Frequently Asked Questions
The answers to most questions about the practical matters of simple
churches vary from church to church, but below you will find
suggestions as well as links to further reading and exploration on
the topics people most frequently ask about.
What about children?
Groups will vary, but the key is to try to include the kids in as much as possible. For example, it may be the kids who "drive" the worship by choosing songs, taking part in testimony or sharing, and helping when you are praying with someone.
When it comes to studying the Word, some groups provide activities so that the kids can just play quietly alongside what is going on with the adults. Others will have a specific activity planned for the kids, and others will let them play elsewhere under the supervision of an older kid. The possibilities are endless. Remember that kids are not just a part of the church of the future, but they are the church of right now too. They are allowed to be kids. They have the same Holy Spirit in them as the adults -- not somehow a lesser junior version.
Read:
“What about children?” from the SimpleChurch Journal
What about finances?
Here is a helpful email we received from a leader of a network of house churches in Killeen TX:
My name is Jim Mellon and we have a network in central TX called the Association of Home Churches. We have incorporated and the only way to open a bank account under a church name is to get a tax I.D. #. Because of a long-term vision the Lord has given us, we decided to incorporate. Eighty to ninetyauthority percent of all of our giving goes to benevolence and missions both local and foreign. We give to local missions such as the food care center, mission soup kitchen, Hope Pregnancy Center and others. One of our goals as a church is to model economically how a housechurch network functions.
If you do not want to get a tax I.D. #, you could encourage your church members to give directly to whoever the Lord leads. The other alternative would be to partner with another non-profits that would be willing to keep your records separate.
Read:
“The Big Bang (For Your Bucks) Theory” by Jim and Cathy Mellon
“Who should the Church Pay: What about Pastors?” by Neil Cole
What about doctrine and heresy?
The following excerpt from the newsletter of Maurice Smith and the Parousia Network in Spokane deals very clearly with why most house churches don't have "Statements of Faith" detailing doctrinal beliefs.
“I recently received several e-mails asking about our "doctrinal statement" in The Parousia Network. This made me stop and think some more about doctrine and house church. Dr. Haddon Robinson once told me that doctrinal statements tend to be "conflict documents," that is, they tend to get written as the result of a conflict and a need to distinguish what one group believes as opposed to the other group. I call them "shibboleth" documents (see Judges 12:1-6), "We all say ‘shibboleth’ but they all say ‘sibboleth’". People in search of doctrinal statements are often in search of a "shibboleth" (or a "sibboleth"). If you want to know what I believe theologically, get a copy of Wayne Grudem’s "Systematic Theology" and read it. When you’re done, if you have any left-over questions, let me know and we’ll talk about them.
Theology ("doctrine" or "dogma") is like the foundation of a house. A good foundation doesn’t guarantee that what you build on it will be good or will last; but a bad foundation almost guarantees future problems with whatever you build upon it. Good theology doesn’t guarantee a successful house church any more than a good foundation guarantees a successful house. But bad theology jeopardizes everything you and your house church seek to build on that foundation. The success of your (or any) house church will be determined by what you & I build on the good foundation we lay. And most of what is built will be "non-theological" in any technical sense.
Do you love one another, even when you sharply disagree with one another? Do you bear one another’s burdens non-judgmentally? Do you pray with and for one another? Do you equip and build one another up through mutual ministry and the proper exercise of all the gifts God has bestowed upon you? Do you meet one another’s needs radically and financially? Do you feed the hungry, befriend the stranger, visit the prisoner, prefer one another in honor and practice the more than 30 "one another’s" in Scripture? These are the building blocks of organic house church which we build upon the proper foundation of right doctrine. Without them we are little more than a bible study club, or a prophecy club, or a tongues club, or a healing club, etc. But with them, we are the living stones which God Himself is using to build a spiritual house that the New Testament calls "the ekklesia of God".
Read:
“The Threat of Heresy in the Organic Church Movement” by Neil Cole
How big should our church be before it multiplies?
