HOUSE CHURCH MOVEMENT GROWING
This
is an article I came across on the Internet. Ron
Web site: http://www.khouse.org/
HOUSE CHURCH
MOVEMENT GROWING
There
is no place like home, at least for some Christians. In recent years the
number of home-based churches and small group fellowships in the United
States has risen exponentially. Since the year 2000, it is estimated that
more than 20 million Americans have begun exploring alternative forms of
worship, including home churches. Today there are an estimated 30,000 house
churches in the United States. Although the growth of this movement is
difficult to track, it is believed that the number of Christians attending
house churches has risen tenfold in the last ten years.
House churches were, of course, the way it all started. Christianity began
with a group of a dozen men along a seaside in Galilee. Even later as Paul
traveled and planted, it was the intimacy of home fellowships that provided
the earliest forums for the Gospel. His sermons in the synagogues and on Mars
Hill were but an invitation. The deeper teaching was taking place in small
groups in homes and on hillsides. While the facilities and formalities of
Sunday services have since become the norm for many, it was not always so.
The church in the house of Philemon grew into the church of Colossae
(Philemon 2). The church in the house of Nymphas
became the church of Laodicea (Colossians 4:15). The churches in the house of
Aquila and Priscilla, became the churches of both Ephesus and Rome (1
Corinthians 16:19; Romans 16:5).
There are three key components to our Christian walk: study of the
scriptures, prayer, and the fellowship of believers. Many Christians today
have grown dissatisfied with organized religion. Some have even become so
discouraged that they have quit attending church altogether. However the
Bible is very clear when it emphasizes the importance of spending time with
other believers, in Hebrews 10:25 it says: "And let us consider one
another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:
and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." It is critical
that we spend time regularly with other believers in order to encourage each
other.
In the era of the mega-church, where parishioners often number in the
thousands or even tens of thousands, it is easy to see why many Christians
feel lost. Such large congregations can be intimidating and impersonal. (Many
of the more effective larger organizations also foster and nurture small
groups - often called "cells" - during the week to respond to such
needs.) For many Christians who desire a more intimate fellowship, home
churches seem to be the answer.
Even those believers who are actively involved in their local church can
benefit from the intimacy and accountability of a home fellowship. If you are
not presently in a small, weekly, Bible study group, we strongly encourage
you to find one and give it a try. You may be in for a truly life-changing
experience. If you can't find one, you might even consider starting one (for
more information on how to do this, see the links below).
There are many Christian leaders today who think that home fellowships
represent the church of the future – as we live in an increasingly volatile
and politically correct world. For a more detailed discussion of this topic,
check out our briefing titled The Once and Future Church
(this week's special offer).
Related
Links:
• The Once
and Future Church - DVD - Special Offer!
• The
Once and Future Church - MP3 Download
• House
Churches Gaining Acceptance - Barna Group
• The Joy
of Teaching God's Word - Free Guide By Chuck Missler
• A Secret of
Spiritual Growth - K-House Archives
|