The most common explanation for the existence of early house churches was the pressure of persecution, similar to the situation existing today in China or Iran. The early Christian community started as a house church. Acts 16:40, 20:20, Romans 16:3-5a, 16:23, 1 Corinthians 16:19, Colossians 4:15, Philemon 1-2b, James 2:3. 9. Throughout church history, God has used the house church strategy to draw his followers back to a simpler form of church life and mission. But they do have their dangers. Get the Book 8. Worst yet, many parents drop their children off at a church youth program as sort of a reform school, hoping for a miracle. . Lane Dennis, ed. It might have been even smaller. However, the larger the fellowship, the more difficult it becomes to maintain relationships and lines of communication. All rights reserved. In early Christianity, there were no church buildings. Are we to believe that having smaller congregations was a purely incidental aspect of the blueprint for church life or was it purposeful? A church also met in the home of Philemon (Philemon 1:2). Believers are children of God (1Jn 3:1) who have been born into his family (Jn 1:12-13). Impressive children’s ministries mean little to them. This is the 12th column in a 12-part series. An informal, smaller setting is an effective place for the building of consensus. One challenge in worshiping in a home today lies in the fact that modern homes are often far different from first-century Roman villas. ‘House churches’ offer return to in-person worship by following practice of early Christians. They are called brothers and sisters (Phm 2, Ro 16:2). Why might the apostles have laid down a purposeful pattern of small churches? The pastors become inaccessible. It could, according to the Yale archaeologists who excavated it, seat 65 to 70 people. Celebrating the Lord’s Supper as an actual faith-family meal is more natural in a smaller setting. Proportions The practical reality of the priesthood of the believer was lost until the Reformation. As already seen, Scripture indicates the early church met in the homes of its wealthier members. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. This focused look at women in the household context discusses the importance of issues of space and visibility in shaping the lives of early Christian women. Discussion Questions . New churches grow faster than larger ones. 1. Achieving consensus is possible in a church where everyone knows each other, loves each other, bears with one another, is patient with one another and is committed to each other. What practical advantages and disadvantages would meeting in a home have? 2. This article may be copied or redistributed with acknowledgement and permission of the publisher. There are both advantage and disadvantages to small churches. There seems little doubt that these informal gatherings of small groups of believers had great influence in preserving the simplicity and purity of early Christianity.” The first step to starting a house church is to pray. Acts 17:6. Today, as always, we can see God’s footsteps, if we are looking for them. If you lead your small church to adopt early church practice, it will be a blessing to people. Though Scripture never states such, it is quite likely that churches also met in tenement housing called insula and which were not nearly as large as a Roman villa. Second, continue doing things to bring in new singles under 35. 4. Church discipline takes on genuine significance. 9.         The early church continued this practice of home meetings for hundreds of years after the New Testament was completed. These ideals are best accomplished in smaller congregations where people know and love each other. The church at Dura-Europos occupies a midpoint in the evolution from early house churches to the monumental buildings of the age of Constantine. Other Christian groups choose to meet in houses when they are in the early phases of church growth because a house is the most affordable option for the small group to meet until the number of people attending the group is sufficient to warrant moving to a commercial location such as a church building. But the network of tiny house churches scattered throughout the Roman Empire did experience their oneness in Christ so vividly that they were able to defy and eventually conquer a powerful, pagan civilization. At the far end of the atrium was the business office. House churches are legitimate. A home-school family’s thinking is often based on such truths as, “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child” and “the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Because children are foolish, putting them all together in a school classroom may be a recipe for spiritual and social disaster. “The antidote to the evangelical obsession with the ‘bigger is better’ model of church organisation. New churches grow faster than larger ones. This is good. House churches in the early church. Learn Practical Tips on Ministering in Smaller Churches. Though house churches were at the opposite end of the spectrum from modern mega-churches, it is important to avoid the mistake of thinking too small. A hallway between them led into the home’s atrium. We long to see the Lord’s churches full if such growth represents people being reached with the Gospel and made into disciples. Jerome Murphy-O’Connor measured six homes in Pompeii and Ephesus and found the average atrium size to be 797 square feet. It was sporadic and did not necessarily affect all the churches at the same time. How did New Testament churches grow numerically yet still meet in private homes? Early churches meeting in Roman villas typically consisted of scores of people, perhaps over a hundred, but not hundreds and certainly not thousands. Isaiah 6:9-13. The Matthew 18 restoration process detailed by Jesus clearly assumes more than just “us four and no more.” There was a single congregation meeting in Corinth at the time Paul wrote; counting the various people using their spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 14 adds up to a healthy number of believers. Look into renting an apartment clubhouse, dance academy, storefront, school cafeteria or community center. William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary on Romans (Grand Rapids, MI:  Baker Book House), 22. One challenge in worshiping in a home today lies in the fact that modern homes are often far different from first-century Roman villas. 