Are Problems With Home Churches Unique To Home Churches?

For most of my life, I’ve been in the church. Denominational churches, independent non-denominational churches, military post chapels, and home churches. I’ve got a wide variety of experience in various congregations and on both sides of the pulpit. And I can tell you this: the problems I hear assigned to home churches aren’t unique to home churches. They are universal to all churches because they are largely people problems.

I’m going to take a popular article entitled “10 Reasons The House Church Movement is a Misstep” written by someone known only as Ben, and go down through each reason or problem he presents. Then I’ll offer another perspective, and you be the judge if the problem is real or not. Use your own experience, discernment, and the scriptures, and decide for yourself if home churches have these unusual problems that traditional churches are somehow immune to.

The 10 Reasons the House Church Movement is a Misstep

1. It’s not Biblical

2. It creates an insular and indifferent atmosphere

3. Leaders cannot be raised quickly enough to multiply house church

4. No access to the fivefold ministry

5. No size or structure and no appreciation for structure

6. Only like-minded people gather together so there’s no conflict and growth

7. You never benefit from the vision of a large audience

8. You never benefit from corporate worship

9. There’s no pastor, so you are in a bad place and confused

10. Confused people deep down know house church is not enough

Okay, let’s get our Bibles out, put on the mind of Christ, and go down through the list.

1. It’s not biblical. 

Well, the short answer is, yes, house churches are biblical…

• Rom 16:5 “Likewise greet the church that is in their house…”

• 1 Cor 16:19 “The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.”

• Phil 1:2 “And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:”

• Col 4:15 “Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.”

Let’s not forget that the church is not a building. It’s not a business, corporation, or denomination. It’s the people of God and the body of Christ. Where the church gathers is irrelevant. I think we can safely mark this “problem” as false.

Here’s a side question: Are denominations biblical? Mmmm…

2. It creates an insular and indifferent atmosphere.

In my experience, indifference varies from person to person and is a heart condition. Established congregations of hundreds or more can be just as inwardly-focused and apathetic of the world around them as a gathering of six in a living room. We can all be guilty of the “just as long as we’re saved, and that’s all that really matters” attitude. 

Thinking beyond ourselves and doing the work of an evangelist is something that is taught. It’s imparted by spiritually minded elders who lead by example. Consider the words Paul wrote to Timothy, 

“But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” (2 Tim 4:5)

This, too, is false.

3. Leaders cannot be raised quickly enough to multiply house churches

We’re still using the Bible as our blueprint, right? What chapter gives us the timetable of spiritual growth in our community? I read about the qualifications for a bishop or elder in 1 Tim 3 and Titus 1. Still, neither place offers a schedule for when one should “graduate” to take on the responsibilities of an elder in a new or multiplied church. 

How long was Jesus with his disciples, two to three years? Paul would stay in various cities for that long, teaching and preaching as well, but how many elders and churches were established at that time? My point is this: let’s not put man’s timetable on God’s church. What might take years for one congregation in one city may take only months in another. The church is not our little social project, it’s God’s family. And he will add to his church daily such as should be saved if we are all doing our part.

And let’s not forget that the health of any church is fluid. Just because elders are raised up quickly today doesn’t mean they will stay the course in the future. Paul wrote about it this way…

This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. (2 Tim 1:15)

For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; (2 Tim 4:10)

Entire churches forsook Paul and his teaching. Demas was a co-laborer with Paul and left the ministry in favor of the blinking bright lights of the here and now. This, too, is another false problem assigned to house churches.

4. No access to the fivefold ministry

This is a fascinating topic worthy of great discussion, but for the sake of this particular article, I’ll briefly explain my perspective from the scriptures. 

In both Testaments, the Lord has warned us not to add to or take away from his word. His word is pure and doesn’t need our editing. I say that because nowhere in the Bible is a fivefold ministry mentioned. The source of this doctrine is Eph 4:11-12

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Five ministries are listed here, but do you see the word “fivefold” anywhere? Stay tuned because perhaps there’s a very good reason why! 

Are there other places where ministries are listed like this? Yes, as a matter of fact, there are two other places. 1 Cor 12 and Rom 12. If we cross-reference these scriptures, we quickly discover that the subject is spiritual gifts or gifts of the Spirit, and there are more than five. Eph 4:7 also says that every believer has been given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ, referencing the five gifts listed later in the chapter. 1 Cor 12:31 tells us to covet earnestly the best gifts (sounds like God may even grant us multiple gifts!) 

