A winning combination

What is the difference between a house church that succeeds and one that fizzles out?

I have found that the difference is not a scholarly Bible study (although that is important). The difference is the outlook of the group.

The house churches that come together for the sole purpose of a Bible study generally do not last.

The house churches that come together to 'bring their gifts' to the table experience consistent growth.

The difference?
Vision and empowerment.

The vision is to be more than a small group Bible study. The vision is to become a mini-church. A mini-church expects ministry to flow from the house church setting. They see the big picture of house churches within the local church (Acts 2:46; 20:20).
Empowerment involves helping people use their gifts as they partner with the house church ministry. They come together to give of themselves.

When vision and empowerment are combined you will begin to see the scriptural instructions for worship unfold: "So here's what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight." 1 Corinthians 14:26 (MSG)

That is a winning combination!

More than a small group

I'd like for us to press the boundaries associated with a small group ministry. A small group ministry generally unifies around the purpose of a group of people gathering together for prayer, worship, fellowship and studying God's Word. These are very good purposes, but I believe that they fall short of God's vision for Storehouse House Churches.

Small Group Ministry?

Let's start with the word, "ministry". Attaching the word 'ministry' implies that the small groups are one of the programs within the church. One of the many options for a church goer. House Churches cannot be viewed as one program piece. They must be viewed as the foundational ministry of the local church. This does not mean that a church cannot have additional ministries (ours certainly does). It does mean that the House Church becomes the way in which a person plugs into the church body. Sunday attendance is important, but community life happens in the smaller House Church.

Now, this distinction has huge implications for the overall purpose of HC. The purpose cannot stop at prayer, worship, fellowship and Bible Study. It must expand to every expression of ministry that is found in the local church.

Think about that. If you would like to see it happen in the large (corporate) church, then it should rightly happen through the smaller House Church. For example, lets say someone has a passion for the homeless in Philadephia. They should not rely on the church staff to organize and manage that ministry opportunity. Rather, they should share their heart with their house church members and mobilize that group to serve the homeless in the city. Naturally, peole with the same passion will join this House Church or a new one will form following this person's leadership.

A House Church that with this outlook on ministry would free many people to use their gifts. This is just one thought on benefits of changing the focus of House Churches. Give me some feedback.

What is a House Church?

Have you ever thought about the exact definition of a Storehouse House Church? What is it? What is the point? What makes it distinct? How are these gatherings different from a typical church small group? What is the future potential of these groups? These are a few of the questions that I'd like us to wrestle with on this blog. Let's explore this unique move of God at Storehouse together.

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