank Viola THE NEW TESTAMENT…..