So, according to the scriptures, each of us has a gift or gifts. And as we grow and mature in Christ and step out in faith, he will use those gifts in us to edify the church. Let us not think for a second that an absence of a select group of five gifted people will cause a church to be impoverished. That’s adding to the scriptures, which brings confusion.

5. No size or structure equals no appreciation for structure

The author doesn’t reference any scriptures about size and structure, so it’s his opinion here. He seems to link the size of a congregation to giving honor to whom honor is due. I don’t see the connection. Honor is something taught and doesn’t simply appear when enough people enter a building.

But if anyone thinks size or numbers are important to God, consider these observations…

• And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. (Jud 7:4)

• And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. (1 Sam 14:6)
  
  

• For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matt 18:20)
  
  

6. Only like-minded people gather together, so there’s no conflict and growth

This is another opinion offered by the author with no scriptural validation. To think a church needs to have at least 15 people to experience disagreements or clashing is completely false.  I wonder if Ben has ever been married or had siblings. If so, he’d know all about small-group clashes - even over doctrine!

At the time of this writing, I’m part of a congregation of 8. What is taught openly is discussed openly, and occasionally we don’t agree. And in those cases, we go to the word and reason together like we’re supposed to.

7. You never benefit from the vision of a large audience

Once again, there’s no scripture. 

I’ll never argue about the dynamics a larger group can offer, but that’s not always a given. I’ve seen, heard, and felt God at work in large and small groups. It’s never been about the size of the group; it was always the size of God in the group. 

Then Ben says something else intriguing about large vs small groups: 

“ There is something so powerful about people walking into a big meeting – it makes them big people.  Never underestimate the power of vision – vision gives life purpose.  People from small groups do not generally have a purpose that keeps them going through the storms.  They instead rely on the group in a dysfunctional way to keep them going through storms that really they should be laughing through.”

“It makes them big people.” What? Can someone explain this to me? And how does a large congregation, by its size, give me purpose to get through storms? Is that what the Bible says? I thought Jesus and his word got me through the storms. This is why I think that…

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. (Matt 7:24-25)

And please tell me more about this small group dysfunction because I haven’t seen it… 

8. You never benefit from corporate worship

I love singing to the Lord alone or in a crowd. Is worship something we do unto the Lord or for other people? Again, there’s no scripture to accompany his rationale, but I found this little tidbit in the Book of Acts about a small group singing unto the Lord late one night…

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. (Acts 16:25-26)

Let’s get some biblical perspective on the kind of worship God looking for…

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (Jn 4:23-24)

9. There’s no pastor, so you are in a bad place and confused

Because the modern church is built on a corporate model and not as the interactive body of Christ it was meant to be, the role of a pastor has been grossly overblown to the exclusion of the other gifts God has given his church. 

The word pastor appears in the New Testament only once and only in the plural. If we follow the scriptures for the true structure of the church, we’ll see the critical need for seasoned elders who live by example and who are subject to one another. It is not a pyramid-shaped corporate model. Here’s how the apostle Peter put it:

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. (1 Pet 5:1-4)

10. Confused people deep down know house church is not enough

I fail to see how Christians who gather in houses in the name of the Lord are somehow confused or misguided for doing so. Especially when the Bible speaks of such gatherings calling the groups churches and the people saints.

None of the reasons presented in Ben’s article are legitimate biblically. Instead, I see personal preferences and opinions used to launch accusations against other believers. And it’s a shame to see a minister criticizing his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, many of whom he’s never met. 

No church of any size or place is perfect. We all have our quirks, pros and cons, areas of improvement, and sins to be repented of. Why? Because we’re people. People who need the Lord every single day. People who should be striving to be holy because our Father in heaven is holy, but often fall short. But the goal is not to be like one another; the goal is to be like Christ living according to the word.

Gathering in a cathedral with a thousand others won’t make us holy. The few assembled together in a shack aren’t heretics. The church is so much bigger and more dynamic than any date, time, or place.

To Ben, and anyone else who share’s his perspective of the perceived  “problems” with home churches, I leave you with these words…

And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Pet 4:8-11)

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