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Today, I'll be the "critic of house church." Amazon.com drops me emails to let me know what books to buy next based on what I have already bought. Cool, huh? I see a new book about "starting a house church" by Larry Kreider. I recognize his name as a hc conference speaker.
I check out his web site, www.dcfi.org, and began looking at his dove network churches, such as www.newportdove.org and repeatedly notice they are actually cell churches complete with a paid senior pastor (and pastoress, as the case may be. I didn't have the time or interest to check every link.). So why doesn't he just write a book about "starting a cell church" if that is what he is really about?
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I would say that this author is pro house church and pro cell church, too. Likewise, some in the emergent church are pro clergy and pro non-clergy. Don't ask me how...
Let's just make certain we are doing what we know is right. We will have to give an account of no other but ourselves.
posted
I don't think cell churches are necessarily bad. I know some who have almost a cell church in their home. Cell churches can stay grounded, so to speak, with good support and good scriptual support, provided their church recognizes good scripture, or truth in the Word of God.
Naturally if the church is sending out poor messages, then the cell will distribute similar junk to those who attend.
-------------------- And everything, whatever you do in word or in work, do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus,
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I actually got to visit a Dove church, and it was more of a house church in this: the individual groups were not getting "top down" instruction. Each one had its own flavor and purpose.
They did have a Large Group meeting weekly but were TRYING to have it be that the "life is really in the home groups."
I don't subscribe to this model because no matter how much you "try", the big weekly group will take over, at least in the American, Post-Church matrix. And there is still a pastor person, who is more than just a biblical model overseer.
The classic cell group structure is that the Head Honcho person determines what happens in the small groups, usually distributing a teaching. Classic house church is that the Head of Household determines what happens in the small groups. The hybrid here is that there is still a Head Honcho and he tries to pretend he isn't determining what happens in the small groups.
At least that was my experience, and my reading of the website.
-------------------- Posing as an Ordinary Housewife :)
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