Faith is one of the bedrock principles of our community. It’s what keeps us together, especially during times of trouble like we are seeing today. This has driven many all across the country to find new expressions of their faith, but also to despair over their inability to congregate with those they need most in their lives.
Faith is a strong tie to our value system and moral compass, and it’s also a structure of support that keeps us positive in our worst times. These things may be weighing on you, driving you to contemplate opening your home up to your community as a faith-based place of worship and continuity during this stressful time. Here are three things to keep in mind if you’re considering beginning a house church.
1. A small, intimate setting for prayer
Home churches were initially founded around the concept of small group worship. Often, throughout history, house churches were formed in contradiction with local laws banning Christian worship or congregation altogether. They follow in a biblical tradition set about by Jesus and his Apostles as they ventured around the Holy Land preaching and worshiping as a small unit. The sanctity of this type of prayer group cannot be overstated. If you are considering opening your home to a prayer service among your community you are likely already an integral member of the church but probably don’t have all the necessaries at home. Consider acquiring all the proper clerical wear and equipment for a service—collars, women clergy robes, cassocks, and if you are ordained, communion supplies.
2. Think about building in advance
House churches have held a special place for Christians throughout history, and they often become a central feature in the lives of those in regular attendance. If you are considering opening your home to your community for prayer and the sacraments then planning an expansion should be part of your thought process. House churches can grow quickly and almost immediately. Considering custom home building in Easton, PA to move into a new home for yourself that also provides the necessary space for your congregation might be just the thing you need to continue growing and spreading the word throughout your community. New home builders can outfit a new custom home with large open floorplan spaces that are perfect for church services. Your ministry may start to grow rapidly once you extend an invitation to prayer out to your community, so planning in advance is always an important consideration to make.
3. Understand your community’s needs
Many house churches begin as an organic outpouring of faith as a result of something lacking. In the current climate, this is due to travel restrictions and limits on gatherings, but this will pass. Others may be lacking something else in an existing church, and often times it’s directly related to a bad experience in their previous faith community. This means that entrants into your new community may need extra nurturing or dedication to a bible study that they were lacking in their previous environment.
Knowing what your community needs are the easiest way to foster the best team of spiritual compatriots and help nurture prayer and commitment to God among the entire community. Going the extra mile to uncover the reasons why new members left their old churches is the best way to assuage their concerns and needs in this new faith-based community—your community.
The house church is a fantastic way to maintain spirituality, especially during a difficult time like the one we are living through today. It offers the intimacy of small group worship and allows for people to undertake their own personal journey through sermon and scripture in order to become more at peace with themselves and their daily struggles.