Most “experts” suggest that fifteen to twenty adults is the maximum number for a house church. Although we have had them get to forty or more, a group this large loses the sense of intimacy and makes it nearly impossible for everyone to participate. Again you have to seek the Lord for the answers for your particular situation, but in general, when the numbers get so large that some people stop participating, it is time to multiply. (excerpted from “The Rabbit and The Elephant”)
Read:
“Chapter 9: Multiply” by Roger Thoman
How do we multiply our church?
The first church we started grew to more than fifty before we split it down the middle into two groups. For a year after that, people told us that the split felt like a divorce. Because of this, we no longer multiply by dividing a church into two. From the start we encourage those who find a person of peace to seek to start new churches/groups within that person’s sphere of influence. If, in spite of this, your numbers are reaching a maximum point, rather than include a new family who wants to join in the existing church, try to start a new church around them. Draw on one of the families from the existing church to help. Then it becomes an exciting church plant that the original group takes ownership of and will support. And by doing things this way, you typically have the advantage of moving into a new neighborhood, with a new set of people getting involved. (excerpted from “The Rabbit and The Elephant”)
What about ceremonial events - weddings, baptisms and communion?
Weddings:
We usually encourage couples to have a civil wedding in front of a Justice of the Peace on a Friday to deal with the legal issues, and then have anything that they and their house church want for the real wedding that weekend. We have seen all sorts of fabulous weddings from simple, in gardens, to full regalia in borrowed church buildings. We encourage them that the marriage before God within the church in the home is the time to consider themselves married, but that the legal part needs to be done for a variety of reasons, not least out of respect for the State and because the piece of paper does help to bind a couple together.
Baptism:
Be creative! We have heard of baptisms in jacuzzis, bathtubs, swimming pools, and lakes.
Read:
“Weirdness in the Church over Baptism” by Neil Cole
“Beer and baptism” by Roger Thoman
Lord’s Supper:
The way that people in different house churches handle the Lord's Supper varies widely.
Read:
“The Last Snack” by Steve Atkerson and Eric Svendson
Click here to return to "Getting Started."
What about children?
Groups will vary, but the key is to try to include the kids in as much as possible. For example, it may be the kids who "drive" the worship by choosing songs, taking part in testimony or sharing, and helping when you are praying with someone.
When it comes to studying the Word, some groups provide activities so that the kids can just play quietly alongside what is going on with the adults. Others will have a specific activity planned for the kids, and others will let them play elsewhere under the supervision of an older kid. The possibilities are endless. Remember that kids are not just a part of the church of the future, but they are the church of right now too. They are allowed to be kids. They have the same Holy Spirit in them as the adults -- not somehow a lesser junior version.
Read:
“What about children?” from the SimpleChurch Journal
What about finances?
Here is a helpful email we received from a leader of a network of house churches in Killeen TX:
My name is Jim Mellon and we have a network in central TX called the Association of Home Churches. We have incorporated and the only way to open a bank account under a church name is to get a tax I.D. #. Because of a long-term vision the Lord has given us, we decided to incorporate. Eighty to ninetyauthority percent of all of our giving goes to benevolence and missions both local and foreign. We give to local missions such as the food care center, mission soup kitchen, Hope Pregnancy Center and others. One of our goals as a church is to model economically how a housechurch network functions.
If you do not want to get a tax I.D. #, you could encourage your church members to give directly to whoever the Lord leads. The other alternative would be to partner with another non-profits that would be willing to keep your records separate.
Read:
“The Big Bang (For Your Bucks) Theory” by Jim and Cathy Mellon
“Who should the Church Pay: What about Pastors?” by Neil Cole
What about doctrine and heresy?
The following excerpt from the newsletter of Maurice Smith and the Parousia Network in Spokane deals very clearly with why most house churches don't have "Statements of Faith" detailing doctrinal beliefs.
