House Church Talk - House Churches and the Discipling of the Nations

[forwarded]

   By Grace Wiebe, forwarded by permission of author.

Over the past number of years especially, there has been a growing 
movement of house churches around the world which God seems to be 
initiating in order to help to not only reach with the Gospel many of the 
missed segments of society, but also to more effectively disciple/nurture 
believers and encourage the development of spiritual growth/godly 
character by providing the loving accountability we all need through the 
kind of close fellowship that is available in house fellowships.

House churches can be catalysts to help us to mature spiritually and to 
be what God has called us to be as we live out our part in the Great 
Commission. They can also solve many of the financial struggles of more 
traditional models of churches and of seeing the Great Commission 
financed by freeing up funds which would not normally be available. They 
can help to raise up, train and multiply many servant leaders (resulting 
in much less burn-out of leaders).

House churches can also provide a built-in protection system in case of 
persecution, can provide the sense of family and belonging that we all 
long for (Generation X especially seems to cry out for this dimension) 
and address the daily authentic reality of living the Christian life in 
the world today.

Quality of believers and Quantity of believers can be multiplied and can 
mushroom because when the groups grow to a certain number (around 10), 
they multiply by beginning additional groups, which then also multiply.

House churches can be very effective lights in the dark neighbourhoods in 
which they exist/function, and often become houses of prayer for the 
nations, with not only a growing passion to reach the lost in their 
communities but around the world. The very nature of house churches 
enables them to be an excellent incubator, nursery, Bible school, hands 
on training site, etc. for new believers all the way to seasoned/mature 
believers. It is also poised to be an excellent missionary sending 
support network. House churches can provide an excellent atmosphere to 
develop and utilize the spiritual gifts.

House churches are more flat in structure and less administrative, thus 
cutting out a lot of the bureaucracy and politics that are often involved 
in most more traditional models, so they are freed up to move and act 
quickly as God leads. The low administration also keeps down the costs 
which can be then be directed towards the poor and reaching the lost. The 
5-fold ministry of pastor, teacher, apostle, prophet and evangelist can 
also be utilized throughout the networks to bring greater effectiveness 
to these churches, and to multiply new pastors, teachers, apostles, 
prophets and evangelists to also train and multiply others with these 
giftings.

Although house churches also have imperfections because people are still 
people, the nature of house churches is a model extremely conducive to 
Christ's command to DISCIPLE THE NATIONS, especially as house churches 
network with other house churches in their community and throughout their 
country, and indeed with other house church networks throughout the world.

Many long for the reality of a church experience similar to that of Acts, 
and I believe that God has heard the cry of many of our hearts and is 
moving us increasingly into these directions.

SOME BENEFITS OF HOUSE CHURCHES (summary):

Reaching missed segments of society
Discipleship/godly character development
Loving accountability
Close fellowship
Conducive to more rapid and consistent spiritual growth
Encourage us in our roles in the Great Commission
Free up finances for the Great Commission
Training and multiplication of servant leadership
Help prevent burnout of leaders
Built in form of protection re persecution
Multiplication of churches
Provide sense of family/belonging
Conducive to reaching Gen X
Ideal model to 'disciple the nations'
Biblical Christianity lived out in daily life
Others can 'know us by our love'
Model is by nature reproducing
House churches are much more able to hold/disciple the coming harvest
Multiplication of churches leading to people movements
Able to contain and disciple the growing harvest
Spiritual gifts and five-fold ministry are developed/exercised
Five fold ministry equips next generations of leaders
Every member of the family important
Every member of the house church involved in ministry
House churches are poised to be flexible with what God is doing
House churches are poised to respond to needs
Natural as "Houses of Prayer"
Natural sender of missionaries
Natural 'missionary care/support' function
Low administrative needs
Low costs to function
Worship
Conducive to evangelism/discipleship
Conducive to reaching the poor
Conducive to ministering to the hurting