Statement of Faith
Our supreme desire is to know Christ and to be conformed into His image, likeness and example by the power of the Holy Spirit. We encourage this by abiding in Jesus Christ through His Word, prayer, and fellowship, and by yielding our lives to the Holy Spirit. TOP What
is a House Church? House Churches are local churches in which the church life and ministry to one another takes place mainly in House groups instead of in a "central service". House-churches do have a Sunday service, but the emphasis is on the Houses, where teaching, counseling, ministry, prayer and evangelism take place. The important thing about a House church is not the quality of the worship leader or how gifted the group leader is, but the tangible love of Christ between the members. People are drawn to Christ when they experience His love practically. Christianity is primarily relational. Jesus when he called his followers asking them to follow Him in relationship. Doctrine is essential but it must be realized in the context of people living out their lives in a way that looks Christ-like. Each "House Church" is committed to network with other house churches in their city or region. This keeps them from pride, exclusiveness, and heresy. Additionally, leaders are intent on the reproduction of these house churches. When the house or place where they are meeting is outgrown, instead of constructing a church building, a new house church is planted with the leadership most likely coming from the initial House church. TOP What
is the Difference Between a House Church and a Small Group? Children
in House Churches To make disciples is a foundational House church value. Children need to be discipled too, and parents need help in doing it (Hand in Hand). Within the House, members can pray and offer support, while materials provide a "track" so that parent and child can learn, grow, relate, pray, evangelize and serve together. As Houses meet together each week there is a quite unique sense of "completeness, "yet it is this time that becomes the focus of concern. It is important to conduct the meeting so that EVERYONE is challenged. Jesus did that all the time every generation heard Him, obeyed Him and loved Him. So it has to be possible for us to do the same, as Jesus is the center of our House Church. I am sure there may be materials that would have an intergenerational ministry in mind. God is not limited by our understanding of how church works. Naturally there is a concern about how to do this. We strayed far from our heritage and lost our natural ability to pass on from generation to generation in the church, often in our families as well. This would be an area of great prayer and discernment as we launch a House church. House churches need to apply all they have learned to the children as well as the adults. Include them, follow up on their problems, take an interest in them, be relational, empower the parents to be God's touch on their lives and watch how they will transform your life too! When a family enters the church, they are often separated according to age. Young children go to the nursery. The next age group attends the children's program. The pre-teens and early teens have their own arena. The youth segregate themselves into their own events. Young adults find people who share their problems. Singles have their own peer group. Senior citizens meet for missions and prayer and fellowship. These sub-groups have very little idea of what the others are doing. Often they do not communicate with each other. The church for them is the life and ministry of the sub-group. In most churches there is no place where children and parents and even grandparents can meet, get to know each other, and serve together in Christian ministry. Every age-level of the family is involved in the activities of their sub-group and the family flies off in different directions, even during the week. If we are serious about giving our children the best possible chance to discover the life of faith, we need to show them how it works, first in the family and then in the life of the Church. No amount of preaching or teaching or pro-grams can be a substitute for that. If they cannot see that Christian faith works for the people around them, children will assume that it does not work at all. House churches create a meeting place, which crosses the generations. It is a place where children and young people are welcomed and respected. It is safe enough for them to ask questions and to seek help. They should also experience a sense of community in their family situation, where children learn that their parent's love is unconditional and they can talk about anything. Their parents may have struggles with their own lives, but it is a family struggle and the children can support the parents as well as the other way round. One way of opening up the sense of community in the family is for parents to disciple their own children in the Christian faith. This is not a specialist skill to be handed over to the church. It is a nurturing task, as basic as feeding the children and comforting their hurts. Granted not all House Churches will want children in all the time, but it is exciting to realize that each House church has the potential for training and equipping its children for ministry and service much like Deut. 6:1-9 reveals. The place and presences of children in House churches is certainly a matter of discussion and over the next months we will see God reveal what He wants to do. Certainly I believe that children will be a part of the Mouse church along with even having their own Mouse church designed just for then. I anticipate that each House church will have to determine how they will minister to the children in their group. For some they may have the children in for worship and then send them out with one from the group for their own activities, while other house churches may keep their children in for the whole meeting. Some house churches may alternate the responsibility of the children from couple to couple having the children at one house while the adults meet at an-other house. TOP The
Principle of Twelve and How It Relates to the House Church Jesus' Example-"And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast oat devils" (Mark 3:14). The first revelation in this passage is that Jesus "ordained" twelve. This indicates to us that He appointed twelve for His own purposes. These men were handpicked. Look at the simple purpose revealed here: "...that they should be with him... " This means that they should be in His presence. The principle of twelve is a principle of building friendships with the people that you want to be with. It has everything to do with banding together and growing together. It is a partnership of people who want to be together to do whatever God is requiring them to do. Then, it is a relationship of people who are being "sent forth" together to preach, heal the sick, and cast out devils. It is an active participation in the deliverance and salvation of all who come in contact with this group of twelve. Just as the biological cell is a basic building block of life so to spiritual House (cell) churches are the basic building blocks of the church. Healthy cells multiply themselves mil-lions of times in the course of a lifetime. Each new cell looks identical to the original cell because the DNA branded nucleus multiplies itself before the cell reproduces. In this way, the new cell is as healthy and productive as the original cell in its given role. The cells work together as organs, muscles, bone and skin to make the body function as a true miracle from God. A spiritual (cell) House group is very similar to a biological cell. Followers of Jesus Christ edify one another and increase the kingdom by sharing their lives with unbelievers. New leaders are raised up from within the group (with the support and training by their pastoral staff) to grow and expand the ministry to a hurting world. When the group multi-plies, the process repeats itself. TOP House
Churches and Celebration Services The responsibility of the House Church Pastors is to give direction to the teaching and Bible study materials of the House groups. The teaching notes are for the purpose of stimulating discussion over a Biblical topic or book. Currently the House Churches are on a two and a half year study through the Scriptures. Both gatherings are vital for success! The House group meets to experience Christ's love through others in a intimate, accountable setting where the word can be discussed and application can be encouraged. The celebration service (the gathering of House Churches) is to experience God, worship, and to receive exhortation from His Word and to gain a sense of congregational identity. One without the other would not fulfill all God has for His people. TOP What
About Tithes and Offerings? Since this House church is a new organism, exactly what it will look like is unknown. We will have to pray and wait and see what God desires for us. Don't put a strict structure or lack of structure on the House church. We need to seek God and see how and where He leads. As you consider if you would want to be a part of a House church, pray and ask God and be obedient. TOP |