“I recently received several e-mails asking about our "doctrinal statement" in The Parousia Network. This made me stop and think some more about doctrine and house church. Dr. Haddon Robinson once told me that doctrinal statements tend to be "conflict documents," that is, they tend to get written as the result of a conflict and a need to distinguish what one group believes as opposed to the other group. I call them "shibboleth" documents (see Judges 12:1-6), "We all say ‘shibboleth’ but they all say ‘sibboleth’". People in search of doctrinal statements are often in search of a "shibboleth" (or a "sibboleth"). If you want to know what I believe theologically, get a copy of Wayne Grudem’s "Systematic Theology" and read it. When you’re done, if you have any left-over questions, let me know and we’ll talk about them.
Theology ("doctrine" or "dogma") is like the foundation of a house. A good foundation doesn’t guarantee that what you build on it will be good or will last; but a bad foundation almost guarantees future problems with whatever you build upon it. Good theology doesn’t guarantee a successful house church any more than a good foundation guarantees a successful house. But bad theology jeopardizes everything you and your house church seek to build on that foundation. The success of your (or any) house church will be determined by what you & I build on the good foundation we lay. And most of what is built will be "non-theological" in any technical sense.
Do you love one another, even when you sharply disagree with one another? Do you bear one another’s burdens non-judgmentally? Do you pray with and for one another? Do you equip and build one another up through mutual ministry and the proper exercise of all the gifts God has bestowed upon you? Do you meet one another’s needs radically and financially? Do you feed the hungry, befriend the stranger, visit the prisoner, prefer one another in honor and practice the more than 30 "one another’s" in Scripture? These are the building blocks of organic house church which we build upon the proper foundation of right doctrine. Without them we are little more than a bible study club, or a prophecy club, or a tongues club, or a healing club, etc. But with them, we are the living stones which God Himself is using to build a spiritual house that the New Testament calls "the ekklesia of God".
Read:
“The Threat of Heresy in the Organic Church Movement” by Neil Cole
How big should our church be before it multiplies?
Most “experts” suggest that fifteen to twenty adults is the maximum number for a house church. Although we have had them get to forty or more, a group this large loses the sense of intimacy and makes it nearly impossible for everyone to participate. Again you have to seek the Lord for the answers for your particular situation, but in general, when the numbers get so large that some people stop participating, it is time to multiply. (excerpted from “The Rabbit and The Elephant”)
Read:
“Chapter 9: Multiply” by Roger Thoman
How do we multiply our church?
The first church we started grew to more than fifty before we split it down the middle into two groups. For a year after that, people told us that the split felt like a divorce. Because of this, we no longer multiply by dividing a church into two. From the start we encourage those who find a person of peace to seek to start new churches/groups within that person’s sphere of influence. If, in spite of this, your numbers are reaching a maximum point, rather than include a new family who wants to join in the existing church, try to start a new church around them. Draw on one of the families from the existing church to help. Then it becomes an exciting church plant that the original group takes ownership of and will support. And by doing things this way, you typically have the advantage of moving into a new neighborhood, with a new set of people getting involved. (excerpted from “The Rabbit and The Elephant”)
What about ceremonial events - weddings, baptisms and communion?
Weddings:
We usually encourage couples to have a civil wedding in front of a Justice of the Peace on a Friday to deal with the legal issues, and then have anything that they and their house church want for the real wedding that weekend. We have seen all sorts of fabulous weddings from simple, in gardens, to full regalia in borrowed church buildings. We encourage them that the marriage before God within the church in the home is the time to consider themselves married, but that the legal part needs to be done for a variety of reasons, not least out of respect for the State and because the piece of paper does help to bind a couple together.
Baptism:
Be creative! We have heard of baptisms in jacuzzis, bathtubs, swimming pools, and lakes.
Read:
“Weirdness in the Church over Baptism” by Neil Cole
“Beer and baptism” by Roger Thoman
Lord’s Supper:
The way that people in different house churches handle the Lord's Supper varies widely.
Read:
“The Last Snack” by Steve Atkerson and Eric Svendson
Click here to return to "Getting Started."
Our Partners
Badge
© 2013 Created by Dale Interactive.