6. By By Clifford M. YearyAssociate Director, Little Rock Scripture Study. Posted Sep 10, 2020. In keeping with the New Testament example, the ideal size for a congregation might be the same number of people that would fit into a first-century Roman villa (which, by the way, is more than will fit in a typical modern home). Building consensus of the whole congregation was important in decision making. Was Jesus’ ministry a failure? The Jerusalem Church had thousands of members meeting house to house. It is not surprising then to see women taking leadership roles in house churches. Paul claims that during these gatherings, the fact that some were well-fed and getting drunk while others went hungry, proved that their meals failed the test of a genuine Eucharist (1 Corinthians 11:17-22). Participatory worship fits smaller settings better and the things shared are much more meaningful.         According to W.H. 12:26). ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2217 18:15-17; 1 Cor. This would seat between 60 and 80 people. Ibid., 67. The larger the congregation, the less family-like and the more impersonal the Lord’s Supper as a true meal becomes. 1. Jesus went from 5000 down to 12 in one sermon. Perhaps some congregations were large and therefore met in big buildings, but this is an argument from silence. Referred to as house churches today, in their own time, these Christians would have thought of themselves as the Church and the place where they assembled as someone’s house. Instead of getting bigger and bigger, purpose to maintain the New Testament example of Roman-villa-sized churches. If you lead your small church to adopt early church practice, it will be a blessing to people. One known ancient home that hosted a church was the. 8. While recognizing various powers in the universe, Jews nevertheless differed from their neighbors by only offering worship (sacrifices) to their one god, Yahweh. Pattern House Churches in the First Century For the first two hundred years of the Christian movement, most meetings were held in homes. “Space Calculator for Banquet & Meeting Rooms”, BanquetTablesPro.com, accessed October 04, 2016. Acts records 120 believers assembled in the upper room of a house. The apostles’ belief concerning the function of the church was naturally expressed in the form the church took on in the first century, and this would certainly include size considerations. Furthermore, there were typically multiple generations of family living under the same roof. And when a brother or sister fell into sin, the others gently restored the straying person (Mt. There are no evidences of larger places of meeting before 300.” Again quoting Snyder, “there is no literary evidence nor archaeological indication that any such home was converted into an extant church building. Noah faithfully preached to his generation, yet only a handful were saved. Measurements taken from schematic. Why? The others would be relegated to the atrium, a room that was open to the elements from above and where they would be seated on the floor. Apart from home-schoolers, expect an exodus to a larger church with a first-rate children’s program.         Scripture indicates that the early church met in the private homes of its more affluent members. Walls between adjoining rooms off the atrium could be removed to create a big open area. Roman villas doubled as centers for commerce. Rather than growing a single church bigger and bigger, consider sending off clusters of people to start new small churches. Roman villas featured large areas in which the church could gather, such as the atrium. A Woman's Place provides an overwhelming sense of community that women of the early church shared. 4:19; Phm. During the first several centuries of Christianity, the church was centered on the home. How would the number of people involved impact a church’s ability to have a participatory meeting or to achieve congregational consensus? The sacredness of these places did not arise from their architecture, it resided in the presence of those gathered — the assembling of the local Body of Christ — and in what they had gathered together to receive, the Body of Christ in the signs of bread and wine. For example, Aquila and Prisca held church meetings in their home (1 Corinthians 16:19). Starting a house church cannot be just a good idea; it must be a Godidea. . As public speaking is a great fear, participatory meetings are best suited to smaller gatherings composed of people who all know each other and are true friends. The Catechism describes the Church as “the family of God” (§ 1655). W.H. The Holy Meal: The Lord’s Supper was originally celebrated weekly as a full, fellowship meal. Don’t rule out the possibility of meeting in someone’s home—under the right circumstances it can still be a viable option (see our book for more about modern house churches). What psychological impact might the size of a church meeting have on the actual meeting and people themselves? . This was probably because of the large size of the home and the financial ability of the host to provide much of the food for the love feast. Graydon Snyder of Chicago Theological Seminary observed that “the New Testament Church began as a small group house church (Col. 4:15), and it remained so until the middle or end of the third century. The home should have a large assembly room and ample off-street parking. Let us strive to faithfully follow the example of Christ and the apostles in our churches and ministries today. There were no more people in any one congregation than would fit into a wealthy person’s home (in the atrium, courtyard, or large living area).